Tour du Mont Blanc Day Seven – Rifugio Bonatti to La Fouly

Today we will enter the third country on our walk around Mont Blanc. This country is a land of mountains, cuckoo clocks and precision timing, holey cheese, delicious chocolate and secretive bank accounts. And of course the Swiss Army knife, one of which I have in my rucksack. We cross into Switzerland over Grand Col Ferret. At 2532m (8,307ft) the col will also be the highest point we will reach on our walk as we’re following the regular Tour du Mont Blanc route without variants.

At midnight last night, just as I’d got off to sleep the heavens opened. Huge, explosive claps of thunder rattled the window frames and lightning lit up the room. For hours rain lashed against the window panes in rhythmic waves. I rolled over and gave thanks that I was warm in my bed and not outside in the storm. At 6am all was quiet but over breakfast showers started drifting up the valley. This left a bunch of hikers having an extended breakfast and several coffees whilst staring out of the window trying to decide when would be the best time to make a move.

Our stay at Rifugio Bonatti has been superb and the coffee is the best of any refuge we’ve been in so it was tempting just to stay put and watch the rain from the window. Tempting though that is, it’s not an option. We have a long day with a lot of ascent ahead of us so we don our rain jackets, say goodbye to Bonatti and head out. As we head off the staff are putting out bollards in front of of the rifugio “for the helicopter”.

The trail climbs up and behind the rifugio where it is framed nicely by the huge dark rock pinnacles of the Grandes Jorasses rising majestically into the sky across Val ferret.

The path crosses the tumbling waterfalls of Torrent du col de Malatra and then rejoins the terrace path that we followed yesterday. As we are walking I hear the sound of rotor blades. Steve and I watch as a helicopter flies up the valley and hovers in front of the Rifugio whilst a huge net containing what we think is rubbish is hooked onto a cable underneath. The chopper then lifts the load and carries it down to the valley floor. As it flies one solitary package drops out of the net and floats gently down into the woods below.

We follow the path as it traverses the valley side working its way towards the head of Val Ferret. As we walk the intermittent rain stops and our rain jackets come off. Like yesterday, Mont Blanc is hiding itself under cloud today. The views across the valley however to the Grandes Jorasses are still pretty awesome and the sense of my own smallness whilst walking among these giants still remains.

On reaching a building marked on the map as Arp Nuova Di Meitin the TMB heads downhill at quite an incline, the biggest descent we have had for a few days all the way to Chalet Val Ferret. After filling up at a quirky wooden water trough it’s time to start what is going to be a long ascent of two and a half thousand feet to the Grand Col Ferret, thankfully broken up by a visit to Rifugio Elena at the half way point.

Once again we are joined by lots of day walkers and families who have driven up the valley to the car park and are going to enjoy a walk up to the Rifugio for lunch, with perhaps the more energetic ones venturing up to the col itself.

The morning showers are now a distant memory and the sun is blazing as we make our way uphill in the sunshine and wild flowers. There are several streams that have to be crossed on route to Elena, some of them still have snow in the deeper recesses. Water freezes from the top down and melts from the bottom up (which is why on Kilimanjaro I had my water bottle upside down on summit day). This makes crossing these streams early in the season before the snow has fully melted quite perilous. As the snow melts under the stream it leaves a thin snow bridge which can easily give way causing an unwary hiker to fall straight through.

On the way up there are superb views into the Vallee de la Belle Combe surrounded by Grand Golliat and Mont Tsichette.

By the time we get to Rifugio Elena Steve and I are ready to put our feet up for half an hour. Like most Rifugios/Refuges Elena has a great view from its terrace. In this case it’s the pinnacles of Aiguille de Triolet and Mont Dolent with the Glacier de Pre de Bard stretching down into the valley, glacial melt water pouring in a white, ribbon like stream down the centre of the valley.

From Rifugio Elena the trail heads downhill briefly before turning relentlessly upwards all the way to Grand Col Ferret. It’s an arduous climb, the longest and steepest of the walk so far, although after seven days walking Steve and I have found our mountain legs so we can take it in our, albeit slow, stride.

After what seems like hours of steep walking the gradient finally eases a couple of hundred metres before the col.

When I walk in the Lakes I generally have the mountains to myself. I knew the TMB was not going to be Lakeland but I’m still surprised quite how busy the honey spots are and the Grand Col Ferret is no exception. People with dogs, people on bikes, both electric and human powered, guided groups and individuals all gather round the toposcope and stone pillar like we are at a mountain pre dinner reception party. We plonk ourselves down far from the madding crowd and Steve eats whilst I head off and explore our highest point.

The col is not as broad or as flat as the Col de la Seigne but there are still plenty of signs, pillars and posts on show. There is also an impressive wooden cross overlooking the Swiss side with the inscription ‘Courir Pour Dieu’ (Run for God) and a plaque. There are sweeping views down the long green valley into Switzerland and across to Mont Dolent and the glaciers.

After a rest and something to eat we take one last look at Italy and turn our faces to Switzerland. Having grown up watching The Great Escape and other war films I can’t help but imagine for a minute I’m an escaped POW and have just made it safely into neutral Switzerland.

It’s a long but easy descent on a good path down the La Peule valley into Switzerland. We stop at the Alpage de la Peule for coffee and chat to the girls from Sacramento we had dinner with last night. From the Alpage the path continues to wind its way, snake like down the valley becoming increasingly pastoral as it does so until the river Dranse de Ferret is crossed and a tarmac road is joined.

We are now in the Swiss Valley Ferret and follow the road, passing flower meadows and Swiss alpine chalets all the way to La Fouly and our bed for the night at Gite de la Fouly.

Route Map, Walk Stats, Geolocated Picture Gallery and 3D Flyover Video Below.

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