We thought we'd better check on camping in Chamonix. Phoned the information center. Their view was that even Great Saint Bernard Pass was closed and we should use the train service through the Mont Blanc tunnel. Useful also to know that all camping grounds in Chamonix were closed. The last one closed today!
Confused, we thought we'd believe our local person and headed up to the Pass. Eventually we twigged that there was a Great Saint Bernard Tunnel.
We'd passed a granite works (a clue to what makes up part of the alps) and could see slices of granite partly manufactured.
Unusual as most stone or slate roofs in other parts of the world are made of stone that can easily be cleaved rather than having to be cut.
This roof had been carefully laid with square stones in a diamond pattern.
At least its unlikely to blow away in a gale!
Our excuse was that everything was closed.
We stopped at a hotel / restaurant near the pass.
We were lucky that at precisely midday the restaurant opened.
Chicken and chips! It reminded us of the chicken bones in China, though these bones were much bigger, and the sauce was white wine.
We are not too far from France and suspect the Italian cuisine has been influenced.
This one much older, and different sized stones.
That river that flows through Germany, to the north.
They charge a hefty (to us) toll for its use.
A$22 road tax and A$45 toll for the tunnel.
This is as we are leaving.
The notice board behind the truck describes a short nature walk.
We did a bit of investigating before going to bed and struggled to reconcile a couple of signposts indicating walks of several hours with the short nature walk.
We also noticed a few hikers passing by.
Lastly, there was a gentleman with a very long looking lens on his camera trying to photograph some Chamois hiding near the road.
About 20 min up the track we encountered a couple of Chamois.
If only last night's photographer had walked up the track a bit!
Alpine tracks are well graded and zig-zag.
Its striated. The result of glacial action.
Did I mention that the shape of the Alpine valleys, all the way from the Julian Alps, is typical of a landscape shaped by glaciers.
The glacier is on the south side.
These are Les Lacs Des Cheserys.
There's a refugio and Lac Blanc about 200m above us but we weren't too sure about running out of time, or steam, so turned around.
The track we have "disovered" is well used. Its part of the Via Alpina and also Espace Mont Blanc.
Had a chat to a couple of Parisienne hikers who, like us, had expected knee deep snow at this time of year.
We were asked, again, what were the best and worst parts of the trip.
We don't have a best and worst, but we have realised there are some days we remember better than others.
We figured that today was one of those we will remember.
They described it as a walk they keep coming back to.
Receding so the terminal and side moraine are very obvious.
We aren't sure which one moved closer to the other first. Or even if its the right season.
