On the trail it was already very hot by 1030, so we felt happy to be climbing the mostly shaded side to Col Checrouit at 1956m, a mere 400m ascent. But once there the views across the valley to the Mont Blanc Massif and especially the Glacier de la Brenva were spectacular.
Descending in early afternoon beneath a baking sun to Courmayeur we were running through options in our mind. We know we have some long days ahead so felt pulled to continue further especially in such amazing weather, but on other hand we had always planned to rest in Courmayeur precisely because of those long days.
In the end we decided to see what arose when we asked in tourist info. If it was prohibitively expensive we'd resupply with food and move on, if not we'd stay.....and a short while later we were sitting in our room at Pension Venezia, a basic, 1 star place with a shared bathroom and exactly what we needed. In a town of boutique stores and stunning views it was very reasonable. And as added bonuses its on the TMB route, just down the road from a supermarket selling enough organic products to resupply us AND we somehow got given one of the few rooms with a balcony.
Sitting having a buffet dinner overlooking the glaciated Mont Blanc Massif on our balcony it didn't matter how many stars the place had, it was ideal. Oh, and we'd managed to clean ourselves and our hiking gear as well!
In the evening we took the time to do some much needed planning. Unlike the GR5 the TMB has multiple route options and with our long term plans to head to Zermatt we needed to make sure we had enough days to cover the route but without rushing either....it is after all a marathon not a sprint.
Just time now for some book listening, maybe a massage and hopefully a good nights sleep in another real bed. Hooray!
Click here for our TMB Google photos album
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