Introduction: TMB Stage 8 Champex to Trient
8th day out of the 11 of the TMB. Today, we had planned on hiking the fenêtre dArpette but the weather being unfriendly we had to give it up and follow the regular trail.
Since yesterday 2:30pm, it has been raining and it won’t stop for another 2.5 days…
The TMB brough us today along some small village at first but quickly ended up being an uphill/downhill in the forest. Though the view on top must have been nice but only for a bit.
Table of Contents
Mapping the day: Champex to Trient
TMB stage 8: Champex to la Fouly
Leaving Champex
We woke up around 6am, gosh the night was noisy with the train. We unpitched the tent and putted it to dry a bit. We then headed for breakfast, we were the fist awake today, and it was pouring, plus it was super foggy.
Other people came, we all started chatting abut what we were gonna do and if we would continue or not. At this point, we did not know what to do, it was gonna rain for another 3 days and we had another 4 days to do, so only the last day would be great again.
Germans there, were considering going to Chamonix and wait for the weather to turn. Other people were talking about stopping the TMB for now.
Anyhow, around 8am, we packed our tent and left around 8:30am.
Uphill
Then the trail went in the forest, and it ended up in the forest for good until the top of the hill. It was some great uphill there. It most certainly was not the hardest, but it felt much tougher due to the rain. Along this portion, our jacket could not take it anymore and we ended up all soaked up.
Downhill to Trient
Then it was simply downhill in the forest. Nothing much to say. We rushed it down like maniacs. A part of the trail was flooded, at this time even our hiking boots got water in.
We made it to Col de Forclaz at 12:20pm. Thanks cuz we were freezing!
Col de Forclaz to Trient
Now there is some 30/40min more to Trient. But a bus arrived while we were checking, and we hoped on. It then took us 5min to get to Trient for 7.2 CHF (both). Inside the bus, we met 3 hikers that were coming from Champex as well but had used public transportation to arrive at Trient. They were about to hike a bit to the next refuge and would stop if the weather does not change.
We first had planned on camping near the Refuge La Peuty, but we switch to stay in a refuge. We then popped by the Refuge de la Grande Ourse. When we arrived, only the cleaning team was there, they called the boss that arrive a bit later. We discussed with him and he still had rooms for us. But as we told him we are considering stopping due to the weather or going back to Chamonix, he advises us to stay in Chamonix instead of here.
He then told us how to get there and that we just missed the bus to the train station. We could hitchhike, but as we were super wet, he offered to drive us to the train station. He was super friendly.
Along the way we talked with him, and it was a terrible year for the TMB, 20% of what they normally have.
Return to Chamonix
We then ended up in the train station at Chatelar Frontière. There we changed our clothes, bought tickets for Vianduc Sainte Marie (TMB Parking in les Houches) and waited in the waiting room. Clean toilets were in the small train station.
The train ticket cost 15.4CHf per ticket.
We took the 1:58pm train to Vallorcine where we switch for the train to Saint-Gervay. The train is the Mont blanc express and you change train at the border. But it’s the same ticket.
We made it to the train station near the parking some 1h later, and after another 10min walking we were at our car. End of the TMB here for now. We will finish it in June next year.
 “Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.” – Walt Whitman
