Chamonix - Argentiere
- Distance: 9km
- Duration: (with breaks): 2h 15min
- Elevation gain/loss: 300m/85m
Hello again, my dear Mont Blanc! Ah, just approaching the Alps was emotional already. We’ve been stuck in our little flat world since the lockdown started and I couldn’t help but feel so uplifted once the peaks showed up on the horizon. Now that’s what I call a decent view!
We arrived at Chamonix around 17:00 straight from Belgium with a plan to warm up our legs and start the hike according to Kev Reynolds guide book since stage 1 is approximately a two hours hike in the valley.
Back at home I researched a free long term parking lot called Montenvers, but unfortunately we couldn’t find it. Yes, we used Google maps and we even asked some locals where it is. All I can say is that this place is a mystery, nobody knows where it is.
After a good 30 min of research we were guided by the locals to leave our car in Parking des Planards – Zone Blanche. It’s a very spacious parking lot and, most importantly, our car was still there when we came back 🙂
So our car is finally parked and it’s 18:00 already! Probably the latest I’ve ever hit the trail, but hey, we still have the sun. The hike took us through Chamonix, we even had to cross a fancy golf club. It was funny to pass all those classy players casually strolling from hole to hole while we marched through the fields with our lives on our shoulders, ready to conquer the valley. I felt much more “in my place” when we entered a forest and started climbing uphill.
The elevation gain was a piece of cake compared to other stages (mere 300m), but my legs did not like a late StairMaster exercise after chilling in a car for 8 hours.
Even though my body was getting used to the trail, my mind was in heaven – I’m back on the trail surrounded by beautiful mountains. Life is good.
Imagine walking through a quiet forest, which occasionally opens the views of majestic mountains surrounding you. You know that tomorrow you’ll have those views all the time, but today you are teased by the trail. Once you feel that you got used to it, the trail spits you out into the outskirts of Argentiere and that’s it for Stage 1.
We reached the camping just before the sunset, right on time. Our gamble to just show up without a reservation paid off and we even got some warm food before going to sleep. I really enjoyed our short stay at this camping: friendly staff and clean facilities AND we had the view of Mont Blanc itself. Great start, only 13 more days to go!
Day 1 tips
- It is possible to combine stage 1 & 2 if you’re tight on time, just keep in mind that it’ll be quite a long day. We met fellow hikers who did it and they admitted that it was quite a tiring day, especially since it’s the first one.
- Argentiere camping is really spacious, so booking ahead is usually not needed, especially for a small 2-person tent.
- Home-made pumpkin soup at the camping is very tasty.