Videos below!
Final day in St. Gervais, and against forecast it was clear and sunny when we got up, so decided to have a last day on the slopes, but again with the snow shoes. I was fairly keen to make an assault on Mt. Joly, the highest peak in the immediate area. So we set off about 11:30 from Le Bettex, the first station at about 1390m. As we walked, the clouds started to build (as forecast) and so by about 2pm when we were in striking distance of the summit, it became clear that we would be walking in clouds. Also, on close inspection, the summit was steeper to reach than we’d thought, so it was not practical to make the final ascent. Instead, we took lunch at 2330m. The GPS said by the time we had returned to Le Bettex that we had climbed over 1000m, which was a record for the trip.
Funnily, a group of ladies approached us as we were on he way down, we’d seen them at the 2330m point, and they said in English “my word you must be fit, Mamma Mia!” – I think they were probably either Austrian or Italian from the accents (and language). Anyway, we exchanged a few words as best we could and carried on our way. But they had a point, yes, I think we might actually be fit! I’ve gone down 2 holes on the trouser belt whilst we’ve been here, so something must be going in the right direction. I’ll give a proper Paleo and fitness update shortly.
We are leaving early in the morning with the intention of getting to Bruges in Belgium for tomorrow night, which means a nice evening out, a stroll around town in the morning, and plenty of time to get to the ferry mid-afternoon. See you all soon!
