Tuesday, September 10, 2002 – Frankfurt, Germany
 I ate breakfast at the hotel’s buffet and then went next door to spend an hour on-line. I made plans to leave Frankfurt for Mt. Blanc tomorrow at 10:00 AM. I’ll need to change trains four times but will arrive by 4:00 PM with plenty of time to find a place to stay.

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - Chamonix, France

I discovered I could lower my room rate by 13 Euros if I skipped breakfast, so I did so and went out to the Internet cafe at 7:00 AM where I had 4 Euros worth of breakfast and spent an hour on-line. I had received an email from Pam Gogol, whom I had lived next to in Fairfield, CT over 10 years ago. She is living in Italy with her family and I had written to her three months ago to let her know I was going to be in the area. I'll plan to see her after I leave Mt. Blanc. I also had some pictures from my friend Cindy whom I met in China and from Ryan who sent pictures of the Mt. Elbrus trip.

I checked out of the hotel and collected my luggage from the storage center. The train to Basel, Switzerland (the first of my 5-leg train journey today) was a few minutes late, but I found my seat in a private car and read for most of the three-hour leg. I was concerned about catching some of the trains because of the short time at each station. At Basel, I had 29 minutes between trains, but in Beil, Switzerland I only had 3 minutes to catch the train to Lausanne, Switzerland. Once in Lausanne, there were 6 minutes to change to Martigny and then 5 minutes to get the final leg to Chamonix, France. The trains were all on time, however, and I felt like they were all waiting for my arrival.

The trip was spectacular, particularly the Lusanne to Martigny leg along the lake, and then especially the final leg up the Alps to Chamonix which made the Flam Railroad in Norway seem like a subway ride.

I had a great dinner in a little cafe on the way back to the hotel. Chamonix is the birthplace of alpinism and is a beautiful little town with hundreds of years of history.

I'm a little surprised at the number of people I've encountered that do not speak English. Most other countries I've been in, I have had no difficulty communicating in English, but it appears that I will have to dust off by French to get by here. When I got back to my hotel, I turned on CNN, only to find that it, too, is in French. The only English language channel on TV was MTV, which I cannot understand either.

Tuesday, September, 12, 2002 - Chamonix, France

I spent today getting ready for 'Le Tour du Mont-Blanc' which I will start tomorrow. I skipped breakfast and went into town and found a new Internet Cafe where I spent an hour. I also found another guide service but couldn't get any more information from them as I got from the place I went yesterday. I'll have to wait until I get back from my hike before I can confirm a guide that I'll be able to hire to help me climb Mont-Blanc.

I walked up to the trailhead to make sure I knew where it was. I purchased two maps and a guidebook, but I'm a little concerned about hiking for 9 days all by myself, although I'm sure I'll meet other people on the trail.

I had dinner at a little restaurant and ordered the same thing I had last night - warm goat cheese salad. I got back to the hotel by 7:30 PM and spent the rest on the night organizing my things & deciding what I could leave in the hotel's storage room.

Friday, September 13, 2002 - Les Houches, France

My planned 7:00 AM start was delayed for an hour when I overslept. By 8:00 AM, however, I had stored my stuff and was walking out the door. I stopped at the grocery store and bought some bread and bananas, then stopped again at a bakery and bought some pastry.

The weather was great and I had wonderful views of Mont-Blanc across the Chamonix Valley.  There were many parasailors, and although I took some pictures of them, they appear very small against the huge mountains in the background. The guidebook I bought 'The Tour of Mont-Blanc' by Andrew Harper is a very detailed description of the route and, because it is in English, more helpful than the maps I have.

I got to Les Houches at about 5:00 PM and went to the Tourist Office where I found a hotel and used their Internet set-up. The Hotel Slalom is directly across from the trailhead for tomorrow's hike. I ate dinner next door after having to wait until 7:00 PM when all restaurants in this area seem to open.

Tomorrow's hike is similar to today in altitude gain so I went to bed early so I could get an earlier start.

Saturday, September 14, 2002

After the glacier,  I headed up to the Col de Tricot, then down a steep incline to the Chalets de Miage. I rested here for a half-hour, thinking it was all-downhill from here, but was surprised when the trail headed back up the mountainside another 180 m to the Chalet at Truc. From here it was all-downhill, but it took me another 2 hours to reach my destination.

I checked into The Grizzli Hotel, and planned my trip for tomorrow.

Sunday, September 15, 2002 - Chapieux, France

After two hours the road leveled out into a large valley with four stone farm buildings, several dozen cows, each with it's own bell fixed around it's neck with a fat leather belt. Outside the main house was a huge St. Bernard that could have easily been taken for another cow, except it did not have a bell.

I spent the final hour of the day hiking with a French couple who were very friendly and told me the Hotel Nova was a very nice refuse and had an excellent chef. When I got there, I discovered that although there were no rooms available, there was plenty of space available in their dormitory so I checked-in, showered, and joined the French couple for a drink before dinner.

Dinner was crowded due to a large Exodus trekking group. I spoke to several of the participants including two brothers from California who were having a wonderful time. I ate with another couple from Britain who were doing the tour clockwise, so they were able to give me an idea of what lay ahead - and visa versa. I went to bed at 9:00 PM with the intention of leaving early tomorrow.

Monday, September 16, 2002 - Courmayer, Italy

This morning I realized that my planned 7-8 day hike around Mt. Blanc was in jeopardy because I was using the 12-day guidebook. So my hike will probably be longer than I originally planned, but I can also combine two consecutive short days into one long day. Since today's schedule from Les Chapieux to Elisabetta is only 15.6 km, I will combine it with tomorrow's trip from Elisabetta to Courmayeur, another 21.7 km.

Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - La Fouly, Switzerland

For thirty years now, I've carried a poem in my wallet titled 'Don't Quit' and it was necessary for me to dig it out and read it several times today.

I planned to combine two days hiking into one again today and with another day of perfect weather it seemed more than feasible. I left Courmayeur at 8:15 AM taking the easier of two options to reach La Vachey. The easier option involved hiking up the valley floor instead of over the Col Sapin and was two hours & 8 km shorter. Half an hour into the valley floor route, however, there was a detour to avoid construction of new access lanes for the Mt. Blanc road tunnel, which added 2 km and about 15 minutes to this leg. I still reached La Vachey by noon and pressed on towards La Fouly, Switzerland - my goal for the day.

An hour into the second stage the map and a new trail sign conflicted and, since the trail sign was new, I decided that this must indicate an improved route, so I started up the mountainside towards Elena. After an hour spent ascending 400 meters, I came across another sign with arrows indicating places that were not even on my map. I then realized that I had walked off the edge of my map and was probably lost.

I was reluctant to give up the 400 meters I had just gained and thought that since there were well worn trails heading in the general direction I wanted to go, prehaps there was another route over the Grand Col de Ferret, which I could clearly see in the distance. I continued up the path, which quickly became a ledge clinging to the side of the cliff with a 100-meter drop into the torrent below. Twenty minutes later I could see buildings at the head of the gorge, but still could not see any trails on the other side of the gorge that would take me up over the Col. Another twenty minutes of hiking and I finally realized that there was no other route over the mountain and I started retracing my steps down the cliff face, and then down the 400 meter hillside to Arunva, where I located the correct trail on the map.

I had wasted 3 hours on this side trip, not to mention the considerable energy I had expended. According to my guidebook, La Fouly was still 5 hours away and I had to ascend 775 meters to get to the Grand Col du Ferret before the trail headed downhill. Nevertheless, I thought it was still probable that I could finish before nightfall.

I continued down the well-worn path and after an hour reached a house where I was able to get some water. The path detoured again here, but the people in the house said I should follow the high trail towards La Fouly as opposed to the road.

Somehow, I must have missed the turnoff from the high path that descended down to the river because at 8:00 PM I was still high on the ridge. At this point, there were only about 20 minutes of daylight left and at least an hour of trail to cover. I have a bivey sack and enough clothes to keep me warm if I have to camp out overnight, but I really wanted to get to a hotel. I put on my headlamp and hoped the descent would not involve slippery rocks or tree roots that are difficult even when you can see them. Moving slowly, I got to a dirt road by 9:00 PM and realized that my way was being made somewhat easier by the full moon overhead. There were a couple cars with young lovers parked along the road and I resisted the urge to ask them where I was. Another five minutes, though, and I saw a sign for La Foully and within fifteen minutes of that had found The Edelweiss Hotel and checked in for the night. The manager of the hotel was nice enough to prepare dinner for me at 10:00 PM even though the kitchen had officially closed. I was in bed by 11:00 PM and planned to sleep-in tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - Champex, Switzerland

I was wide-awake at 5:00 AM and saw no point in sleeping in. I planned my route for the day, wrote in my journal and organized my gear until breakfast opened at 8:00 AM.

I checked out and was on the trail by 9:15 AM. Today's segment is 17 km and should take 4 1/2 hours to get to Champex. After 20 minutes of hiking I realized that I had left my Alaska Mountaineering hat in my hotel room, but decided it wasn't worth returning to get.

The hike was downhill for the first 3 hours as I walked towards Praz de Fort.  Then as I passed through Issert, it headed up a 400-meter hill to Lake Champex. I got to Champex and found the tourist office closed so I checked into the closest hotel - The Hotel du Glacier.

After tending to my blisters and doing some laundry, I watched CNN for a couple hours and went to bed.

Thursday, September 19, 2002 - Trient, Switzerland

Today it is raining and I toyed with the idea of resting for a day, but decided to keep going. After breakfast, I dressed in my rain gear, checked out of the hotel and was on my way towards Forclaz, Switzerland.

The rain was more of a drizzle and I found it easier to hike without my rain jacket. I figured that I was going to get soaked with perspiration anyway so why bother with the jacket. The trail sloped gently downhill for the first half-hour, then abruptly headed up towards Bovine, an increase of 725 meters in 2 hours. From Bovine to La Forclaz the trail was downhill. I reached La Forclaz at 2:00 PM and decided to continue descending to Trient where I thought there might be a better selection of places to stay.

I found and checked into The Relais du Mont-Blanc Hotel and relaxed until dinner, which was served at 7:00 PM. The descent into Trient meant I had to ascend an additional 300 meters tomorrow, making tomorrows hike one of the most demanding yet.

Friday, September 20, 2002 - Trelachamps, France

Saturday, September 21, 2002 - Chamonix, France

Today is my last day of 'Le Tour du Mont-Blanc'. I had an early breakfast with two couples I met last night at dinner and was hiking by 8:15 AM. I had another steep ascent this morning but by 10:00 AM was up the 700-meter climb. The trail leveled off and I continued to La Flegere. I got great views of Mont Blanc since I was hiking atop the adjacent range of mountains.

Two more hours and I was at Plan Praz where I had started nine days ago. I ate lunch in the cafeteria at the top of the lift and then decided to be a purist and walk the two additional hours to the base of the mountain instead of taking the lift down.

I went to the Bureau of Guides in Chamonix to confirm that I had a guide to take me up Mont-Blanc. I found that I had failed to confirm my reservation so they had not secured anyone for me, however, after making some calls, they did find someone who could take me up on Tuesday/Wednesday. I checked my email on the way back to the hotel and also ran into three of the people that I had met hiking in the last week on the streets of Chamonix.

At 7:30 PM I went out to meet Fabian Meyer who will be my guide for the ascent. The weather is questionable for the next few days (it is actually thundering and lightening now) so I might have to push the climb back a day. We covered what equipment I will need and he agreed to pick me up Tuesday morning, weather permitting.

Fabian recommended a good Italian restaurant where I met had dinner and met another guide and his client who were doing some ice climbing in the area. I walked home, but was able to call Richard Mazille when I got back and we made arrangements to meet for dinner tomorrow night.

Sunday, September 22, 2002 – Chamonix, France

I had breakfast at the hotel and then went down to the Internet Cafe and spent a few hours on-line. I also decided to change hotels because my current hotel does not have CNN or any other English language channels. On the way back from the cafe, I ran into the same French couple I had hiked and spent time with a week ago at the Hotel Nova. They were visiting Chamonix for the weekend.

In the afternoon, I spent time organizing my gear and making sure I had everything I needed to climb on Tuesday.

I had a nice dinner with my sister’s boyfriend Richard Mazille who lives an hour away. We ate at the same Italian restaurant where I had dinner the night before. He invited me to come to his home sometime this week as he is off, which may be possible if I can complete my climb of Mt. Blanc early. I’m scheduled to check in with my guide tomorrow to assess the weather.

Monday, September 23, 2002 – Chamonix, France

Today it is cloudy again, but the forecast is that it will clear up later in the week. I spoke with Fabian who has suggested that we change the climb dates to Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, I need to leave for Milan, so if we cannot go Wednesday, I will lose my window of opportunity.

I changed hotels and am now staying at the Hotel Pointe Isabelle which is closer to town, a little cheaper than my first hotel, but most importantly, has CNN in English. I spent a few hours at the Internet Cafe typing my journal and also firmed up my plans to go to Hong Kong next week.

I bought a pizza on the way home and ate it in my room. I spent the rest of the night reading and watching CNN.

Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - Chamonix, France

There are many ski lifts in the Chamonix Valley and I had not ridden on any of them as of yet. So today, I decided I would take the highest lift, consisting of two gondolas to the top of l'Aiguille du Midi. This mountain towers over Chamonix at 3842 meters and is most notable for it's pointed television tower at the peak. The weather still was not too good and visibility was limited, however, I thought this might give me some acclimatization before my attempt to climb Mont-Blanc tomorrow.

I took a 9:30 AM lift, which got me to the top by 10:00 AM. There is quite a large complex at the top of the mountain including a restaurant, gift shop and an elevator, which takes about a dozen people at a time up to an observation deck. It was quite windy and -11C outside and I realized that I had forgotten how miserable it could be at this altitude. I even felt short of breath as I climbed four flights of stairs to the restaurant.

I went down after about an hour and explored some parts of Chamonix, which I had not seen before. I found a new Internet café where I could type my journal so I spent a couple hours there.

I picked up some cheese and chicken at a little store and took it back to the hotel for dinner. At 7:00 PM I spoke with Fabian and we made the final decision to go ahead with out attempt to climb Mont Blanc tomorrow. He told me there was a lot of new snow and no one had been to the top for the last several days, but the weather should be clearing tomorrow, although it will be windy and very cold. I'm not sure if his suggestion that we take avalanche beacons made me feel better or worst. I double checked my gear again and went to bed early.

Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - Refuse du Gouter, Mont-Blanc

Out destination for today is the Refuse du Gouter, 1500 meters above us. The trail starts off at a gentle climb, but within an hour we had donned crampons and had roped up to cross a steeper snowfield. As we crossed the snowfield, we could see the refuse, perched high atop the mountain above us. The ascent from the snowfield up to the refuse was the toughest climbing I have ever done. We spent 3 1/2 hours climbing the 70-degree rockface up 800 vertical meters. We arrived at 5:30 PM and I quickly found us a couple of bunks where we stashed out gear. Dinner was at 7:00 PM and just about everyone went to bed immediately afterward to be ready for a 3:00 AM start in the morning.

Thursday, September 26, 2002 - Chamonix, France

We slept in a room with about 20 people and they started waking up at midnight to get early starts for the summit. It is about six hours to the top, but then everyone wants to descend all the way to the bottom on the same day. If you're not standing on the summit by 10:00 AM, you need to turn around and head down.

By 3:00 AM there were only a few of us left in the dorm, and we dressed, ate and were outside by 4:00 AM. It was extremely cold, made even worse by a 40-MPH wind. Although it was not snowing, the wind blew the existing snow into our faces, making it very uncomfortable.

From the Refuse, we planned to climb Le Dome du Gouter, cross the saddle, then ascend Mount-Blanc itself. The total ascent today was to be 1000 meters. Although we were the only two people wearing show shoes, two other groups totaling nine people passed us, probably because I was so exhausted from the day before. The snow was very light and powdery and every time I took a step, I would slide back a half step. After two hours, we had only ascended 200 meters and in order to be on the summit by 10:00 AM, I was going to have to climb at twice the speed I had been able to muster so far today. I pointed this out to Fabian who responded with encouragement and we continued for awhile longer. I think that if we had planned to summit then return only as far as the Refuse to spend a second night I would have been more enthusiastic about continuing, however, knowing we had to descend the 800 meter 70 degree rockface at a time when I would be totally exhausted, made me argue again with Fabian that we should turn back.

I could see the headlamps of the nine climbers on the slope about 100 meters ahead of us. As I was watching, they all started to descend. I told Fabian that the other people were turning around and we should do the same, but he quickly realized that the headlamps were descending too quickly and the nine people were actually riding atop a snow shelf that had broken loose from the mountain and was headed our way.

Fabian was the only professional guide on the mountain, the other two groups being comprised of friends with varying degrees of climbing experience. As such, as soon as the headlight movement stopped, he rushed up the slope with me in tow to make sure everyone was OK. Other than being a little shaken-up, and loosing some gloves, there were no injuries. At this point, however, no one had any further interest in trying to climb Mont-Blanc to day and we all headed back to the Refuse.

I ate at a Chinese restaurant in preparation for my trip to Hong Kong next week. Pam Gogol had offered to pick up my plane tickets because the tickets I had purchased on-line had to be picked up at an authorized travel agent and I had selected one in Milan, as Chamonix did not have an authorized agent. She emailed me that she had had difficulty picking up the tickets, but had finally gotten them. I had hoped to do some laundry tonight, but was too tired and decided to wait until I got to Italy.

Friday, September 27, 2002 - Vimercate, Italy

I packed early and was finished with breakfast by 7:15 AM. I walked the two blocks to the train station and took the first of 4 trains that would get me to the Central Milano train station at 12:50 PM. Pam had offered to pick me up at the train station, but I was unable to reach her by phone last night so I'll have to try her again when I arrive.

The train arrived in Milano a little late. The station is huge (larger than Grand Central in NYC). After several attempts to reach Pam by phone, the call finally went through. I waited in front of the station for a half-hour while she drove in from Vimercate to pick me up, then returned to her home. She lives in a beautiful townhouse with her husband Agostino and their two daughters Allie & Gaby, seven and five.

Pam cooked dinner and we reminisced about our times in Fairfield, CT - 17 years ago. She and Agostino helped me plan some activities for tomorrow in Milano and gave me some guidebooks for Italy and Greece which I plan to visit in greater detail when I return from Hong Kong in a couple weeks.

Saturday, September 28, 2002 - en route to Hong Kong

After getting my bearings at the airport and determining that the Air France check-in would not open until 4:00 PM, I heard an announcement that 'due to a strike by air traffic controllers from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, flights may be delayed or cancelled'. My flight is at 6:50 PM and I am told that it should still leave, but a little later, and I should be able to make my connection in Paris to Hong Kong. Apparently, short strikes like this are common - the air traffic controllers struck five times at this airport last week alone!