Day 1 - Sunday 23rd August 2015 - Chamonix to Argentière

Total distance walked:	8.61 km	5.35 miles
Total hours walked including stops	2 hrs 23 mins
Total hours walked excluding stops	2 hrs 12 mins
Height at start	1037 metres	3402 feet
Height at finish	1251 metres	4104 feet
Total Height Gain	339 metres	1112 feet
Total Height Loss	134 metres	440 feet
Maximum Height	1293 metres	4242 feet
Average speed excluding stops	3.91 km/hr	2.43 miles/hr

I was up just after 3 am, dressed, shaved, had a cup of tea and some cereal and was on the road to Luton Airport at about 3.50 am. 

I wasn’t far into the 50 mph average speed check area before I saw a sign saying that the M! was closed between junction 12 and 11.  I stopped at Newport Pagnell services just north of junction 14 to look at the map and decided to yurn-off at junction 13 and head for Woburn, Dunstable and then Luton.  I wasn’t easy in the dark and several junctions in Luton were badly signed.  Arrived at the airport shortly after 5.30 am.

Dropped off the car at the short stay car park, rather a scrum but got away fairly quickly and headed for Departures.  When I got there, there were announcements to the effect that a fire alarm had gone off somewhere in the airport and everyone should stay where they were.  I waited a short while to get my rucksack wrapped and then went to look for the EasyJet Bag-Drop.  The hall was crowded and the queue stretched for at least a hundred yards before the roped/controlled queue area.  There was an even longer queue to get to the start of the Security queue.   By the time I got through security, I went straight to the gate where they were starting to board – b y then it was 07.20 am i.e. the scheduled take-off time.   Having failed to get any breakfast in the airport because of the delays, I bought a bacon baguette, with a cup of tea and a Kitkat on the plane.

We landed at Geneva at about 10.15 am and by the time that I had collected my rucksack it was getting on for 11.00 am i.e. 30 minutes after I was meant to catch the Alpybus to Chamonix.  Luckily, others were also delayed and I was able to get a seat in the bus leaving at 11.30 am, completely full with 14 people plus the driver – cost Euro 22.50.  We arrived in Chamonix at about 12.30 pm and I walked up the main shopping street to find a restaurant for some lunch.  I had a small beer, a tomato tart with goat’s cheese, a glass of wine and an espresso, all for Euros 21.70.

I left Chamonix at about 2 o’clock and headed up the path to Argentière having bought a small saucisson and a bottle of water at a supermarket.  The walk was fairly uneventful, through the woods alongside the road, then the golf course and then a small river.  The path became quite rough and steep about an hour out and it began to rain.  Problem was that it was already very humid and putting my waterproofs on made for uncomfortable walking.  However, the rain eased enough for me to take off my anorak after about 30 minutes.  I arrived in Argentière at about 4.15 pm although I overran the Gite and had to walk back down the hill to find it.  I was there about 4.30pm only to find that it didn’t open until 5.00 pm.  I headed back up the hill only to find the nearest place likely to have a beer didn’t open until 6.30 pm and as it was beginning to rain again, I decided against going any further into the centre and went back to the Gite d’etape Le Belvedere.  I manged to get in and was shown my dormitory for four and unfortunately already two there so I had to take the upper bunk.  I had a shower, changed and went down to the “sitting room” for a beer and to write my diary.

I had a second beer and chatted to an Englishman who was staying at the Gite and doing various treks around Argentière.  I discovered later that he and his friends were preparing to climb Mont Blanc later in the week.  I then read my book before dinner at 7.30 pm.  Not the best dinner that I have had on my mountain walking trips.  The pea and mint soup was excellent but no second helpings but the main course was dry roast beef, carrots and something like new potatoes roasted with a red wine gravy and no desert, no cheese and no coffee.  They only had one bottle of red wine which I promptly ordered and shared with one of the Englishmen at my table, a friend of the Englishman that I had spoken to earlier. 

After dinner, to bed at about 8.30ish and read for a while before going to sleep.  Slept fairly well after my early start but not that deeply.