On July 1st my friend Emma and I met up in Geneva. From here we boarded a bus to Courmayeur, Italy to begin our Tour du Mont Blanc half circuit. Over the next 5 days we would traverse alpine terrain across 3 countries, staying in huts and hostels along the way, before arriving in Chamonix, France. Manifesting good weather, food, and company, we both had high hopes for an epic European adventure.

Day 1 began with a 1300 meter climb. We left Courmayeur around 8am, fueled by pizza from the night before and excitement to be in the mountains.

After passing Rifugio Bertone, we decided to take the alternate route up Mont de la Saxe, since we were making good time so far. This route follows a ridge line up to 2500m before dipping down to Col Sapin. We met an older French couple who was following the same path as us; we’d end up having dinner with them later.The alternate route joined back up with the TMB at Rifugio Bonatti, a super scenic hut against the backdrop of the Mont Blanc Massif. We continued on, traversing some melting snow fields and passing by old ruins of former alpine lodgings.At the end of the final ascent, I thought we still had more to go but Emma informed me we had arrived at our destination, Rifugio Elena. Great timing because I was exhausted at this point and we made it just in time for dinner at the refuge!Day 1 ended with 2000m of elevation gain and 23km traveled. The scenery today set the bar high for the next four days to come!