The Mt. Blanc trail

Walking in the shadow of Mt. Blanc is a powerful experience. Intense effort is rewarded by spectacular scenery. Words cannot do it justice. How do you describe heaven?

My cousin Marian and I experienced the two-week “Mont Blanc Hotel Trek” from Chamonix, France, into Switzerland and Italy and back into France, Aug. 22-Sept. 5, 2009. It was led by a most capable and impressive guide, Ian Lowden of Exodus, and booked through Adventure Center (Emeryville, CA; 800/487-1600, www.adventurecenter.com).

We chose the hotel option at $2,753 per person (land only) rather than the camping option. We wanted beds, shelter, warmth, indoor dining rooms and the occasional tub to soak in. Medical-evacuation insurance at $5 per day was mandatory.

How hard was this trek? One needs to be a serious hiker capable of walking an average of seven hours and as much as 18 kilometers (11 miles) a day. Even moderate-level hiking gets strenuous when you do it all day. For example, walking 1,200 meters up to the summit of Mont de la Saxe and back to the hotel isn’t easy.

Having said that, I am urging you to go! You’ll meet hundreds of kindred spirits on the trail. Get yourself good boots, hiking poles and a bow-shaped pack (for air circulation). If you wear bifocals, I suggest getting distance-only glasses to help your neck on long descents.

In Entrèves, near Courmayeur, Italy, we stayed three consecutive nights at Hotel Astoria, where we had facilities en suite. Their dinners started with unlimited salad bar, then three choices for primo, then five choices of entrées (secondo), then desserts of pies, ice cream, panna cotta, crême caramel or fresh fruit.

Only the Astoria gave us such a selection for dinner. We chose to eat there on our free day and paid only €18 ($24), half of what others spent in restaurants.

Each country has a different character. France has glaciers and snowcapped peaks; Switzerland is pastoral with alpine meadows and chalets, and Italy has bold rock faces. Imagine spellbinding panoramic scenery as far as you can see.

I have a Swissair ticket and reservations for the one-week “Mont Blanc Highlights” trek in September ’10. How’s that for a recommendation?!

JON LAFLEUR

Kent, CT