James Gaston

Aiguille du Midi map

Miage to La Balme

The start of the TMB 20 Jul 2004 The start of the TMB 20 Jul 2004 Tour Mt Blanc France --

Finally, we began the hike. Our first day on the trail was spent hiking to Refuge Miage which is not to be mistaken for the nearby village of Miage. Refuge Miage ended up at bottom of our ranking of TMB accommodations. The building was run down; the bedroom but a long bunk in a group room; the food mediocre; and the hot water iffy. At least they had plenty of friendly hikers to talk with and plenty of wine to drink.

Today's hike was long but not hard. Weather varied, some rain, but overall it was comfortable. We quickly found ourselves encountering friendly hikers from all over the world. And we would encounter the same people repeatedly. We'd pass a group, then later in the day they would pass us. Repeat and repeat.

Linda and Emily near Miage

Miage view

Refuge Miage, France

View from Miage

Refuge Miage, France

The places we stayed along the Tour du Mont Blanc hike varied, from very nice to sub optimal. Refuge Miage was the latter.

Refuge Miage, France

The places we stayed along the Tour du Mont Blanc hike varied, from very nice to sub optimal. Refuge Miage was the latter.

Refuge Miage, France

The places we stayed along the Tour du Mont Blanc hike varied, from very nice to sub optimal. Refuge Miage was the latter.

Emily, Linda, and Regina

Aiguille du Midi map

Miage to La Balme