Danger: Images not suitable for my father. If you are my father, do not read any further. Failure to yield to this warning could result in extreme bouts of acrophobia.
Last Wednesday was a special day. After several days in Lyon I decided to explore the Alps. Here is a running diary of one of the scariest days of my life. (Times are color coded by location.)
8:30am - Up to get the petit déjeuner offered at the Vagabond Hostel in Chamonix. My roommates, who were Finnish and much better hikers than I, were up at 5:30 to get on the train. The more extreme the route, the earlier you get up. The good climbers don't sleep.
11:30am - Taking the trail of the Aiguille (needle) you can go up to Le Signal and get a great view of the Mere de Glace and Chamonix. (Dad Scale: 4)
12:50pm - Hiking along the mountains is a real treat. Everyone says “bonjour” and your feel like a real traveler. (Dad Scale: 4, you’ve adjusted and it’s okay)
2:30pm - I arrive at the Midway station of the cable car that goes up the Aiguille du Midi. After a 3-hour hike I have a nice time sitting down next to a bunch of Asian tourists and eating some leftover lunch. The view is silly beautiful. Before I get on the cable car, let me explain the area a bit.
Chamonix is by no means the only beautiful city in the Alps. In fact, Annecy, another gorgeous city surrounded by mountains, has a good shot at getting the 2018 winter games. Chamonix however has the highest peak in the Alps: Mont Blanc, and the steepest climbing cable car complex in the world: the one I'm about to take from the midway station to the Aiguille du Midi
3:30pm - I eventually calmed down, just in time to meet Blaze. He’s French. He’s also an alpine guide and a real solid guy. All the great stuff he mentioned is too long to recount here, but it was a treat taking another cable car with him over to a peak called Helbrunner on the Italy side of the Mont Blanc Massif. Oh, and pay close attention at the end of the video for the really fast ride down the mountain.
Last Wednesday was a special day. After several days in Lyon I decided to explore the Alps. Here is a running diary of one of the scariest days of my life. (Times are color coded by location.)
8:30am - Up to get the petit déjeuner offered at the Vagabond Hostel in Chamonix. My roommates, who were Finnish and much better hikers than I, were up at 5:30 to get on the train. The more extreme the route, the earlier you get up. The good climbers don't sleep.
10:00am - I arrive at the train station. Train station? Okay, I need to explain. I'm hiking along the mountain, not up the mountain. (Registers a 0 on the Dad Scale)
10:50am - The train takes you up to a place called Montenvers. From there you can take a tram down to the Mere de Glace (Sea of Ice) glacier. (Dad Scale: 2)
11:30am - Taking the trail of the Aiguille (needle) you can go up to Le Signal and get a great view of the Mere de Glace and Chamonix. (Dad Scale: 4)
12:50pm - Hiking along the mountains is a real treat. Everyone says “bonjour” and your feel like a real traveler. (Dad Scale: 4, you’ve adjusted and it’s okay)
2:30pm - I arrive at the Midway station of the cable car that goes up the Aiguille du Midi. After a 3-hour hike I have a nice time sitting down next to a bunch of Asian tourists and eating some leftover lunch. The view is silly beautiful. Before I get on the cable car, let me explain the area a bit.
Chamonix is by no means the only beautiful city in the Alps. In fact, Annecy, another gorgeous city surrounded by mountains, has a good shot at getting the 2018 winter games. Chamonix however has the highest peak in the Alps: Mont Blanc, and the steepest climbing cable car complex in the world: the one I'm about to take from the midway station to the Aiguille du Midi
It’s hard to get a feel for just how ridiculous it is to build a huge cable car system on top of a mountain like the Aiguille du Midi. The views of Mont Blanc and the surrounding area are ridiculous. If I had a stronger word than ridiculous, I would use it.
3:00pm - (On the way up the cable car I’m thinking) "We are really up high…I hope no one else makes any strong movements…Wow, that’s the side of the cliff…Does anyone else feel unsafe?...This isn’t okay…I’m not okay…Get me the @#$# off this thing!" (Dad Scale: System Malfunction)
3:30pm - I eventually calmed down, just in time to meet Blaze. He’s French. He’s also an alpine guide and a real solid guy. All the great stuff he mentioned is too long to recount here, but it was a treat taking another cable car with him over to a peak called Helbrunner on the Italy side of the Mont Blanc Massif. Oh, and pay close attention at the end of the video for the really fast ride down the mountain.
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