How — and whether– To Pursue Adventure in the Midst of Pandemic Last week Sylvia and Brian were hiking out in the mountains of North Carolina Mountains, celebrating Brian’s birthday. We returned home to a different world than the one we left. True, the writing had been on the wall, if one had been willing to see it. Already, the […]
2018 UTMB Results!
The 2018 Ultra Tour du Mont (UTMB) race is over and Frenchman Xavier Thévenard is, for the third time, the winner. Not only is the UTMB the most celebrated off-road endurance race in Europe, but it’s one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world. Crossing 103 miles of mountainous terrain with over 30,000 feet of elevation gain (a greater total […]
Tour du Mont Blanc: No Easy Mile
TMB Day Six: Rifugio Bonati to La Fouly We had a fairly restful night at the Bonati. Though it was a shared room, three of the seven beds were entirely empty, and one gentleman sleeping by the window, reading a book most of the time, said not a word the whole time. (Well he said six, actually…”Mind if I open […]
Tour du Mont Blanc: Bertone, Bonati, Bene!
TMB Day Five…Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonati *The Tour du Mont Blanc is the most famous and celebrated hike in Alpine Europe and is the fifth Bucket List Hike that Brian and Sylvia have completed together. It is also our first hike together of any kind in Europe.* It was with only the greatest sadness that we departed Courmayeur, Italy. It […]
The UTMB gets underway!
The Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc Less than a month ago, Sylvia and I completed the Tour du Mont Blanc, Alpine Europe’s premier walking route. It was an amazing journey. We thought it was pretty challenging, and are proud of our accomplishment. However, this weekend another journey is about to start, one that puts our — and in fact, […]
Tour du Mont Blanc: Our Buddy, Monte Bianco!
TMB Rest Day One: Courmayeur After four days of hiking we were more than ready for a rest. So what better thing to do on our rest day then head up to 11,000 feet for a close look at Our Buddy, Mont Blanc? Our Monte Bianco, as it is called on the Italian side. Fortunately, today we DID finally have […]
Tour du Mont Blanc: The Hard Button
TMB Day 4: Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur *The Tour du Mont Blanc is the most famous and celebrated hike in Alpine Europe and is the fifth Bucket List Hike that Brian and Sylvia have completed together. It is also our first hike together of any kind in Europe.* After a very satisfying breakfast we said goodbye to the friends we […]
Tour du Mont Blanc: An Improvised – But Full(y)-Ass(ess)ed – Plan!
TMB Day Three: Refuge du Bonhomme to Refugio Elisabetta *The Tour du Mont Blanc is the most famous and celebrated hike in Alpine Europe and is the fifth Bucket List Hike that Brian and Sylvia have completed together. It is also our first hike together of any kind in Europe.* Morning of Day 3 began with our Isreali roommate bursting […]
Tour du Mont Blanc: And We’re Just Getting Started(?!)
TMB Day Two: Refuge de Truc to Refuge du Bonhomme *The Tour du Mont Blanc is the most famous and celebrated hike in Alpine Europe and is the fifth Bucket List Hike that Brian and Sylvia have completed together. It is also our first hike together of any kind in Europe.* Day two got off to a gray and drizzly […]
Tour du Mont Blanc: Uphill Both Ways…or, the Circle Begins!
TMB Day One: Les Houches to Refuge de Truc *The Tour du Mont Blanc is the most famous and celebrated hike in Alpine Europe and is the fifth Bucket List Hike that Brian and Sylvia have completed together. It is also our first hike together of any kind in Europe.* Despite a long and difficult day of travel we were […]
Tour du Mont Blanc: À la montagne, monsieur le chef de train!
TMB: A Travel Lesson It is ironic that the longest single part of the voyage – the 4,035 mile transatlantic flight to Paris – was also the most uneventful, even quite scenic…including my first glimpse of Ireland, lying green, resplendent and out of reach just thirty thousand feet below. It seemed the closer we got to our destination the more […]