My Lessons & Stories From The Tour du Mont Blanc
Last November my daughter (Denika), and her husband, (Avery), asked my husband (Jeff) and me (Michelle) to do the Tour du Mont Blanc. The hike takes you through France, Italy and Switzerland.
Honestly, I didn’t really look too closely at what was involved. Jeff and I just said an enthusiastic “Yes”!! Denika and Avery were going to do the full loop and we were going to join them for the 2nd half. I mean how hard can 6 days of hiking be!
We made our plans and still really hadn’t looked closely at what was in store, which was probably a good thing.
I did increase my training by adding some longer hikes with 20 pounds in my backpack. Right before we were going to leave I read that the Tour du Mont Blanc was for expert hikers and requires excellent fitness levels.
My husband and I kind of chuckled as we walked towards our plane saying we’d definitely say we were really good hikers but “Expert”….. not so much.
We flew from Denver to Geneva, Switzerland and then took a bus to Chamonix, France. We spent the night in this picturesque village. It was my husbands’ 60th birthday so we went out for a special meal and then went to sleep.
In the morning we headed off on a bus to Courmayeur with our backpacks full of what we needed for the next 8 days. I LOVE Courmayeur and highly recommend this part of the world.
We met Denika and Avery there. They had done the first half of the trek and were taking 2 days off with us before we all headed out together for the 2nd half of the Mont Blanc.
It was an amazing experience and I am excited to share some of the stories and lessons I learned.
Make Room For What’s Most Important:
I knew I had to carry my backpack filled with all that I needed for 8 days. I wanted to keep my pack as light as
possible so I put so much thought into every items that went in it. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary it didn’t make the cut.
My first night of the trek I pulled a few things out of my pack and was grateful that I put so much thought into what I brought. I didn’t want extra weight, but I also knew there were things that were necessary.
I think we need to look at our calendar in the same way. Put in the most important things first. Make time for the things that really matter like your health, relationships, and, of course time with God. Only once those things are “in your backpack” should you then look at what else you can add.
I Can Do Hard Things:
On Day 2 we hiked to the highest peak on the Mont Blanc. It’s a somewhat famous incline that includes 3,800’ in elevation gain. To make this even a bit more challenging It was especially warm this day. I do better in cold weather so the heat added to my challenge. My average heart rate was about 145 for several hours, but I knew I could do it. The sense of accomplishment as I looked down into the valley where we started was awesome.
We often believe a lie that says we don’t have what it takes. That we are too old, not strong enough, or tough enough. I think we have to push back against the words. I found on
that mountain that I really can do hard things.
I am not saying it’s good to push yourself past what your body can do because it is very important to listen to your body, but there is something super cool about doing something hard.
The next time a challenge comes my way, I am going to remember to go at it one step at a time. If I had looked to the top of this climb it would have overwhelmed me, but when I looked at what was just in front of me I realized I could do it.
I remember someone telling a story about fighting cancer when she was in her teens. She felt so overwhelmed and was lamenting to her grandma who responded with this question, “You know how to eat an elephant?? One bite at a time.” I think this is good advice for life, especially when it comes to our health journey.
You know how to improve your health?? One minute of exercise and one healthier bite at a time.
Gratitude:
I have to say I found so much to be grateful for while doing the Tour du Mont Blanc. It was almost impossible not to be grateful.
This example may sound silly but it really hit me.
Remember how I said I was very picky about what I carried in my pack, well an area I went super minimal was with a towel. In reality what I brought was just slightly above a paper towel. It was so thin and small that when I showered (wasn’t super often) I would ball up the entire towel in my hand to try and dry my body.
My towel got pretty dirty looking fast. Well, in most of the huts we slept in a big dorm with loads of bunkbeds and we shared a bathroom and toilet, but on one of the nights my husband and I had a private room. We walked in the room and there was a regular towel on the bed for me to use after my shower.
You would have thought I had been given a $1,000. I could not have been happier over this towel. What I realized is the beauty that comes from going without is the amount of appreciation you can have for something.
In addition to my towel I felt like my heart was busting with gratitude for so many other reasons. My health, the beauty, my husband, daughter, and son in law, my friend who was watching one dog and my son who was watching other dogs so we could be there, the financial means to be able to do the hike and so much more!
I think it will be awhile before I take my towel for granted. I hope this reminds me to be more appreciative of all the little blessings I have.
Humility, Compassion & Choosing Joy:
I love, and I mean 💗 💕 ❤️ to hike. I loved doing the Mont Blanc because it was such a great physical challenge, but even more I loved the beauty and the peace that was filling my heart each step of the way.
On Day 4 as I hiked up the huge mountain I couldn’t have felt better, it was super duper challengingbut I loved how strong I felt, but when the downhill began my knee started hurting. It didn’t want to do what I needed it to do. It was a long and steep downhill that created more pain with each step.
I prayed, asking God to take away this pain. During the night, I continued to pray that I would feel good in the morning and be able to hike on Day 5. But in the morning I made the hard choice to skip the hiking that day. I knew I could push through the hike, but I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do.
I had to think past what I wanted in the moment. I’m leading a retreat next week and need to feel strong, and I definitely don’t want to do any real damage to my knee, so the
right decision was to give it the day off.
I fought back tears as Jeff, Denika and Avery headed out for the hike. There was part of me that was thinking I deserve to be out there today. I’ve taken care of my body all these years, I’m strong, I’ve never had knee pain, and I prayed that God would fix it…. Bu it still hurt.
Once I finished my pity party, I decided I needed to find joy in the new plan for my day. I took a taxi to the next place we were staying and knew I would meet the others there laterin the day.
It’s interesting, the day before I had any knee issues, the podcast I listened to on Joy quoted Henri Nouwen, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”
Hmmm no wonder I thought hard on this quote when I read it. It’s one thing to hear this about choosing joy and another to live it when disappointment comes.
As I waited for the others to do the hike I chose to get a cappuccino, look at the beautiful mountain that they were hiking on and instead of wishing I was up there I chose to be grateful for where I was. I trusted that what cold appear to be an unanswered prayer may actually be an answer that is better.
During our past pilgrimage retreats people have often had to skip a day of the pilgrimage. Honestly, I wasn’t super compassionate about their situation. I didn’t think that maybe they were holding back tears like I was the morning they left without me. I know, in the future, when someone needs to skip a day of walking because of an injury or pain, I will be more sensitive to the disappointment they are dealing with. I will understand because I’ve been there.
Sometimes The Toughest Route Is Best:
I am happy to say I was able to go and hike our final day. The reason I could feel confident that I could do it is because it was
almost all uphill. Typically, this wouldn’t be something that would give me confidence because uphill is usually harder then downhill, but downhill was the challenge because of my knee. So in this situation the harder option was the better one.
I often look for shortcuts, or ways to do things faster and easier. I’m not saying this is bad to do but sometimes we may be called to take the harder path.
It’s easier to ignore a hurting person then investing time in helping, it’s tempting to turn a blind eye to someone in need but offering to help may actually be the path that brings you more joy.
The easier route, may be just that – easier, but necessarily the one you are being called to walk. God knows what is best and if He’s calling you to take what appears to be an uphill way, do it because it may be just what you need.
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The Mont Blanc was the hardest thing I’ve ever done physically. I truly loved it and am so glad I did it BUT I honestly don’t think I will do it again and that’s OK because some things aren’t meant to do again.
I am super excited to do pilgrimages in 2025 that include pleasant walks through the countrysides of Portugal, Spain and Italy, These are nothing like the intense hiking I did on the Mont Blanc. Make sure you check out our 2025 retreat and pilgrimage schedule.
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