L
ast summer, Laura Perry added another life-
affirming adventure to her travelogue. This time
her destination was Europe’s majestic Alps. She
booked her 12-day trip with Mountain Travel Sobek
and was joined by her good friend, photographer John
Thackara. The verdict: five stars.
One of the world’s finest hiking treks, the Haute
Route (High Road) stretches for 100-120 miles between
Chamonix, France, and Zermatt, Switzerland. Trekkers
are rewarded with nonstop views of scenic peaks from
the lofty Mont Blanc to the legendary Matterhorn.
This is not a trip for the “spontaneous” traveler. Like
other experienced hikers, Laura trained diligently for six
months before going—hiking, swimming, biking, gym
workouts, and eating right.
“I originally planned to go in 2015, then 2016, then
2017, but ended up doing other trips instead. Then I
thought, I’m sixty-seven now. This trip includes a lot of
long, steep descents, which are hard on the ankles, knees
and hips, even if you’re in good physical condition. There
was no more delaying this trip for me.”
After landing in Geneva, Switzerland, Laura and John
were joined by an attorney from Ohio and a geologist
from Colorado. They were transferred by van to the
town of Chamonix, France, where they met their guide,
Florence Simond, an expert mountain climber from
Chamonix.
“People from the Alps region are all climbers and
double black diamond skiers,” Laura said. “What’s high
and steep to us, is not so much to them. Not that they
don’t respect mountain terrain, they’ve just grown
up in it.”
Early the next morning they boarded a funicular to
Planpraz (6,000 feet) and got their first glimpse of Mont
Blanc (15,781 feet), the highest peak in the Alps. The
altitude fluctuates as much as 10 feet or more depending
on the summit’s snowpack in any given year. They hiked
for six hours, climbing up to Col Cornu, and continued
onward to the Black Lakes (8,530 feet). That was
considered their “warm up” hike.
On the second day, they were driven to the village of
Tour at the head of Chamonix Valley, where they hiked
through alpine meadows to the Col de Balme (7,000
feet) and crossed the border into Switzerland. They
descended along the great Trient Glacier to spend the
night at Hotel de la Forclaz (circa 1830), which has been
family-owned for six generations. In about seven hours
of hiking, they had climbed 3,300 feet and descended
2,900 feet.