Refuge Nant Bottant – Refuge De La Croix Du Bonhomme

Thursday 13th August 2020

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We had thunderstorms through the night with roaring thunder and flashing lightening, pretty cool.  This morning we were woken up with rain…just what you want when you know you’ve got a tough day ahead of you!

Today we were climbing up to the Col du Bonhomme. It should be a short enough day in terms of miles but the terrain is relatively steep.

Firstly we had breakfast, cereal, bread, croissant with jam and butter and of course coffee.

Then we were off.  The weather was kind to us today as just before stepping outside, the rain stopped.  No waterproofs needed!

We straight away started to climb…just what the legs needed to waken up! And for the rest of the day we basically climbed until we reached the top of the mountain.

When we finally reached the Col, there was a stunning view back into Les Contamines from where we came..it looked so small and miles away…I guess it was!

As is often the way with some of our long hikes that involve intense effort it instantly falls away when you reach the top and soak up the sheer beauty of the situation and feel boosted by a sudden euphoria. These views show the total glory of these mountains.

We had to climb some more before finally reaching our ‘top’ for the night and it was with a welcomed relief when we caught sight of Refuge No 2, Refuge De La Croix Du Bonhomme and what a spot we were once again in!