Saturday June 25^th, 2011

We drove from Geneva to Chamonix this morning, and checked into our home for tonight in the nearby village of Les Houches (an ancient expression for "watering place for cows" - sounds a bit Aboriginal doesn't it!).  We are absolutely dwarfed by surrounding mountains of which just one is Mt Blanc - of which we had wonderful full frontal views, on the drive in.

We have just finished a lengthy "pre trek briefing" and met our local guide Simon - an interesting fellow who is British but spends half his year in Paris as a university lecturer, and the other half here guiding mountain walkers.  In all we have four guides - Dave Reynolds who owns Raw Travel in Melbourne, Simon, Craig also from home, and Stewart from London (whose day job is a cameraman for Channel 4 TV). One of these fellows will surely spend the next 11 days bringing up the rear with moi!  Just to confuse us all, Craig & Stewart may well have been separated from birth, so alike are they.

We also met the entire group of fellow trekkers, some of which didn't arrive until this morning because of flight delays and diversions.  Really interesting to hear each person's motivation for doing this, and some have very close personal reasons for doing so - sons, brothers, friends.  A reminder of how lucky the rest of us are.

It is a gorgeous day today - bright sunshine and very hot, but with a cool breeze.

Simon says the forecast for the next five days at least, is even hotter, and tomorrow is meant to be 30+.  He also says it is common to experience vast temperature extremes in the course of a day. As we climb we lose a few degrees, but it will still be hot.

Decided to catch the train for the short distance into Chamonix, but missed it by a minute, so Paul  Freestone rode his bike, and Chris & I hitched a lift with Simon.     Loving Chamonix which is so pretty, and decidedly in party mode today - the 3-day Mt Blanc marathon is on, so festivities aplenty.  Goes without saying that the town is filled with visitors all in "uniform" - walking boots, hiking gear, and backpacks.

I envisaged sending you all a message each evening after the day is done, but we have been told today that wee-fee (as they call it here) is non existent in the mountains, and so I am assuming I wont be able to send you anything until I get back to Chamonix on 6 July.  I will write a little story each night, and send it to you when I can.

Meanwhile, I have a "curved ball" to deal with in the shape of a troublesome toe!  I thought my visit to the podiatrist on the eve of coming away, fixed it, but sadly no. So, as I write I have a throbbing toe which doesn't seem to be responding to all the wrapping/packing etc which I have been doing, so I have just attended the Pharmacie and purchased some good pain killers.   I figure in the absence of amputation, all I can do is manage the pain.  I consider it merely a small "blot on the landscape", and I won't let it prevent me from completing the walk.

We are told that tomorrow and the next day are "easy", and the third day is to be dreaded.  Who knows, when those delivering the news, are young, fit men who do these walks for a living!!!!

So, once again, thank you to all who are supporting me in this.  I promise to justify your confidence in my ability to do this.