We stayed for two nights at Hotel Alpina in Champex. Greg had read really great reviews online — all the reviewers specifically mentioned the owner, Marlène, as being incredibly welcoming and warm.
I have been working hard to speak in French (un peu) and she has been very patient and affirming with me.
We had breakfast out on the balcony overlooking the valley.
Later in the morning, we walked down into town and saw the beautiful Lac Champex. We actually had stayed here 3 years ago when we did the Walkers' Haute Route hike.
The lake was beautiful — there were paddleboarders and people fishing.
We then took a cable car up the mountain in order to get a panoramic view of the area.
Views from up on top of the mountain.
You can see Lac Champex in this photo I took as we were riding the cable car down.
You can see the clouds moving in — we have been working for awhile to create some contingency plans for the last four stages of our hike. The weather forecast is 100% chance of rain for tomorrow and the next day. We did some research and have a plan in place. As the saying goes, "plan for the worse, but hope for the best!" :-) We also spent some time on the UTMB website to see when exactly we might meet up with the runners. Can't imagine what this weather forecast means for the runners who are running for 24-36 hours straight! We have figured out that one of the races that is starting tomorrow will most likely catch up to us on the trail tomorrow. So we are preparing mentally for rain all day with runners coming from behind us. We're ready for the challenge of tomorrow, however, after a lovely time of rest in Champex.
