by Pieter@Overseashiker | Sep 15, 2020 | Haute Route, Switzerland
The Haute Route, also known as the Chamonix-Zermatt Trail, shares the first 3 sections with the Tour du Mont Blanc, but then continues east into the high mountains. I started my thru-hike in a lovely quiet and green valley as a prologue to another 10 days of desolate...
by Pieter@Overseashiker | Sep 13, 2020 | Haute Route, In My Pack
When I first started backpacking, I had a heavy Fjalräven backpack and a total weight of about 25 kg (55 Lbs) on my back. Especially since my first major thru-hike in the High Sierra in 2018, I have been lowering my pack weight significantly. For my last thru-hike on...
by Pieter@Overseashiker | Dec 18, 2019 | California, Day Hike
Before I started my eight-day SEKI Loop trail, I spent two days in Kings Canyon National Park to acclimatize to the elevation and do some preliminary hiking. I combined the Sunset Trail with the General Grant Loop Trail, the North Grove Trail and the Dead Giant Loop...
by Pieter@Overseashiker | Dec 17, 2019 | France, Tour du Mont Blanc
On the last day of the Tour du Mont Blanc I climbed all the way out of the valley, to the panoramic views of Le Grand Balcon and Le Brévent. It was a long way down again to reach the TMB finish line in Les Houches. Day 9: Argentière – Les Houches Start: Argentière...
by Pieter@Overseashiker | Dec 5, 2019 | France, Switzerland, Tour du Mont Blanc
Day 8 of the Tour du Mont Blanc was wet, cold …and short. I hiked up to the Refuge du Col de Balme, where I warmed up and made plans for the rest of this rainy day. Then I hiked down to the valley to the first hotel that had a room available. The day ended...
