TMB Day 2 Les Contamines - Refuge de la Balme

When we woke up the next morning, I was faced with a wet tent. It had rained in the night and I had a feeling that the rain would follow us for a good portion of this trip. Oh, how right I would be. When I am hiking with Sierra, my morning routine differs a little bit. As soon as I wake up, I let Sierra out of the tent. Depending on where we are, she either gets to head out in a 10 m radius and find a good spot to pee, or if we are close to a water source or on an official campground, I take her for a quick walk so she can do her business. As soon as we get back, I park her in the tent, so I can go. When I get back, I make sure Sierra gets her breakfast. I do want to make sure that she eats around 30 minutes before we start walking. It gives her enough time to digest the food and avoid any uncomfortable feeling or even stomach pain for the rest of the day. She is normally done in less than 3 minutes and while she walks around to sniff or lays down for a bit more, I pack up our stuff, get organized and take down the tent. It's a great routine and I have noticed that Sierra feels a lot better and is less grumpy as she does not have to wait for her breakfast. Grumpy Cattle Dogs are the worst.

I was lucky that our walk started out flat. We walked alongside the beautiful river Bon Nant past the Notre-Dame de la Gorge. 

"The church was rebuilt in 1699 by Jean de Vougniaz, a stone mason  who had recently completed the reconstruction of the church in Saint-Gervais. From the 13th century to the early 19th century, Notre Dame de la Gorge was the local parish church for the residents of the valley. It was also a spiritual sanctuary, home to the Marian cult. Every year, for time immemorial, the pilgrimage on 15th August drains the faithful in crowds. Finally, Notre-Dame de la Gorge is a place of prayer associated with the passing of the Col du Bonhomme mountain pass. Many travelers have crossed the threshold of the church to pray for a safe journey."

Right after the church, the ascent started. I knew it was going to be a tough hike altogether, but I just started to realize how out of shape I was. The heavy pack, as I was carrying all of Sierras food, was clearly not helping me get up the mountain. I was receiving the bill for not exercising in a couple of years. I felt so weak and embarrassed. Didn't I hike the PCT in 2019? Where was my strength? What happened to my hiker legs? Why couldn't I properly breathe? Why did I feel like I was 70 years old? No, I am sorry, even the 70-year-old hiker who hiked past me this morning was doing better than I was right now. I was huffing and puffing like an old time locomotive. How in the world was I going to make it up the hill?

The first section however was absolutely beautiful. Through a forest section and past a couple of beautiful streams and across bridges. There was always water around as the snow had just started to melt a couple of weeks ago. I normally make sure that Sierra only drinks clean filters water, like I do, but honestly I did not felt like taking off my pack while climbing. So I decided to make sure she drinks out of streams that are flowing and not stagnant. And in my defense, a dog's tongue is fast.

After a few miles, the trees disappeared and my view opened up to fields and mountains. We walked past cows who welcomed us with the sound from the big bells around their necks. I wasn't sure how Sierra would react, but she did extremely well. She was curious but kept walking. And for me, it was at this moment I knew we would be alright with her reactivity. I smiled as I felt more at ease. If you own a reactive dog, you know the moment of relieve when you know you will be alright.

As we reached the Refuge de la Balme, I noticed a sign that said free camping from 7pm–7am. I stopped to think for a minute. We had only just walked 3ish hours, and it was not even 11am. I looked around. It was absolutely stunning, there is no other word to describe this location. Majestic Mountains that reminded me of a Toblerone Chocolate bar and a warm and gentle breeze in my face. The refuge was directly opposite the camping spot, there were toilets, water and a fresh stream running just below the campsite. It was a perfect location. I looked up at the sky. Not a single cloud was to be seen. I closed my eyes to catch my breath and looked up ahead. I would not be able to make it to the top in an hour and by the looks of it, it was going to be a very hot day. So I decided to call it a day and squeeze in an impromptu rest day. I walked up to the campsite, unpacked my tent to lay out to dry, and took out my sleeping mat to create a shady spot for Sierra.

I was utterly bored, and it was a very long day for me. No cell service, no book, and I did not want to waste my battery on music. It was tough being with my own thoughts and feelings, but also a great lesson to embrace myself in the moment and just be. And Sierra was happy. She slept most of the day, played with a stick she found, and cooled down in the stream down below. No matter how bored I was, I strongly believe that it was the right and best decision to make to give Sierra time to adjust and sleep off the stress of the last days. And for me to catch my breath. Sometimes it's great to hike with a dog, because I had an excuse to rest. That way, I did not have to admit to anyone that the only reason I took a break day was because I was exhausted and overwhelmed with my emotions. No, the official answer is always: "My dog needs a rest."

Around 6pm we were joined but other hikers who decided to camp with us and this incredible view. But soon after we got the tent set up and did our last business, I saw heavy rain clouds rolling in. Spoiler: This was not the last rain cloud. We crawled into our tent and were welcomed with a thunderstorm and heavy rain fall a few minutes later. I do however really like sleeping in a tent while it rains.

The sound of raindrops is like natures symphony, guiding me to sleep. Even though I am utterly annoyed that I spend all this time drying everything just to get it wet again, I do sleep a lot better when it rains.