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Happy Island Hopper, San Diego, CA (2026)

07/22/2026

Day 11 - the final day!
Today we decided to mix it up quite a bit. Instead of backtracking uphill out of Argentière we decided to take an alternative route directly out of Argentière. The Chemin des Grands Bois trail begins right between Hotel de La Couronne and Villy’s Bakery (I highly recommend getting some croissants here for breakfast.) It’s a lovely path uphill through the trees with some great views of Mont Blanc along the way and it rejoins the TMB main trail at Refuge la Flegere.

We stopped here for coffee and a fantastic apple tart, then continued on the TMB. The views are lovely and there are parts of the trail that have quite a bit of exposure on this section. I didn’t have an issue with it, and I don’t like heights. By going the way we did we skipped the ladder section, it hadn’t been our plan to skip them, but I know some people are nervous about the ladders, so the Chemin des Grands Bois trail is a good alternative if you want to skip them.

The TMB trail was pretty crowded through this section so we only stayed on it for about 2 miles before we decided to get back on the alternative route to the Plan Praz gondola station. We had one more trail cappuccino at the top to celebrate completing our journey, then took the gondola down into Chamonix.

What an amazing experience this journey was. There were times when it was incredibly difficult and times when the joy of being on the trail felt unreal. I loved every minute, and I’m so grateful I got to experience it.

07/21/2026

Day 10:
To be totally honest the previous two days on the trail felt pretty draining, both mentally and physically. Day 9 I was just trying to get through the hike. We talked to some other people at our refuge that, funny enough, felt the same. I went to bed last night a little concerned because I knew day 10 was going to be challenging. But good news! I woke up in good spirits and a much better state of mind. It’s funny how it can shift for no particular reason on this trail. We set out after breakfast and were feeling good. We tackled the first ascent up the Col de Balme, no problem. It’s a fairly steep climb but definitely not the hardest we’ve done and the views are amazing. There’s a place to eat at the top of the Col that’s great for coffee and sweet treats. It’s was very cold up there so be prepared with some layers.

After a brief descent we began to climb again towards the Col des Posettes. It is possible to skip this summit and head straight down to the valley below, but if you are feeling up to it I highly recommend doing the second ascent. It was the best views we’ve experienced so far this hike and was 100% worth it! The descent is long and steep so make sure you have taken lots of ibuprofen. At the end we had a really nice lunch at Auberge La Boerne before ending our day in Argentière.

In Argentière we stayed at Hotel de La Couronne. Our room was really nice and we had a good lasagna dinner across the street at The Office.

Gear of the day: My rain jacket and Free People pants.

07/20/2026

TMB Day 9:
We both woke up feeling pretty beat up so we decided to skip the Fenêtre d’Arpette variant and stay on the mail TMB trail. I’m so glad we did, the 2,500 ft assent was challenging enough without doing 2x that. I thought the views into the valley below were still spectacular. The climb up to Alpage de Bovine is incredible steep in places, much of the trail is rocky, and there are several stream crossings. The Alpage de Bovine is a lovely place to stop for coffee, pastries, and to enjoy the view. It’s just a little farther uphill before you start descending to Hôtel du Col de la Forclaz. It’s a pretty mild decent compared to other sections and the Hôtel du Col de la Forclaz is a nice place to have lunch if you are continuing on.

We stayed at La Grande Ourse, it is lovely, with a fantastic view of the mountains and a really nice lawn to relax.

What I wore on trail: sun shirt and running shorts. At the refuge: tee shirt & fleece sweats.

07/20/2026

TMB Day 8:
Day 8 was supposed to be a fairly easy day on trail, but it ended up being one of the more challenging days for both of us. It started raining within 30 minutes of leaving our place in La Fouly, but we had all of our rain gear on us so it wasn’t a big deal and it was during a flat section of the hike. There are definitely some steep sections in which rain would make it much more difficult. Most of the morning was spent following roads and trails through small Swiss hamlets. I highly recommend stopping at La Kabana food truck, about halfway between La Fouly and Champex-Lac, for a crepe and some coffee.

The most difficult part of the day begins once you leave the small town of Issert and start the climb towards the lake. It’s about 2 miles of a fairly steep assent, but what makes it so difficult is how humid it is in the trees. There is no breeze in this section of the trail, so even though it’s shaded, it’s still quite warm. It feels like hiking in a rainforest. We were relieved to finally get to the lake. That hike really took it out of us, as it did for several other people we spoke with.

We spent the afternoon sitting by the lake and we walked around part of it to the little grocery store and got some ice cream.

We stayed at Hotel Mont Lac and it was very nice. Our room had a balcony with a fantastic view and the dinner of salad, soup, lasagna and apricot tart was the best meal so far.

What I wore on trail: Started with the usual sun shirt and running shorts, pulled on a rain jacket and pants until we started the uphill section. At the hotel I wore a tee shirt and light joggers.

Gear of the day: my flip flops have been heaven to put on during lunch stops and at the end of each day.

07/17/2026

TMB day 7:
Today was amazing, probably my favorite so far. A pretty big storm came through yesterday afternoon, now I see why the layers were needed. I spent the evening in head to toe fleece and started our hike this morning in my rain jacket. We began at Hotel Lavachey and walked the road to Chalet Val Ferret. It’s a beautiful, mostly flat walk until you get to the Chalet when you start to climb up out of the valley. It took a little over two hours for us to reach the summit and we stopped for coffee at Refuge Elena. The assent is beautiful the whole way up, and while challenging, I didn’t find it to be as hard as previous days. You’ll definitely want to get an early start to do this climb, it would be much more difficult in the full sun.

The walk down the other side to La Fouly is lovely and also not nearly as challenging as other descents have been. We stopped and had lunch at Alpage de la Peule, the omelette with ham and cheese was good, but the real star was the apricot tart.

Tonight we are starting in a private room at Hotel Edelweiss and it’s the nicest place we’ve stayed so far. The room is lovely and it has a balcony that overlooks the glacier.

What I wore on trail: sun shirt, running shorts, sun gloves, rain jacket (for warmth in the morning and after the Col.) In the afternoon in the refuge: fleece sweats, long sleeve tee, socks.

Gear of the day: soft cloth to wipe my nose and sweat. Buff to pull my hair back and wet in the streams to stay cool.

07/17/2026

Gear of the day: Hiking poles - This would have been so much harder without them, especially the last few downhill miles on fatigued legs. Soap sheets - so light they are easy to carry with you at all times. You only need like 1/3 of one to wash your hands. I had norovirus earlier this year so I’m not messing around with keeping my hands clean.

What I wore: sun shirt, running shorts, sun gloves to start and for most of the day. When the rain started I put on a rain jacket and rain pants, along with a pack cover. I was glad I had all three, they kept me warm and dry.

Tip: if you plan to take the bus to Villa de la Glacier (and I highly recommend you do, the walk there is on a narrow road with shuttle buses passing you constantly) get your tickets as soon as you get to town. The early morning buses sell out fast.

07/16/2026

TMB day 6:
After a rest day in Courmayeur we got back on trail and started the day with a steep climb out of the town. You’ll spend about 2 hours hiking up a pretty steep incline until just after Rifugio Giorgio Bertone, when it becomes fairly level with just a few inclines and declines until you get to Bonatti. The hike up to Bonatti from the main trail is quite steep but takes less than 10 minutes. Once there we had an outstanding lunch of polenta with sausage, veal and mushrooms.

After lunch we hiked down into the valley to stay at Lavachey. As we were getting close we could hear thunder in the distance and a downpour started shortly after we arrived at Lavachey. I had checked the forecast earlier that day and it didn’t show any rain. The people arriving about an hour after us were absolutely soaked.

Tip of the day: dont buy expensive gear, get stuff you can leave behind if you find you don’t need it. I bought these rain pants off Amazon and they worked great. I’ll leave them behind in Chamonix at the end of our trip. https://amzn.to/4gI4n0Q

Gear of the day: my water bottle has been perfect for putting electrolytes in and is much nicer to drink out of at lunch than my bladder. Having both has been perfect. I carry 2.5 L with me to start each day and usually just fill up my water bottle once.

What I wore on trail: sun shirt, running shorts, sun gloves. At the refuge: it was cold after the rain, wore fleece sweats, tee shirt, fleece top, wool socks. We beat the rain to the refuge, but if we hadn’t I definitely would have needed my rain jacket, rain pants and pack cover.

07/15/2026

TMB Day 4:
We were fairly close to Courmayeur so we decided to head clockwise back along the main TMB route since we had missed it the day before taking a variant down to Monte Bianco. It started with a steep 1 mile climb to Rifugio Maison Vieille, then another fairly steep climb up from there to get back on the TMB. After that the trail becomes much easier, its uphill still but not as steep, with several flat sections. The views are stunning and the wild flowers were really putting on a show. After making the 2.8 mile trek from Rifugio Maison Vieille to Arête du Mont Favre we headed back to Maison Vieille for a lovely lunch.

We decided to take the Dolonne lift down and I’m so glad we did. It’s an incredibly steep descent that would have been brutal after several days of steep descents. Heads up, it’s not early to find the lift, I recommend asking someone at Maison Vieille what the best way to get there is. We didn’t and ended up walking down a black diamond level ski run. It made for a fun adventure, but isn’t ideal on tired legs.

We are staying at a hotel in Courmayeur for the next two nights to get some R&R and definitely a massage!

What I wore: long sleeve bamboo tee, running shorts, sun gloves. Clean(ish) tee and shorts at the hotel that night. No other layers needed the last couple of days.

07/14/2026

This is something I don’t see everyday

07/14/2026

Day 3: It started rough. I did so good and got us tickets on the first shuttle to Villa de la Glacier at 7:30am but as we got off the bus I realized I didn’t have my cell phone. I had to hitchhike back to Les Chapieux and beg for a seat on the next shuttle back (big thanks to Utah!)

The weather was absolutely perfect today. Our only climb of the day started immediately from the Villa at took about 2 hours. Be aware, there are a lot of false summits on this climb. Unlike the first few days you can’t see where the actual top is until you are almost there, so you see several places you think are the top only to find you have a ways to go still. Once you hit the summit the walk down into the valley below gets more beautiful the further you descend. It’s been the most stunning day so far in terms of epic views. It’s a steep descent but I didn’t find it as taxing as the first few days. We had planned to eat at Rifugio Elisabetta but apparently everyone else on the whole trail did too so we decided not to stop. Once you get to the bottom after Elisabetta a lovely, flat road will take you all the way to Combal. It will feel like heaven to walk on flat ground.

Since we were walking to Rifugio Monte Bianco we stopped at Chalet de Miage for lunch and it was fantastic. The views from the deck were spectacular and the roast beef salad was really good. We couldn’t bear to put our shoes back on so we walked the rest of the way on our flip flops. What started as a rough day ended up being my favorite on trail so far!

We stayed the night at Monte Bianco and it was so lovely. The view from the patio and our room was stunning and our room was a good size with its own sink. There’s WiFi in the common areas.

What I wore: sunshirt, running shorts, sungloves, a buff (which was fantastic to get wet in the streams on the climb up. Tee shirt and light pants at the refuge.

Gear of the day: energy gel and fruit strips saved the day.

Happy Island Hopper

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