After getting down to Plan de l’Aiguille from Aiguille du Midi, instead of going back down to Chamonix directly, I went to Lac Bleu then hiked the Grand Balcon Nord (Great North Balcony) to Montenvers above the Mer de Glace glacier.
At the beginning of summer, I went to Chamonix to visit Aiguille du Midi, a mountain next to Mont Blanc and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area: It can easily be accessed by cable car from the valley and, with the highest viewing platform located at the 3842m summit, it offers the best view on the Mont Blanc, the surrounding glaciers and the Chamonix valley.
Last summer, I went on a hike to Le Brévent, Lac du Brévent and Aiguillette des Houches, above Chamonix.
Last summer, I went on a hike near Chamonix to the Baraque Forestière des Rognes, a tiny emergency hut located between the much bigger Refuge de Tête Rousse, where most mountaineers stop on their way to the summit of Mont Blanc, and Nid d’Aigle, a hut at the terminus of Tramway du Mont Blanc. I followed this trail direction (except I started and ended at the Bellevue cable car station): Sentier des Rognes on the way up and a path along Glacier de Bionnassay on the way down.
After getting back to the valley from my hike to La Jonction, it was still relatively early so I took the bus to the village of Chamonix and tried to go the Aiguille du Midi, using the ropeway. Unfortunately, it was full for the rest of the day. So instead, I took the train to Montenvers to have a look at the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice), France’s largest glacier (7km long, 200 m thick). The Ice Cave had already closed when I got there however.
La Jonction (The Junction) is a rocky area below the Mont Blanc where the Glacier des Bossons and the Glacier de Taconnaz meet. The first successful ascent of the Mont Blanc by Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard in 1786 was made through there: The hiking trail goes past the rock formation (known as Gîte à Balmat) where the 2 men stayed at some point during that ascent. I followed this itinerary.
The visit to Lac Blanc (White Lake) is a classic summer hike of Chamonix: It is possible to get there and back using the Flégère ropeway and a bit of walk. An alternative path to reach that lake (and others in the area) by foot is to follow the Alpine Lake Trail (Sentier des Lacs Alpins): Starting at Col des Montets, it goes through the Réserve Naturelle des Aiguilles Rouges on the north side of the valley and passes by the Lacs des Chéserys, Lac Blanc, Lac Cornu and Lacs Noirs (a slight detour for that one). The other highlight of this hike is the constant view of the Mont Blanc (photo above) and the surrounding mountains. At the end of the trail, the Planpraz ropeway can be used to get down to Chamonix. Probably the best hike I did this summer!
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