Day 1: Chamonix - Argentière 9km

The map for day 1. Click here for a larger version

The morning was set aside for last minute preparation and sending a glut of postcards along the lines of `Day 37 : supplies are running low. The people we meet appear to speak Hungarian... It's a shame we were forced to eat the navigator...' to unsuspecting colleagues. After lunch we had a joint photo in our fundraising T-shirts in the central square in Chamonix and started the walk proper...

The initial kilometre of walk was less than glamorous, stomping along the road out of town. This stage did not last long, however, before the path twisted down into trees by the river.

After this it was a pretty walk to Argentière with occasional steep climbs through the woods as we traced the route of the river and the railway. The river is extremely fast flowing, with a milky-blue tint from the sediment swept along in its wake.

This evening we're staying in a small hotel with lovely views up into the valleys at the foot of Mont Blanc. The mountain itself has remained elusively hidden in cloud so far...

In the woods outside Chamonix, with Dav trying not to look like a giant!