TMB Days 13 & 14: Rifugio Walter Bonatti to Gîte Alpage de la Peule - August 1st to 2nd, 2025
The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is a 165 kilometer (103 mile) hiking trail which encircles Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Western Europe, through France, Italy, and Switzerland. Our original plan was to complete the hike in 21 days, but we extended it to 22 days before we even started, because Ann was recovering from a bad cold. This post covers days 13 and 14 on the trail, from Rifugio Walter Bonatti to Gîte Alpage de la Peule, with an overnight stay at Rifugio Elena, starting out in Italy and crossing into Switzerland.
Friday, Day 13 of the TMB, was another nice weather day on the trail. Breakfast at Rifugio Walter Bonatti was from 6 am to 7:30 am. We didn’t have a long hike that day, so we opted to sleep in a little bit. We were up at 6:30 am and eating breakfast by 7 am. Breakfast was self-serve. There was yogurt, muesli and fruit cocktail along with a couple of sweet items. Juice was lemonade. There was a coffee machine, where you could get an expresso or Americano. There was a tea button, but it didn’t do anything other than make some noise. Ann had to ask for a tea bag, then get hot water from the coffee machine.
Since we didn’t have far to hike that day, we took our wet clothes and hung them out on the wooden fence outside for about forty five minutes. Unfortunately, Bonatti was not in the sun in the morning, as it was shaded by the mountain, but there was a breeze. Even after 45 minutes, our clothes were not completely dry, but they were better. So we packed them up. Ann tied her hiking socks to the outside of her pack to let them dry some more. Then we hit the trail.
It was after 8:30 am by the time we started hiking. The trail was relatively flat for a while. The trail would dip down to cross a mountain stream every now and then. Then the trail descended all the way down to the valley floor.
In the valley, was Chalet Val Ferret. We stopped for a drink so we could use their toilets. We almost got some of their homemade cake, as we could smell it baking. But our plan was to have lunch at Rifugio Elena, our destination for the day.
From Chalet Val Ferret, we crossed a river, then started an ascent up the other side of the valley. The trail passed through a herd of cows. One cow was right next to the trail, so Ann was going to wait until the cow moved before passing. Keith just continued on the trail and the cow moved.
From there, it was a climb all the way to Rifugio Elena. There were more mountain streams to cross along the way, some more impressive than others. Ann was feeling better. Her coughing was even less frequent than the day before, and she felt pretty strong, at least starting out on the uphill climb.
Rifugio Elena is on the back side of a hill, so the trail sneaks up on it. There are wonderful views of the surrounding mountain peaks, covered with several glaciers.
For the day, we hiked 7.9 kilometers (4.9 miles) with an elevation gain of 466 meters (1463 feet) and an elevation loss of 370 meters (1214 feet). It was hike number 39 of our 52 Hike Challenge for 2025.
Our accommodations for the night were in one of the dorm rooms, with 36 beds. However, the bunk beds were nicely spaced, with a solid board on one side of the bunk beds, giving everyone some privacy. Our bunk bed was on the far side of the room, with space between the bunk bed and the wall for a small cabinet to put our belongings. It was like we had our own private little area. There was even an outlet on the wall to recharge our devices.
Ann hung out her bra and socks on a clothes line outside after we arrived at Rifugio Elena, hoping to dry them before she put them on after her shower. They were mostly dry in a couple of hours and her body heat completed the process after she put them on.
As usual, there was a room to store your boots, backpacks, and trekking poles. Plastic bins were available for hauling what you needed for the night to your room.
The showers were operated with a token, which gave you four minutes of hot water. Washing clothes was not allowed. That was OK with us, because we had already decided not to wash our clothes out of fear they wouldn’t get dry overnight. We did take showers, but Ann did not wash her hair, just like she did at Rifugio Bonatti. It was too cold to sit around in the evening with wet hair. We did lay out our clothes in our little area so they would air out overnight.
All the meals in Rifugio Elena were served cafeteria style. For lunch, Keith got the ham and bean soup, a roll, and a strawberry tart. Ann opted for the lasagna, roll, and a chocolate pie with nuts. It had been a while since she’s had chocolate, so it hit the spot. The downside with cafeteria style was that the lasagna was not very hot, but it still tasted good.
As we hung out inside the rifugio, Ann spotted someone else having hot chocolate with whipped cream. That sounded good, so she ordered one. It was pretty tasty. It was more of a dark chocolate, not as sweet as most hot chocolate in the States. Ann really enjoyed it. Uh oh, this could quickly become a bad habit over here.
Keith bought a pair of gloves from Rifugio Elena. The forecast for the next day was cold and wet, so he wanted something a little more waterproof.
When we checked in, they gave us tickets for dinner and breakfast. That was something new. Half board must have been optional at this rifugio, so the tickets were their way of knowing who got food.
Dinner was sometime between 6:45 pm and 7 pm. Since it was served cafeteria style, being prompt for dinner was not important. Dinner consisted of soup or pasta, a roll, sliced roasted pork, stewed tomatoes and bell peppers, peas with bacon, panna cotta, and an apple. It was too much food for us to eat, so we didn’t eat the apple and saved it for later. At dinner, we met a couple of women from Norway. It was a little quieter in the dining room of Rifugio Elena compared to Rifugio Bonatti, so it was a little easier to carry on a conversation. We appreciated that.
We were surprised by how quiet the large dorm room was during the night. People were respectful as they entered and left the room. The lights were off by 9:40 pm. Only one person snored off and on, but it didn’t really bother us. Again, Ann slept in her hiking shirt and leggings for more warmth. She was able to get almost 8 hours of sleep that night. There was hope that she could get rid of her cough once and for all.
Saturday, Day 14 of the TMB, our luck finally ran out on good weather. We can’t complain. Fourteen days in, we were overdue for bad weather.
Breakfast at Rifugio Elena was from 6 am to 8 am. That was a long time compared to most rifuios. Again, it was served cafeteria style. So we woke up at 6:30 am and were at breakfast by 7 am. It was a decent breakfast, with yogurt, muesli, rolls, butter, and jam. Coffee and tea was served in cereal bowls, just like they were at Rifugio Bertone. There was also juice, but we’re not quite sure what type of juice it was, blood orange perhaps? It didn’t look like a natural color.
It was cold and raining in the morning, so we took our time packing up. It looked like the rain might let up some, so we hung around a little longer. To kill some time, we ordered a cappuccino and a hot chocolate.
By 9 am, it was still raining, but we felt we had waited long enough. So we bundled up and headed out. We both had our rain pants on, both for warmth and to keep us dry.
The first half of the day was uphill, to Grand Col Ferret. Ann felt strong for about half the climb, then her pace slowed down again, but she still felt good. The climb felt like a grind due to the weather. A strong wind kept the rain bearing down on us. So we kept our heads down and tried to keep a steady pace.
Part way up, the trail was pretty muddy and slippery. Falling down in the mud, risking getting hurt, did not sound like a fun way to spend our day, so we were extra careful. Despite working hard and sweating, the cold wind was taking our body heat away. Part way up, Ann put on her warm headband under her rain jacket hood. That seemed to help.
The border between Italy and Switzerland was at the top of the pass. So we switched from greeting people with “Buon giorno” to “Bonjour”, since we were now in the French speaking area of Switzerland. However, when we were in Italy, we noticed that many people were still greeting others on the trail in French instead of Italian.
We didn’t stop for long at the pass. It was very windy and cold, with temperatures close to freezing. After snapping a couple of pictures, we started the descent down the other side. The rain was pelting us in our faces and felt like it could have been freezing rain.
Ann stopped to put on her warm gloves. Her fingers were getting quite cold. That seemed to help as long as she kept moving to keep her blood moving.
After a little while, the rain finally stopped, but we were still socked in by clouds, with no views. Ann had put a plastic bag over her camera and was only using her phone for pictures and video while it was raining. And yes, even with no views, she still found things to take pictures of, as wildflowers lined the trail and we crossed over several little streams.
As we got closer to Gîte Alpage de la Peule, little views would open up every now and then. We reached the gîte after covering 6.1 kilometers (3.8 miles) with an elevation gain of 467 meters (1532 feet) and an elevation loss of 466 meters (1529 feet). It took us around three hours to complete the hike. It was hike number 40 of our 52 Hike Challenge for 2025.
It was around noon when we arrived at Gîte Alpage de la Peule, so, after dropping our packs under a tent outside, we went inside to get some lunch. We decided to split a Croûte au Fromage. We got the 3 étages (floors or layers) version, which included fromage, jambon, et tomates fraîches (cheese, ham, and fresh tomatoes). Ann had a croûte back in Gruyere (link to post). It is bread covered with cheese (and other optional toppings), then baked. It is usually served with a small pickled cucumber and pickled pearl onions on top. We’re glad we split one instead of each ordering one. It was pretty filling and satisfying. What better way to warm up than with bubbling hot melted cheese.
After lunch, they let us check in early. There is only one large dormitory, with additional beds in a loft in the same room. We believe there were enough beds to house 33 people. However, the beds were nicely spaced, so you didn’t feel like you were on top of each other.
There were only two toilets and one large sink, to be used by gîte guests and patrons of the restaurant. At first, we couldn’t figure out where the shower was, but then a little later, they opened up the door inside the bathroom that led to the shower. However, we both decided not to take showers nor wash our clothes, since it was so cold outside. We just changed from our damp clothes into our dry, dirty clothes from the day before.
Even after changing into dry clothes and putting her puffy coat on, Ann was still cold. It seems like once you get chilled, it is hard to get warmed back up. In the dining room, the Gîte started a fire in their wood stove, so Ann went over and stood by it. It felt good, but she still was not satisfied.
Dinner was earlier than most places, at 6 pm. That was fine with us. We sat with a French family of three, who said they only spoke a little English, but it was much better than our French. It was a father and son along with the father’s nephew. They were only doing a portion of the TMB. Again, we managed to have a nice conversation despite the language barrier.
Dinner started out with a nice mixed salad, followed by Croûte au Fromage Trois étages, the same thing we had for lunch. Oh well, it was tasty, so we didn’t mind too much. Dessert was their homemade soft-serve ice cream over fresh fruit. It was rather tasty!
After dinner, Ann offloaded her footage from the day and then got ready for bed. It was a little early to go to bed, but she just wanted to get warm. The duvet/comforter on the bed was thick and warm. Ann went to bed with her leggings, hiking socks, hiking shirt, and her warm layer top and crawled under the covers. After a couple of hours, she finally felt warm. She even removed her warm layer top and her socks and part of the duvet. She slept well. Her watch said she got 9 hours and 40 minutes of sleep. She hadn’t coughed all day, despite being cold, and she woke up the next morning feeling strong.
Another two days on the TMB were now behind us. One day was nice weather and the other day wasn’t, but we weren’t complaining. Ann was hopeful that her energy struggles on the trail were over and the hiking would get easier for her from here. Regardless, we were still enjoying the journey.
Check out our related video: TMB Days 13 & 14: Rifugio Walter Bonatti to Gîte Alpage de la Peule
(Ann)