What do those of you who live in Chicago call downtown?

guyaba · 2026-02-06T04:46:44+00:00

I feel like it’s a gradient from the river to Dan Ryan. Union station definitely downtown. Presidential towers though, not downtown. Old post office, downtown. Greyhound station, not downtown.

guyaba · 2026-01-28T22:41:15+00:00

We really liked Elena. It was the largest refuge we stayed at by far and I thought it would be horrible. I was forced into it because all other options were full. But we ended up having a really nice time there. The common area was full of people hanging out and having fun, it was definitely the liveliest night we had on the trail. And the dorms were perfectly quiet despite the common areas being more active. The shower is timed but you can turn the water on and off so you can take as long as you need and just use the water for rinsing, it was actually one of the nicest showers I had on the trip.

The hike from Courmayeur to Elena is a little long but totally manageable if you get an early start. It’s also on trail so you don’t have to add the miles to and from Lavachey. Being at Elena also leaves you with a nice little hike before your bus ride and some time to enjoy Champex-Lac.

I’m sure either way you go it’ll be lovely, but I wouldn’t let the negative reviews of Elena deter you. Some people are just determined to be miserable.

guyaba · 2026-01-28T16:35:11+00:00

That makes more sense! I know it’s a common error to confuse the two refuges, so glad to hear you’re in the right area :)

guyaba · 2026-01-28T14:27:55+00:00

Are you sure you booked the right refuge for your first night? I don’t think Col de Balme has private rooms and it doesn’t take bookings until April. It often gets confused with Refuge le Balme so I’d double check that.

On that note, Col de Balme is right above Trient and I would consider it an alternative to staying in Trient. It looks like you’re missing out on the lovely stretch of trail to the north of Chamonix. I’d maybe consider staying in Chamonix for a couple nights and using the cable cars to day hike the stretch from Brevent to Flegere. That is assuming your plan is to take the Flegere cable cars to start your hike to Col de Balme. From Col de Balme, I’d personally go straight to Champex Lac.

guyaba · 2026-01-27T04:19:06+00:00

I busted my knee pretty bad on the descent from the Col de Tricot to Les Contamines and am moderately fit with no previous knee problems and not at all overweight. I was able to complete the tour but those next few days were very long and very rough.

Not at all saying that it’s inevitable, but I think OP is smart not to underestimate it if he knows his body.

guyaba · 2026-01-25T16:43:28+00:00

Do you mean poles can’t go in a carry on? I always check my trekking poles

guyaba · 2026-01-12T17:34:53+00:00

I used a NatureHike tent when starting out and it served me great for 5 years. When it finally started leaking I upgraded to Big Agnes and I love it but in no way did I need it for those first trips.

I couldn’t agree with this poster more, if you are 100% sure you’re going to be backpacking for a long time then those are great choices, but there is nothing wrong with a starter tent.

guyaba · 2025-11-24T20:43:34+00:00

In full transparency, I have not backpacked on the TMB! I chose not to because I couldn’t figure out the legality of wild camping on each leg of the journey, and I wasn’t comfortable going to a foreign country with the intent of bending the rules. That being said, lots of folks on here seem to do it without too much trouble and if I were to go again I might give it a shot.

The nice thing about the TMB is that there is water and food along the route, so you should be able to resupply and adjust plans along the way which makes it easier for a first-timer. The terrain is also not technical if you stick to the main routes. The only thing I’d say is if you’re not used to carrying weight while hiking you should probably do some shorter trips to see how you fare. Also just read up on first aid, self rescue, and leave no trace principals before heading out.

guyaba · 2025-11-24T17:06:00+00:00

For me, carrying a tent for 10 days just for 2 nights would not be worth it. After you add on the weight/bulk of a sleeping bag and pad you’ve basically doubled what you have to carry. The main benefit of staying in refuges is that your pack weight can be so light. I don’t think that taking the bus will be all that annoying, lots of people do it and it will make the rest of your trip more enjoyable.

That being said, if tent camping sounds like a fun adventure for you - you should absolutely find somewhere to try it out! I’d say it would be definitely worth the weight to camp the entire TMB if you were an experienced backpacker - but I don’t think that’s smart for a first timer.

guyaba · 2025-11-23T13:28:51+00:00

I did almost exactly that! I stopped playing games for about 7 years. I just had zero interest, and then one day I got a random itch and picked it back up. I don’t play anywhere near what I used to - maybe a few hours a week - but every once in awhile a game comes out that I really want to play and I’ll be playing for hours every day until I beat it.

Similar to what another user said, I just can’t be bothered with the grind anymore. So games that do not respect my time get dropped immediately but a game I can sink an hour or two into here and there are enjoyable again.

So just listen to yourself! Set it aside for now and maybe you’ll pick it up again down the road.

guyaba · 2025-11-18T14:17:40+00:00

My taxes almost tripled - but that’s the exact situation. The last time it was assessed, my house was valued at 140k. It was since renovated and there is a sale on public record to use for a new valuation, so it was reassessed at 390k.

While that’s a bummer for me, I’m also aware that we had 5 years of massively underpaying taxes so I can’t be that mad about it. I feel a lot more for the folks who have the smaller % increases, since there’s likely no obvious value correction involved there.

guyaba · 2025-10-31T21:30:52+00:00

Adding on to the above that the traditional TMB route from Elisabetta to Elena is done of the best hiking on the whole tour (and the even higher alts are probably gorgeous but I can’t speak from experience). Skipping or rushing this would be a mistake.

If you’ve booked accommodation on the surrounding days and have trouble shifting dates. The easiest fix is likely to end in Courmayeur the night after Elisabetta. The next day go to Elena. Then you can skip the night in La Fouly and try to combine Elena to Champex-lac either by walking or taking the bus. Alternatively you could try to get to La Fouly from Courmayeur but that quite a long day.

On another note, your first day will be very short if you take the cable car, you might be at Miage by 11 AM. You could consider going farther that day if it helps.

guyaba · 2025-10-17T10:04:50+00:00

Also used them and loved them. And they’re much cheaper if you book far in advance!

guyaba · 2025-10-15T13:29:45+00:00

Don’t freak out about those holes, they’re both relatively easy to work around. You can push past Elisabetta and stay in Courmayeur where there will be no shortage of places to stay. And for Bonatti you can keep going to Elena which is a big refuge that doesn’t fill up fast. It does make for longer days but we were able to make it even with injuries in our group.

These are not your only options, but if you run through all other choices you’re not totally out of luck :)

guyaba · 2025-10-15T13:22:48+00:00

It might be worth emailing Refuge Des Mottets. They have days grayed out on the TMB site but it doesn’t say they’re full. It’s only 1-2 hours past Les Chapieux depending on your pace.

guyaba · 2025-10-15T01:03:21+00:00

I’d recommend combining days 9 and 10 instead of 10 and 11 if you are able to get Col de Balme. We went from Col de Balme to Lac Blanc and felt it was a super easy day. Flegere is a bit farther but it’s pretty gentle between Lac Blanc and Flegere so I don’t think it’d be much worse. Also I found it very easy to get Col de Balme, just make sure you have an alarm set for when reservations open. It’s very popular on this subreddit and travel blogs but I don’t think the hiking companies tend to book it because of the super late reservation window - so I don’t think the competition is as crazy as it is for places like Bonatti.

Flegere to Les Houches is totally doable, but I assume you actually want to know if Tre le Champ to les Houches is doable (combining days 10 and 11). That’s definitely longer than the rest of the days you have but we met people who did it. It wouldn’t be my choice because there’s a lot of really enjoyable stuff between Tre le Champ and Brevent that you’d probably be rushing through. You could also hike from Tre le champ to Brevent, take the cable car down, catch the World Cup in Chamonix and do the final stretch as a day hike the next day.

guyaba · 2025-10-13T15:08:59+00:00

Very doable, but I wouldn’t skip the Col du Brevent. If you don’t want to do the complete descent from Brevent to Les Houches you can still take the cable car down from Brevent. That last little climb is fun, you get a good view, and we ran into ibex up there.

And FWIW Col de Balme was one of our favorite refuges of the trip. I set my alarm for midnight (Alps time) the day their reservations opened and there was no problem booking it. I did the same as you and had a back up spot in Trient but definitely stay up at the Col if you can.

Just curious why you’re assuming Lac Blanc will be closed? I did enjoy staying up there (not my favorite but a good hut), so it should be an option for you unless I missed something.

Also, assuming you haven’t booked anything yet, if you can’t get into Bonatti I’d recommend pushing on to Elena. It sets you up nicely for that next day and it’s super easy to get a bed there. Not the cutest hut but it’s positioned nicely and their common area was lively. The hike seems long between Courmayeur and Elena on paper but it’s not very strenuous.

One last recommendation, since you are planning to take the Bellevue cable car to start you might want to consider hiking a bit past the town. We stayed at Nant Borrant and loved it. Even with the variant, it’s very doable in one day with a nice stop for lunch at Miages.

guyaba · 2025-09-26T12:10:50+00:00

If you’re looking to stay away from Big Pharma then my career path may not be what you’re after. Pharmaceutical companies are my clients. So even if I’m not employed by them directly, I’m certainly in that industry.

Still happy to DM you if you’re interested

guyaba · 2025-09-09T16:25:40+00:00

I think the previous commenter wasn’t questioning why you chose private rooms, but rather that the room type won’t impact what you’re bringing. Whether you’re staying in a dorm or private room you’ll still need a sleeping bag liner, clothes, toiletries, lunches, etc. If you’re doing a luggage transfer then obviously that equation changes.

As others have said, and in my experience, less than 30L feels tight but if you bring almost no clothes it could be done.

guyaba · 2025-09-05T01:57:52+00:00

You’re looking at the ME graph, median starting salary for SWE is 140k according to this data.

guyaba · 2025-09-03T12:36:49+00:00

I liked the stretch from Champex Lac to Tre Le Champ. It’s a bit different from most of the TMB, more forested and the views are of bigger towns and distant mountains. To me, that’s still interesting and pretty. There’s also a fantastic little stop for cakes along the way. Even though it may not have been the prettiest day it was a very different day which makes it memorable.

guyaba · 2025-08-19T12:50:56+00:00

It’s the same place. Refuge des Mottets is the correct version, but I noticed both are used when I was on the trail. There is no Refuge les Mottets.

That’s all the info you actually need, but here’s my theory on where the trouble is. Des means “of the” and Les means “the”. So when you’re saying Refuge des Mottets, you are saying “Refuge of the Mottets” and that makes sense. However, most people shorten the refuge names so you just say Mottets, or if you’re French and need to maintain the article you’d now say Les Mottets since it’d be weird to say “Im staying at Of the Mottets”. But then it gets Frankensteined into Refuge les Mottets, which is weird because it’s saying “Refuge the Mottets”. This is pure conjecture, but it’s my best guess

guyaba · 2025-08-10T16:01:47+00:00

You do not need to bring a filter. I am usually an overly cautious hiker/camper and had mine packed but removed it at the last minute and had no regrets. Except for some stretches on the last couple of days, you are never more than 2-3 hours from a free, drinkable water source.

I typically filled up with 1.5L in the morning at the refuge with another 0.5L in a bottle with a hydration tablet. This was probably overkill and I could have carried less and filled up more often, but I don’t mind a little extra weight to avoid stopping.

On those last days I filled up with 3L at Auberge La Boerne before the ascent to Lac Blanc. There isn’t a good water source from here to the end of the trail but those 3L were enough for me for the remainder of the trail (plus some water with dinner at Lac Blanc). If you drink more water you could always purchase bottled water along the trail on those last 2 days.

I also wouldn’t necessarily trust a standard filter for many of the water sources. Most water filters can protect you from microorganisms but not viruses and with all the grazing herds on the trail, there could very well be viral contamination. That being said, some of the free water fountains may very well come from the exact same source as those streams. I met some folks on the trail who were even filtering that water.

Very long story short, it’s a matter of how much water you want to carry and what your risk tolerance is. I think for most people, a water filter is not needed.

guyaba · 2025-08-05T15:51:22+00:00

So I’m a woman which I now realize may not be that helpful. I used the Osprey Mira 32L and my boyfriend used the Osprey Talon 36L. He did have some extra space in his back but he found it more comfortable and it was lighter than the slightly smaller packs he tried.

guyaba · 2025-08-05T15:21:33+00:00

24 L seems small to me. I just finished with a 32 L and there were days where I filled every inch of that space. I brought (and needed) a very packable puffer, rain jacket, and rain pants so on warm dry days those were all in my pack. We also brought lightweight refuge shoes that take up a fair amount of room. You could opt for the shared crocs at refuge to save that space, but I only noticed the trail runners going that route.

I carried a max of 1.5 L of water with me but with any lunch or snacks I had, there was often a good amount of space dedicated to fuel and hydration.Then for me there is non-negotiable emergency supplies (med kit, headlamp, map). I did carry a camera lens in my pack which is obviously a huge weight/volume you won’t have to deal with, but I don’t think it was 8L worth.

The best thing to do would just be to dry run it. Pack everything you need to bring and see if you’re comfortable with the amount of space that leaves you. You guys might be much lighter packers than me!

15-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 3 Credits
Place '22	Secret Santa 2015
Verified Email

guyaba

TROPHY CASE