CR Adventures 300722: TMB Day 5 - Chalet Val Ferret to Hotel Edelweiss (La Fouly) via Grand Col Ferret

TMB Day 5 starts from Hotel Chalet Val Ferret along the Val Ferret on the Italian side towards the Grand Col Ferret and the Swiss border.

Val Ferret is the name of the two separate valleys connected by the Grand Col Ferret
a mountain pass that connects Orsières in Valais with Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley, on the border between Switzerland and Italy, geographically joining the Val Ferret Switzerland with the Italian Val Ferret.
The Swiss valley drains northeastwards towards Orsières and on into the Rhône basin whereas the Italian valley drains southwestwards towards Courmayeur and on into the Po basin.
This pass is of particular importance because it separates the Western Alps from the Central Alps, as well as the Mont Blanc Massif from the much lower Grand Golliaz group.

Interesting situations always arise like the ascent before Refugio Elena where a herd of cows decided to take the same trail that we were on so thankfully my trusted hiking poles worked a treat in moving them on to greener pastures.

The approach to the Elena Refuge perched in front of the Glacier de Pré de Bar is steady and long with the gradient ever increasing towards the Grand Col Ferret in the Alp de Pré de Bar, under the Arête des Éconduits.

The Elena refuge or sometimes known as the Hélène refuge is a mountain refuge located in the Val Ferret Valdôtain, a side valley of the Aosta Valley, in the upper Valdigne, in the Mont-Blanc massif, at 2,062 meters above sea level. The refuge is at a place called Pré-de-Bar, at the bottom of the Val Ferret, on the route to the Col Ferret, which leads to Switzerland. According to legend, it is dedicated to a little shepherdess from Pré-de-Bar, Hélène.

Like all the summits of the Val Ferret, the panorama offered remains unforgettable, but the Grand Col and Tête de Ferret allow you to widen the field of vision and to observe the Swiss mountains such as Grand Combin, Mont Vélan, as well as the Valley of Fouly.

We descend from the Col Ferret into the beautiful green valley of Switzerland passing by a myriad of beautiful Swiss chalets that have been lost in time.
Making our way first towards Ferret a hamlet in Valais with an elevation of 1,715 metres.
Ferret is situated nearby to Pramplo, and close to Les Granges.
We continue our journey down the valley towards our destination in La Fouly - Hotel Edelweiss at the end of the village.

La Fouly is a village in Val Ferret in the Swiss canton of Valais. At an altitude of 1,600 metres, it is part of the municipality of Orsières. It sits at the foot of Mont Dolent and the Tour Noir in the Mont Blanc massif.