This blog should be dated for the weekend of Sept. 23-25, and is dedicated to Mont Blanc and the sport of canoyning. Meaning "White Mountain", Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps. Fun fact about the mountain: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was based on this area! Eeeery..
First climbed in 1786, Mont Blanc is the site where modern mountain climbing was first established, and is therefore being considered as a World Heritage Cite. Other sports have become popular in the area as well, including skiing, snowboarding, hiking, white water rafting, paragliding, and of course, canyoning. Most of these sports take place in the summer months, because of the cold breath that the wind is constantly exhaling in the winter months, with the exception of skiing and snowboarding. We chose one of the last dates available for the activity, but even still, noticed snow not far from us.
Just a short drive from the mountain is the town in which we stayed, Chamonix, France. The picturesque town is a vacation hotspot for wealthy British families looking for a quiet getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life or for adventurers to rest after a long day's hike-or-the-like. This means a few things for American tourists: lots of English-speakers, lots of high prices, and not very much of a nightlife. Our large group of eight, however, was more than entertained with each other and the sport to which we had to look forward. Even this ideal quaint town is not immune to the influence of commercialization, however, as corporate giant McDonald's has found its way even here.
Canyoning could be described as a combination of rock climbing (including harnesses, helmets, belaying, and more), waterfall jumping, and sliding. Basically, it's a natural version of a waterpark. Our wetsuits kept us from freezing to death from the bitterly cold water, and our helmets kept us safe from cracking our skulls. We had an instructor who took us through the area we would be exploring. Every turn was something new- and since I planned the trip, I was selected as the "fearless leader" who got to go first every time. Probably good to have the pressure on, or I might have chickened out. We climbed and jumped, climbed higher and jumped over each other. We slid through holes and belayed/slid/fell down waterfalls. We saw beautiful sites, and luckily one girl bought a twenty-euro waterproof disposable, so we were able to capture a few gold moments. The mountain put up a fierce battle, but we walked away having conquered the Alps.
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