Free Outside
Free Outside
Jeff Garmire
Tour du Mont Blanc Recap: Three Countries, One Fox Bite
42 minutes Posted Jun 15, 2026 at 2:17 pm.
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I finally made it to Europe. And I did the Tour Du Mont Blanc!


After spending years building it up in my head as complicated, intimidating, and full of opportunities to embarrass myself, I decided to jump into the deep end and hike the Tour du Mont Blanc.


Over three days, I crossed France, Italy, and Switzerland, climbed more than 30,000 feet, slept in mountain refugios, drank an irresponsible amount of espresso, and somehow got bitten by an Italian fox.


In this episode, I recap the entire adventure, from getting lost in Geneva Airport to watching the sunset from Le Brévent above Chamonix. Along the way, I share what surprised me most about the Alps, why I put off Europe for 35 years, and how the things that scare us are often much easier than we imagine.


Topics:


Tour du Mont Blanc recap

Early season conditions and snow

Hiking through France, Italy, and Switzerland

Refugio culture

Traveling solo in Europe

The Italian fox incident

Espresso, croissants, and mountain passes

Lessons from 100 miles around Mont Blanc


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