UTMB Race Report — Will to Run

I had an amazing experience at UTMB in 2017. I surpassed my expectations, finishing in 30 hours 17 minutes and 138th place. I figured the only place to go was down, so the wise choice would have been to not return. Well, I’m not very wise. While watching from the sidelines in 2018, I knew I had to come back. It wasn’t about trying to go faster, though I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to always improve. It is just a special, unique, magical race that gets in your blood. I had to make the run around the mountain again.

I trained harder than before and came to the start line healthy and fit. I had two “A” goals: sub 30 hours and cracking the top 100. This year’s course had an extra, brutally tough climb before mile 40 and a longer route between La Fouly and Champex due to a weather re-route 2 years ago. These changes added about 3 miles and a good hour, so I figured sub 30 would REALLY be a longshot. Mentally I came in prepared to finish no matter what and try to enjoy it.

The calm before the storm the day before the race

And then it poured. Thunder was booming with lighting come from the Aiguilles Rouges.

I did a much better job this time optimizing my pack with all of the required gear. All of it weighed 3.3 pounds before food and water.

Start to Chapieux (50km) – You Can’t Always Get What You Want: The Stones

I got to the start more than an hour and a half ahead of time and was able to get a spot to sit down reasonably close to the front. The forecast called for hot weather (particularly on the second day) and some scattered storms. As I sat there wondering if we’d see much rain like we did in 2017, the skies opened up and it poured. Oh well, so much for staying dry.

The start line build up and hype was fun with the helicopters, announcing of the elites, and endless crowds of people. Finally it was time to go and Conquest of Paradise started playing. After the initial (and highly unnecessary) jostling, I settled into a good pace fairly quickly. As an added bonus, I actually saw Jen this time on the way out of town! I cruised the flattish first 5 miles and hit Les Houches in 42 minutes, 5 minutes faster than last time. But everything felt good, and I was right about where I should be in 420th place.

We snaked our way up to Delevret with crowds lining the trail and sweeping views of the valley. The people cheering here had a strong cowbell game – I’m talking massive cowbells that require both arms and a fully body swing! I noticed how hot and humid it felt, in stark contrast to last time’s cold weather, and my climbing legs felt mediocre at best. At the top I figured I was 10 minutes behind schedule, but it was what it was. No use stressing about my legs or splits at this point. Helicopters were buzzing, the glaciers were in full view, and the crowds were out cheering. Life was good.

I felt fine on the steep 3,000 foot descent to Saint Gervais. I tried to keep things smooth and make sure not to blow out my quads early. Saint Gervais is just so cool. The crowds are massive, and you can hear the roar from the town all the way up the mountain. It was fun to arrive in daylight – with the 30 minute race delay it was dark here last time. I reached town in 2:23, 8 minutes ahead of schedule. Turns out I misplaced where the checkpoint was at Delevret and was actually faster than last time up the mountain! Jen was here to cheer, and I stopped to give her a kiss before heading to the aid station.

We had a bit of daylight left as we hit the 10K hilly section to Contamines at mile 20. Somewhere along the way I started to feel off. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but my nutrition was going sideways fast. I knew Jen would be at Contamines with an assortment of food and drinks, so I was hopeful I could sort it out there.

By the way, Jen is the best for traveling all over creation to crew me for this race. It was a bit before 10pm and here she was in the middle of nowhere taking care me. She’d then have to take two buses to get back to Chamonix! She hooked me up with Ginger Ale and a bunch of food for the road, including my secret weapon, a peanut butter and Nutella wrap.

But despite Jen’s heroic efforts, things were spiraling downwards. I lost a bit of time going into Contamines and was feeling progressively worse. I had to walk some of the easy, flat section up to Notre Dame de la Gorge. I felt terrible and nauseous, and I had the prospect of a 4,500 foot climb that would still put me less than a quarter of the way through the race. Things were starting to seem impossible.

I trudged up the mountain towards La Balme. This stretch was really good for me back in 2017 and where I started passing tons of people, which made it even more mentally difficult to be struggling here. Thoughts of dropping from the race were setting in – it was a mistake to come back after such a good previous run, today wasn’t my day, and I couldn’t do it.

Luckily I had prepared for this, and the inner monologue kicked in. This is what I was here for – I wanted to do this, not just for a faster time but for the experience. Jen flew all the way out here to crew for me. More than that, she put up with my insane training all year for this race! How could I drop just when it started to get difficult?

Ok, you win, Will. I’ll keep going. But how can I possibly do another 80 miles and 28,000 feet of climbing? I resolved to reset expectations, targeting more like 33-35 hours. This was more achievable, and with a slower pace hopefully I’d start feeling better. Up I go to La Balme.

I was resolved to finish, so I started going into problem solving mode. I did the math and had taken in more than enough calories. But it was really hot and humid, and I had been dripping sweat for almost 5 hours. I realized I’d had very little salt and the sloshy stomach was probably a result of not being able to absorb fluids. I was afraid of taking in too much salt as that was my problem at two races earlier this year, but I rolled the dice and took an S-Cap. Soon after I felt a bit better.

So that’s good, but now the problem is that for some reason I only brought 4 S-Caps (3 now remaining) and that would be nowhere near enough until I saw Jen again in 16+ hours! I resolved to stop for a while at La Balme to do what it took to pull myself together. No more worrying about splits.

I had a cup of super salty soup, and it went down really well. I got another, had some salty crackers, and drank some Coke. The time spent here was well worth it, and on the steep climb up to Col du Bonhomme things started turning around. I got more salt via some gels and another S-Cap, and I was able to pound fluids now. I bumped into a guy from Oregon, and we got to chatting. It was just what I needed when I needed it. Talking to him got my mind out of the funk, and he was moving well and snapped me back into a good pace.

When we crested the Croix du Bonhomme, I actually felt good again. Miraculously, I was only 6 minutes behind my 2017 split to here. My experience helped dig me out of the hole I was in. And my fitness made it so that even when I was dragging my feet for 10 miles, I still somehow managed to climb decently well and not lose too much time. In fact, I was still passing people all along the way and had moved up to 247th place. To those following the Livestream at home, everything would look like it was going just as planned. You’d never guess how close I was to disaster!

I had a good run down to Chapieux, arriving right around 7 hours for 50K. There was a mandatory gear check, and I went to work on the aid station. I got into a rhythm that would basically work for the rest of the race. I’d drink some Coke, have 2 cups of soup, eat some salty snacks (usually crackers), grab whatever else looked good, and stuff a few portable items of food in my pack. Giddy-up.

Chapieux (50km) to Courmayeur (81km) – Shake it Off: Taylor Swift

I ran up the road towards Col de la Seine, and we turned off onto the trail. This is a big, looong climb that gets steeper as you go up. Despite the difficulty, I really like this stretch of the course. You are in a remote, wild section of Italy, surrounded by silhouettes of big mountains under the stars and headlamps snaking up and down the mountain for miles. I felt strong and was running the mellower stretches and hiking fast on the steeps. It got windy and cold as we got over 7,000 feet, and I threw on my Ultimate Direction jacket over my pack.

We crested the top, and I was surprised that I only matched my splits from 2017 despite feeling so strong on the climb. Ah well, the important thing was that I was feeling good again. And funny story, looking at my splits after the fact I was actually 11 minutes faster here and passed 45 people going up, moving into 197th. Go figure …

Two years ago we bombed straight down to Lac Combal, but this time we’d be tackling the Col de Pyramides Calcaires. Halfway down to Lac Combal, this new section diverts to climb back up all the elevation you just lost (and then some), turn around, and come all the way back down to intersect with the same trail. Why do we do this section? Who knows. What I do know is it quite possibly the worst stretch of trail I’ve ever run. Aside from being a pointless detour and very steep, most of this stretch is a collection of large, loose rocks with no trail to be seen.

I basically just tried not to twist and ankle or kill myself and didn’t worry about much else. The only silver lining was they had water at the top, which was much appreciated since it had been 2.5 hours since Chapieux. I danced my way down the rock scramble nightmare and pulled into Lac Combal a little over 10 hours. Miraculously I was 10 minutes faster than I had expected to be here. I worked through the aid station, made use of the porta potties, and started running the short road section to the next climb.

I used the rare flat stretch to swap out the battery in my trusty Petzl Nao. I turned up the steep trail to Mont Favre, the last climb before Courmayeur. I continued to feel really good and kept on passing people on the way up. Before I knew it, we turned down for the 4,000 foot descent into Courmayeur. After the first technical section, I opened up my stride and was feeling awesome. Legs were good, and all systems were go. Halfway down I hit the Maison Vieille checkpoint. I was planning to move through fast and grabbed some bread to put in my pack. The woman at the aid station warned me that the bread had honey on it. Honey, you say? It tasted incredible so I grabbed another for the road. And another.

The second part of the descent is the steepest of the race and a great place to blow your quads early. I kept on passing people but tried hard to keep it in check to save my legs. I love this part and seeing the lights of Courmayeur down below as we descend the mountain. I rolled into Courmayeur on a warm, beautiful morning in 12 hours 8 minutes. After all of the earlier drama, I was now just 3 minutes behind my planned split and 50 minutes behind my 2017 run, right about as expected thanks to gift of the Col Pyramides addition.

Courmayeur is the biggest aid station by far and an important place to really fuel up and make sure you are in good shape. From here it would be 8 hours through rugged, remote mountains before I’d see Jen again! That said, I also wanted to be a bit more efficient through here than 2 years ago and figured 15 minutes in aid would be just about right.

There was a lot to be done here! I charged my watch, put on sunscreen, changed my shoes, refilled bottles, restocked my food supplies, and ate a bunch. After racing around I got my pack back on, left my drop bag, and got back on the trail after 14 minutes. I did a quick check and saw I was in 145th place. That was a bit behind where I was 2 years ago, so I figured I was slightly slower, the field was a more competitive, or a bit of both. I was 12 hours 22 minutes in – last time it took me about 19 hours to finish from here, so we’d see where this year ended up …

Courmayeur (81km) to Champex-Lac (126km) – It’s a Long Way to the Top: ACDC

I headed out into the Courmayeur streets in the dark. I was right alongside a Japanese runner who had a whole crew running alongside and people filming him. Sorry for ruining your videos, dude. We snaked through the charming town as the pre-dawn light started revealing the Mont Blanc massif. This was an absolute highlight last time, and I was soaking it all in.

The climb up to Bertone is a kick in the teeth. I passed a few runners as we slogged up. I felt like I was dragging and worried I’d fall short of the 13h30min split I was shooting for. I realized I felt really hungry and dehydrated despite everything I ate / drank not long ago in Courmayeur. I housed some clif shot bloks, slugged some water, and instantly felt much better. This became a theme for the rest of the race where I’d get ravenous on the climbs despite fueling well at the aid stations in the valleys. I guess I was just putting out a ton of energy and needed an awful lot of fuel.

I arrived up at Bertone, pleased and a bit surprised to be right on the 13:30 split. A quick note on the splits: with 30h17min last time, a course that was 1h to 1h15min longer, and a bit of cushion, I’d need to pick up an hour and a half. I was assuming all of the improvement would be in the second half, so the splits from here would be aggressive to drop the 1.5 hours needed.

It was simply a stunning morning. While the weather cleared somewhat here two years before, this time there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was also cold last time at the top, but now I felt comfy in a tee shirt and shorts. The downside though was this meant it would be super hot later in the day!

I fueled up at Bertone and started the 5 mile section to Bonatti. This stretch of trail stays around 7,000 feet with rolling hills and nonstop views of the Mont Blanc massif. I had been looking forward to this amazing part of the course, but I also wanted to move a bit better than 2017 when I had a rough patch here. I started out well but then the sleep monsters kicked in. My strategy this time was to take off my sunglasses on this bright, sunny day and stare directly at the blindingly white peak of Mont Blanc whenever I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I had one stumble as I started falling asleep mid-run, but otherwise this strategy worked pretty well.

I got to Bonatti a few minutes up on my splits and about 5 minutes faster on this part than 2 years ago. I was looking forward to a full aid station, but this year there were only fluids. I downed a bunch of Coke, which actually worked wonders. Last time I started drinking coffee at Maison Vieille before Courmayeur and at most aid stations after that. In retrospect, I don’t think it really helped that much keeping me awake. It didn’t give me any calories, took time to find and drink at each aid station, and likely contributed to some GI issues and having to pull off the trail way too much. I’d planned going into the race to start having some coffee around this point, but I decided here that things seemed to be working fine without it. I think it was the right call, and Coke worked just fine.

I set off towards Arnouvaz and had forgotten that there were some climbs before the descent down to the valley. I bumped into another west coast runner from the US, and it was great to run with him down to Arnouvaz. It helped snap me out of the remnants of my sleepy state, and he was faster than me on the flats / downhills and pulled me back into a bit faster (but maintainable) pace.

I felt really good at Arnouvaz, 60+ miles into the adventure. I got here in 15 hours 30 minutes, 5 minutes up from my 30 hour splits. I knew the next climb would be brutal so ate and drank as much as I could down here. We started up the steep 2,500 foot climb to Grand Col Ferret at 8,500 feet. Along the way I bumped into lots of people hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc (similar route to UTMB, typically hiked in around 10 days). Lots of them were from the US and got excited when they saw the American flag on my bib / pack. I even ran into a couple from Alexandria, one town over from us! It was a great boost on a tough part of the course. I kept passing people, but the last part of the climb was a real grind for me. The trail was too steep, the climb was too long, and the air was too thin!

We rounded a bend, and I was VERY pleased to see the safety checkpoint at the top of the Col. Two years ago was in the middle of a storm with snow falling. I was freezing and had no choice but to get down the mountain to warm up. This time I arrived to crystal clear, 360 degree views of Switzerland and Italy. I was 15 minutes up on my splits now, so I sat down for a nice snack while enjoying the view. It was a minute well spent, and I started heading down to Switzerland and La Fouly.

65 miles and 21,000+ feet of vertical was starting to take a toll on the legs. It took at least half a mile to get some turnover going, but I started making OK time down the 5,000+ foot descent, enjoying the epic views along the way. It was starting to get really hot as we approached noon and got to lower altitudes. Heat would be a problem for lots of runners, but I was feeling good enough and handling it fine so far. Thank you, Washington DC heat and humidity!

Grand Col Ferret breaks many a runner at UTMB, and last time I was broken going into La Fouly and had to stop for almost 30 minutes to nap and reset. Not this time. I sped up as we went down and was doing 9 minute miles into town. There were lots of people out cheering – several said I looked great, and I responded “I feel great!” I charged into La Fouly 20 minutes up on splits. Hell yes – game on. I grabbed soup, Coke, bread, and some watermelon that tasted just glorious. Now that I was back in cell service, I texted Jen that I was on the way to Champex-Lac and coming in hot.

The route to Champex-Lac would be longer and hillier than last time. Lots of it was very exposed, and it was REALLY hot at this point in the heat of the day at low altitude with the sun beating down. I started off well and passed a few more runners. As we came into Praz de Fort things started to get tough, and we had over 1,500 feet of steep climbing in the heat to Champex. But I stayed strong and kept pushing. I knew Jen would be there and would get me sorted out. I passed another 12 runners on this section and got to the aid station tired, hot, hungry, and thirsty. I looked around for Jen but was surprised I didn’t see her right away. There weren’t many runners in each aid station at this point, so usually Jen would be there cheering me in. They let crew into the aid station 15 minutes before the projected split, and it turns out I crushed this section and they let her in just a minute before I arrived!

I was so happy to see her after 20 hours of racing! There was also lots to be done. I needed to charge my watch, get more sunscreen on, restock my S-caps (finally), and reapply Body Glide. I also went to town on the amazing treats Jen brought. I had a San Pellegrino, a bottle of Ginger Ale, an entire avocado, grapes, chips, soup, and Coke. Boom, that’s how it’s done. I told Jen I’d be at Trient between 5pm and 5:30pm and that she better let those fools know to let her in before I got there! I charged out of the aid station but was quickly stopped for another gear check. I was in “go fast” mode and didn’t want to take my pack off to dig out various items. We made a deal, and I could just show him where the things were in my pack. I think he knew I meant business! Then I was off along the lake on my way to Trient.

Bonjourno! Paradise in the Italian Alps as the sun comes up.

Monte Bianco. Staring at the summit kept me from falling asleep on the trail!

Glaciers on the way up to Grand Col Ferret

Looking across the Val de Ferret from the Col

360 view from the the top of Col Ferret in stark contrast to the winter storms here 2 years ago

Champex-Lac (126 km) to Chamonix (171km) – Thunderstruck: ACDC

They say that the race really starts at Champex-Lac. Despite being almost 80 miles in, I felt good and had some running legs left. I’d moved up from 145th at Courmayeur to 114th. All that said, I knew what was in front of me and how brutal those last 3 climbs and descents would be. There was plenty of time for things to break down, and I really didn’t know how long my body would hold up.

We ran through the town along the lake and then had a downhill section before the big climb. Last time I struggled to run much of this, but I motored along and clicked off a good pace. I chugged up the less intense part of the climb, and then we hit the big, steep slog. I was hurting a bit here and had to force down some calories and fluids. The 10.5 miles between Champex-Lac and Trient can feel like a long way, and you have about 8 miles and 2+ hours before getting to the fluid only aid station at La Giete. It was super hot out and a real grind. We climbed the last section above treeline and finally topped out and started down. It was hard to will my legs to move again, and I tried to cling to a guy I caught on the climb as we started descending.

We hit La Giete, and I took a minute to sit down and chug some Coke and water, letting two guys I recently passed go on ahead. Then as I went down I started feeling good – I mean really good. I had legs left and could run. I started passing people on the descent. This blew my mind! Two years ago I’d pass people on the uphill, but I’d get blown away on these last 3 downhills. We came through Col de la Forclaz, about a mile and 1,000 vertical feet from Trient. I felt like money. We popped out of the steep trail, and I flew into Trient with crowds cheering.

I powered into the aid station at 4:50pm after a mind-boggling split from Champex-Lac and now 40 minutes up on my sub-30 splits. Jen was a complete crew boss here. She later reported that she gave the folks there a “stern talking to” so she could get into the aid station on time. Everything was laid out for me and ready to go. Again I ate and drank a ton knowing it was a monster climb to come. I headed out with hopes for a 2 hour 15 minute split to Vallorcine. On the way out of town I checked the LiveTrail app and saw I was in 84th place. Holy shit. I was now top 100 at UTMB with 2 climbs to go.

I felt good on the climb and passed several more people. The views here were killer with some amazing light on the glaciers, and I actually felt good enough to enjoy it. It was still really hot though, and as we got towards the top I had almost drained both of my bottles. There was a checkpoint at the top but no aid, so I had to do my best with the little water I had left. We climbed a bit more then traversed a beautiful section above treeline with views of Emosson Lake and the Aiguilles Rouge.

The going was getting tough, but this was what I trained for. This is what I came here for. Time to drain the tank and give it everything. I willed my legs to run again and started down the steep but beautiful trail to Vallorcine. I passed two more runners going down and continued increasing the pace. I had no running legs from here out last time, but I was running my heart out this year.

We popped out on the dirt road section, and I was pushing 10 minute miles. I had an internal soundtrack that alternated between Last of the Mohicans (stuck in my head since hearing it played for the PTL winners) and Conquest of Paradise (song they play at the start of UTMB). I had planned to use headphones at some point to distract myself, stay awake, etc. But I’d decided not to – I wanted to soak it all in and stay present.

We turned into the forest for the last steep section down to Vallorcine. I cruised into town and flew up the path along the river with crowds cheering along the way. I turned into the aid station at 6:50pm, a 1:53 split from leaving Trient. I was flying and giving it everything I had. I ran this section on fresh legs during a training run, and was running the same pace today with 90+ miles on my legs. I’ve never closed a 100 mile race this hard.

I arrived in 75th place, and Jen was there ready to go. While this was the last aid station, it would be about 4 hours with minimal aid to the finish, so I needed to make sure I was ready. I had more avocado, San Pellegrino, ginger ale, chips, soup, etc. I made a quick pit stop here for the first time since Lac Combal. Jen recharged my watch, and we checked my headlamp battery. Jen had been asking at each stop since Champex if I wanted to change my clothes. Each time I said no – I didn’t want to lose any time and figured it was so hot that clean clothes would get not clean very quickly anyway!

It was 7pm and time to get going. I gave Jen a kiss and told her I was going to push to break 29 hours. She said I could do it. Before I left one of the guys in the elite field clasped hands and told me good luck – I told him to go get it. I started up the gradual climb to Col des Montets and was running well. It was an amazing feeling to be running this climb at mile 98 still in broad daylight. My stomach started shouting at me, so I slowed slightly to an alternating jog and fast hike. I came up to Col des Montets and looked up at the sheer vertical face of the Tête aux Vents climb. It was the last climb and was an absolute monster. There was a big crowd at Montets, and I stopped quickly to take a picture. They seemed puzzled, so I said that if you get to this point in daylight you have to take a picture! They laughed, and I crossed the road to start the climb.

Tête aux Vents is tough to describe so I won’t even try other than to say that many have called it “mean”. I pushed my way up and made steady progress over the steep, boulder-strewn “trail”. I was finally at the point where I didn’t want to eat anything else. I had Coke with me but knew that wouldn’t be enough. It was still a long way to the finish. I forced myself to eat a gel, which went down better than expected. We crested the top of the steepest part and were now above treeline on the Grand Balcon Sud. It was still light out, which blew my mind. As the sun was setting, the surrounding peaks and glaciers were lit up with orange and pink hues. I stopped to take a few pictures, wanting to capture the moment.

We had more climbing to go, and the trail stayed really technical. I nibbled away at a peanut butter Nutella wrap to keep up enough energy to finish. I finally had to turn on my headlamp, and shortly after we arrived at Tête aux Vents. I got here at 8:45pm, 26 hours 45 minutes into the race. We had another difficult 2.2 miles to Flégère and then the last downhill.

It was here that it hit me. I was going to finish UTMB under 29 hours well into the top 100, accomplishing all of my dreams. While I was tired, I was in a good enough state that I could fully enjoy and appreciate this. I didn’t need to sprint to the end – I could enjoy and savor my last few hours. The trail to Flégère was difficult – rocky and technical with lots of ups and downs. We could see the lights of Chamonix below, and I was really excited to get to Flégère and start my way down.

I got there a bit before 9:30pm. I topped off my water and quickly headed down the 2,500 foot descent to the finish, expecting 1h to 1h10min to the finish (I did 1h17min last time). We went down the steep dirt road section, and I willed myself to run a good pace despite the pain. I eased off the throttle slightly when we hit the technical single track trail. The only thing that could stop me at this point was a fall, so I had to make sure that didn’t happen!

This part seemed to go on for a long time, and I was ready to be done. Finally we hit La Floria, which I figured was 2-2.5 miles from the finish and the end of tricky sections of the descent. I opened up my stride as the lights of Chamonix got closer and closer. We came off the trail and hit the streets for the 1 mile victory lap. It was 10:15pm, and I was going to finish under 28.5 hours. Emotions hit me hard. I couldn’t fathom what I was about to do. I’d trained so hard for this and left nothing out on the course. It was all going to pay off.

I went up and down the three flights of stairs for the bridge across the main road, nearly tripping on the way down (keep it together, Will!). I came to the river with crowds lining the course. People were high fiving me and cheering me along. There were lots of Americans who’d be cheering “Allez, allez” and then they’d realize I was from the US. “You’re from the US! You’re crushing it! Go get it!” I got to the center of town and was so happy to see Jen. We rounded the last bend and came up the final finishing chute. It was high fives everywhere, people banging on the banners, pumping arms in the air, and then coasting across that finish line. I turned around, waved to the crowd, and walked to Jen for a big hug and a kiss. I had done it – 28 hours and 23 minutes. 72nd place out of 2,500+ starters.

This was a magical race. The second half in particular was the likes of which I’ve never experienced before, especially Champex-Lac to the finish. Not a single person passed me in the last 30 miles, and I have never charged so hard to the finish. There is nothing more I could ask for.

A massive thank you to Jen. She was an amazing one-woman crew army, and she has UTMB dialed in. She was there for me with everything I needed ready to go. It was always a big boost knowing I’d see her down the trail, and she was so supportive and positive throughout the race. Jen was also my videographer / photographer and somehow in between it all managed a glass of wine by Champex-Lac and a hike at Trient! True pro. Sharing the race with Jen makes it mean so much more, and I’m so grateful to her for making the trip twice now.

I don’t know exactly what the future has in store, but I can tell you that I will be back for a UTMB race of some distance (there’s also a 100km, a 56km, and a 145km) at some point in the future. It’s gotten in my blood and in this crazy sport there is nothing like it. Until next time!

Killer view of the Trient glacier on the way up the penultimate climb

Amazing crew boss Jen brought some card the boys wrote to encourage me when the going got tough. They’re the best!

Sun starting to set on the climb up to Tete aux Vents

Looking back to Vallorcine as I pushed up the steep, rocky, exposed climb

So happy. A little emotional. Ok, maybe more than a little.

That is a very happy kiss. Thank you Jen for everything. And sorry I’m so sweaty.