Switzerland and the adjacent portions of Italy, Savoy and the Tyrol, Route 53 page 222
One Day. Those who can devote one day only to Chamouny, should ascend the Montanvert in the morning (2 1/2 hrs.), cross the Mer de Glace to the (l 1/4hr.) Chapead, descend to (1 hr.) Les Praz, ascend the Flegere (2 1/2 hrs.), and descend thence in 1 3/4 hr. -- Early in the morning the path to the Montanvert is in the shade, in the afternoon that to the Flegere at least partly so, and by this arrangement the traveller reaches the Flegere at the time most favourable for observing Mont Blanc. For this excursion a guide (to be found on the Montanvert) is necessary across the Mer de Glace only. Those who ride must send their mules round from Montanvert to Les Tines or the Chapeau to meet them. The excursion to the Flegere alone occupies about 5 hrs., and that to the Montanvert or the Chapeau about the same time. It is however, needless to say that one day cannot suffice for the proper appreciation and enjoyment of these excursions especially as they will somewhat severely tax the traveller's strength.
The Montanvert. or Montenvers (6303'; ascent 2 1/2 descent 1 1/2 hr) an eminence opposite the Flegere on the E. side of the valley, is visited for the sake of view it affords of the immense sea of ice which fills the highest gorges of the chain of Mont Blanc in three branches (the Glacier du Giant or du Tacul, Glacier de Leschuux, and Glacier de Tallfre), and, at length uniting in the form of a huge stream of ice about 12 M. long and 1-4 M. wide, descends into the valley of Chamouny. The upper part of this stream is called the Mer de Glace the lower the Glacier des Bois. From the Montanvert the motionless billows of the Mer de Glace are visible for a distance of 6 M., but the huge pinnacles of the Glacier deBois arc concealed from view.
From Montanvert the traveller may cross the Mer de Glace to the (l 1/4 hr.) Chapeau, which lies opposite; but the expedition has lost much of its interest owing to the retrocession of the glacier and the melting of the ice, and it is preferable to return from the Montanvert direct to Chamouny. The descent over the lateral moraine to the glacier, formerly easily accomplished in 10 min., now takes double that time. The passage of the glacier (1/2 hr, guide 2fr, to the Chapeau 4fr.), is annually rendered easy and safe by means of steps hewn in the ice. The services of a guide are, however, desirable, as the route varies with the direction of the crevasses, which are always changing their form. The Mauvais Pas, where for a short distance steps are hewn in the rock on the N.E. side of the glacier, near the Chapeau, was formerly a giddy and hazardous point, but iron rods attached to the rocks now afford security. Guides for the passage of the Mer de Glace are always to be found at Montanvert, but not always at the Chapeau. Travellers intending to cross it from the Chapeau should therefore bring a guide from Lavancher.