The practical stuff I wish I'd fully understood first

This was my longest multi-day hike, and the logistics took almost as much planning as the walking. Here's what mattered.

Self-guided, with a package. We booked a self-guided trip through a tour operator (Grand Angle). That means you walk on your own, at your own pace, but they handle the hotels, the route notes, and the luggage transfers. Your big bag gets moved to the next hotel while you carry only a daypack. Booking references and the operator are in the Practical Appendix.

When to go, and the snow. We walked in late June. Beautiful, but early in the season, which means snow still sitting on the high passes. We crossed slushy snowfields on several cols, and one alternate route (the Fenêtre d'Arpette) was still blocked, so we took the Col de Bovine instead. Poles were essential.

The passes are the work. Most days are built the same way: a long climb to a high col, then a long descent to the valley. The descents are where my knees spoke up (I've had knee surgery), so poles and a brace earned their place.

Pack light, and know the weight limit. The luggage transfer had a strict limit: one soft-sided bag per person, 15 kg max, at hotel reception by 8:00 a.m.

Water. Fill up before every climb. The high refuges are your last reliable sources.

Food. I eat pescatarian and never struggled. Village boulangeries make the day's packed lunch. Refuges serve hot food.

Money and transfers. Euros in France and Italy, Swiss francs in Switzerland, keep some CHF cash for buses.

Gear that mattered: trekking poles, a knee brace, well-broken-in waterproof boots, a sun hat and sun hoody, electrolyte mix, a rain jacket staged and ready.