[Notes : Arrival : Ref des Bans : Lac d'Eychauda / Pic du Rif : Rest : Ref Gl Blanc; Montagne des Agneaux] Today's GPS trace
Up in no great hurry and trundle off. Here's the quiet dortoir after everyone else has left. The Pelvoux is still glorious; we'll get there one day, Miranda must have her dream!
In the light of day the route of yesterday is clear to start: just along (actually a bit behind and below) that moraine line, into the snow, and up around the corner.
The route up to the Ecrins is definitely over glacier even if you take the "easy" way, and so gets a go-back-home-children warning sign. We do take the easy route, because why not; and anyway, we're going to the Col du Gl Blanc. Although all it is, is a path over moraine / rubble / rock as an alternative to the glacier's crevasse zone; though that doesn't look so bad this year. We'll probably do the glacier in descent.
We're high enough to see into the main Gl Blanc basin, Barre at the end, and if you know where to look the Ref des Ecrins on the R. The view back down from that point is gorgeous too. In fact it is all gorgeous: why don't I live there?
Once we're tolerably sure we're below the right point for the Col, we go a little off the path, leave our sacs in a place hopefully obvious from above, and head up. It is F, so no axes or crampons. Looking at the GPS trace will probably make it clear. we make it to the Col easily enough, with views over the far side to the lacs d'Arsine. Which looks a bit of a wasteland, but the valley just beyond is pleasant and green, and has the GR54 in it; we'll camp there in a week or so.
from the Col to the Pic du Gl d'Arsine is an easy scramble that we all enjoy. And have a nice rest on the summit (3364) though it's going a bit grey.
Behind: L of E, Agneaux. somewhat R of D, Pic du Rif and stuff. Summit selfie. And looking back to the Col (3275) with the Neige Cordier behind it.
Getting down is fairly easy, but E in particular wished we'd brought crampons, or axes, or preferably both. We even manage to find the rucksacs, that we thought we'd left so clearly visible. See if you can see D's big dark blue one.
And so on up the the familiar Ref des Ecrins, and I'll spare you the last 20 mins of grind up the path off the glacier, always such fun to look forward to. Though D and I took a recce up the glacier a little ways to look at Pointe Louise and the descent for tomorrow (due to seracfall or whatevs, the Barre is currently deconseilee, so we've settled on Pointe Louise for tomorrow, which will ease D's unlove of early mornings).
View of the inside of the Ecrins.
The Guardian offers us 4 am for Pt Louise but I cunningly counter-propose 6, and we settle on 7:30, which should give us time, if the Wx looks OK, which is currently iffy. Sort through kit: have I stripped the gear down too much?
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