Another year another summer holiday; how predictable I am. Rough outline of this one: drive down to the Ecrins with MED; three weeks of walking, climbing, mountaineering, relaxing; drive back up to Laon; MED go home and I have a week and a half to go via Paris to attempt Mont Blanc; then to Argeles; then a bit of Canal du Midi; then home.
All Flickr Pix. Note: the various GPS tracks usually have pix attached.
THIS IS MOSTLY JUST THE TEXT RIGHT NOW; PIX NEED FOLDING IN...
Tues 30 July [Pix]
Up 4:15 off 5:01 tearfully bidding baby Marbles goodbye. Clear morn sun rises around 6. Odd Google Maps warnings about roads closed but they aren't. There around 7 p’ports fine quick Flexiplus lounge and get on 7:48 in good time.
To St Quentin for cafe and then a look round the basilica which remains sublime despite the outside works.
After that, drive. We stop at aires for drink / loo / changeover but realise we're better eating at BdO; drive is long but goes well; M has forced 3rd Policeman on us but its surreality works well; you can skip sections in sleep and it doesn't much matter. Arrive a little before 9 rooms are 2-room suite fine; their resto is complet so to town and stop at first, Muzelle. Good. Night descends.
M’s knee: she is walking slowly and with stick but getting better.
Wed 31st July [Pix]
Up 8 woken by traffic but slept long. B’fast joined by E then M then D. Sun comes over hill and it gets bright. E does pdf work for her Edinburgh flatshare, M and I saunter round town (river) and D more vigorously then swift pack and off 10:15.
Slowly up to Chambon for views over lac and barrage then to la Grave, la Meijette. Views up to glaciers. Have good lunch and leave at 2; on to col du Lautaret and cafe there; M and I sit while D and E go for little walk. Then M walk. Off 3, round Briancon, to Vallouise just after 4, pick up key, to les Claux and house (appt) is just off just before the chapel with the old refuge signs. Settle in. Soir: DE walk down, M and I drive down to Vallouise, dinner at les Vallois.
Thurs 1st August [Pix]
Sleep a little disturbed by new place and few noises but it is quiet. Up 7 b’fast to V for marche, I sit with cafe. Then drop tomatoes etc at house and up to Ailefroide by 9, to the Etoiles sector (map pic; Etoiles is E4 I think. Pix are from guide book that gets left outside the guides office). GPS track. It is sunny by now and getting hot. Do the 4b then D and I top-rope the 5c which he finds hard and I find barely doable: v thin smears (nb other book gives it 6a). Pic: looking down from Etoiles towards Ailefroide (left) and campsite (right).
Note: M has injured L knee (back home, climbing, on the Sunday) and is not climbing yet or walking far.
To Engilberge for light slow lunch in delightful shade and soak of head in water tub. Then back home to sit out pm. Play go! 9x9. Against D, then commentate D vs E. Fun.
5: head up to A again for secteur Buissonniere by beehives [GPS], which is a little shorter and more varieties of grades. And also turns out to be softer: or perhaps Etoiles is a bit mad. Also faces E so now in shade. E leads 3b happily then D leads 5c fine but not trivially; I manage to follow with effort. And E top-ropes a 5b. That all seems a bit more cheerful.
Home for dinner and lots of talk about plans for tomorrow.
Fri 2nd [Pix]
Slow morning. Down to V again. They're still repairing the river from the floods.
MEI do little valley walk to river (GPS; giant ants!); D goes further; meet up at 12 ish and home for lunch and quiet pm, more Go.
4ish: walk up to les Claux via ferrata (GPS). There is initiation and sportif. We do both and they are excellent fun but by no means easy even the nominally-suitable-for-kids init.
Spot D's head. Heroic selfie of the three of us. Just D and E (note blood).
Sat 3rd [Pix]
Leisurely b’fast then down to V: DEI walk (GPS), in about an hour, following the “forbidden” path: signs of erosion and pipe replacement and diggers. Mostly shaded and nice, once past the ski station. M drives down; cafe where I sit while they browse the fair, buy food. Home for lunch. Go graduates to 13x13.
4: up to A for Buissonniere again (GPS), aiming for lower tier but full - it is Sat we realise - so upper first, E pleased to lead easy 4b, then I struggle up the lower 5a on the left; it gets v thin at the top and I need to trust the little irregularities. With rope in place D top-ropes the 5b.
Get pizza, I share M’s and eat at home; pack for tomorrow.
Sun 4th [Pix]
Another sunny day. Plan is to walk in to Sele early-ish and after drive up and supermarche then little road we manage to leave at 9:10, having said goodbye to M. Shade of trees for about an hour then somewhat warmer. Around Pelvoux junction the path diverts up a bit (quite a bit; to the extent that I got a bit worried we’d missed the turn-off for Sele, but no, keep faith) before traversing; there's two new-cut ravines to cross, then we're at the plain of boulders where M and I slept all those years ago. We’re not fast and beginning to feel a bit tired; up the bande rocheuse, around, one last slog up the slope and we're there: 3:10 just inside the sign’s 3:15. GPS. Pic: DE in one of the wildly exciting "new ravines" that have been eroded across the path, and which hasn't quite been fully re-made yet.
Wash in outside trough. Rest, have cafe / black tea / jus de pommes, then I go up and sleep a couple of hours in our dortoir. Pic: upvalley.
Cards: Polish poker works with 3; we’re about even. E pushes us to sort out kit for tomorrow after dinner. We’ve realised that col (3h) + pic (3h) may be a bit much so are adjusting our expectations to not summit. Guidebook pic.
They have a Chaton! Or possibly something between chaton and chat. It is cute, but won’t come to my pss-pssing. Here's the hut (actually taken tomorrow); or a close-up.
Dinner 6:30 is good: tomme, soup, rice+lentils+veg, gateau aux framboises. Charge phone with E’s power pack - the hut charger ne marche pas we find. And soon after to bed.
Mon 5th [Pix]
No reveille! E wakes us at 3:02 (I had alarm set for 3:10) after rustlings by others. B’fast thin: drink bread cereal. Poke head outside; it is fairly warm standing there in shorts, or at least not chilly. There are I think two other parties at b’fast; one pair sets out about 3:30, the other later but for Ailfroide Orientale. As we stand outside we can see the first pair ahead in the valley some way off; we see them again on and off but rarely; they’re moving faster than us. And so, off. [GPS]. We find and follow cairns, and may even have found a decent path; on the way back, sighted, it turns out that there has been erosion and a number of new gullies; but at the time it feels like we’re a bit lost.
After an hour we get to the start of the glacier; this is about on plan. Crampon and rope up, head up. Some light is beginning to tint the east, and about when we need to decide when to start sweeping L the dim forms are visible, so we can see the large rock lump to go R and above, and then sweep L up the only snow ramp, with just a few steps on scree where it has melted back. Then we’re onto the upper glacier with headtorches off, and the world slowly comes into light. The views are great; but out across the valley, and in our cirque. It is however becoming clear we’re a bit on the slow side; and although the col is now in view; and now touched by dawn; we’re a bit optimistic about how long it will take to reach it; eventually in 3:10 instead of the book 3. This is kinda fine though. There were a few easily avoidable non-scary crevasses on the upper glacier.
On the ridge we have views across to les Bans and the Pilatte cirque. We’re all a bit tired, esp E, and she (with my raincoat and D’s spare jumper to keep her warm if necessary, but its a sunny still day so she doesn’t need either) will wait there while D and I try out the ridge for, let us say, and hour out and then back.
And so off, moving together comfortably. We double the rope (we’re on my until-today-unused Edelrid 40 m 6 mm green rope) and take a few coils giving us ~10 m; we have 6-7 slings between us and a few wires; and we lead through. The rock is mostly good, some loose; the overall angle is not steep (we don’t get to the steep bit) but there are gendarmes and swapping from side to side so there is plenty of steep climbing, on large holds, big boots are fine. D on a typical section. We stop at our hour, having got to a subsidiary “summit”, with the main steepening to come. Here's D at our high point, 100 m off the summit. A bit of a shame to turn back at this point, but we did promise E.
At about this point we can see the two bods who were ahead descending the glacier from the col de la Condamine, and then somewhat later ascending the col du Sele from the Pilatte side, which is the “official” descent route, presumably easier than reversing the entire ridge. In fact it looks OK, with just the last ~100 m of col du Sele as chossy rock, but there’s a path. And so we reverse our hours worth - its about as hard as going up - and find E has been watching us, and hearing us, and has rather enjoyed her two hours rest. Not really in time sequence, this pic is from when D and I set off, but the tradiational lovely endless-mountains-fading-into-blue show looking back down the valley.
Another pano, from about our high point. Les Bans dominates; Boeufs Rouges to the L, Sele col and glacier to the R.
Have a nice rest ourselves and some chocolate; then re-rope for descent (and I take off my w’proof trous so now in shorts) and head down. We comfortably cover the glacier in one hour which took two+ in ascent, such is the way, enjoying the views.
Then onto the valley floor, which hasn’t really settled down after recent glacier retreat and storm erosion, so the path isn’t great as previously alluded to; E and I leave D behind as he de-gears slowly; and we wend our ways back to the hut, whew. But first a group selfie from higher up.
Rest inside. We’re back about 1; we’ve agreed to meet M ~5 at V; we could do this because we had signal at the col, but there’s none at the hut; we reckon maybe 2:30 in descent so leave 2:30 after a comfortable break and drinks and we do remember to pay our bill, though they seem to have carelessly forgotten to ask us to after dinner last night.
Descent [GPS] is fine; E said when we met up to E that it was long and boring but I enjoyed it; the valley is scenic.
As we descend towards the end D goes on ahead; E and I realise we haven’t specified with M exactly where to meet; when we get to car-park M isn’t there, and nor is D, so we assume has has walked on into A, and we reluctantly do so too, but actually its only a km and easy compared to paths. As we get there M is just parking, but no sign of D; puzzling. Sit in Engilberge and after a moment I think I should drive back and look for D, and lo! He is there, having somehow got a little lost (there was a diversion near the end) and was sitting waiting for us! Drinks and icecream at Engilberge as we cool down. Hope to dine in Le p’tit Dalle but its crowded; end up booking the-place-with-the-cute-sign in le Sarret, which we walk to from home after showers. And so to bed a little early, quite tired.
Tues 6th [Pix]
Wx: still near-cloudless esp early; and hot pm. Today is the day of change. We need to leave at 9, officially, and while I doubt that anyone cares whether we leave by 10 or not, no-one else believes this. But its fine, I get up at 7:30 as I wanted to anyway, and we pack up and clean the kitchen and are done by 9:10; we don’t in the end “passe l’aspirateur” as we don’t think we’ve made any mess. Here's a view of "our" appt; we're on the first floor up those stairs, where the towel is. E on balcon; D by car.
Return key to agency in V, then to Les Vallois for mid-morning drinks, after wandering around to find another cafe but nothing else seems open that early. We then do go over to Alphand for another round of drink, cards, and just reading. I think we’re all finding it rather pleasant to have time to relax. And we have an extended discussion of “truth”, partly triggered by my brilliant notion of “‘X is true’ is a shorthand for all the ways you know that X is indeed true”. Segue into lightish lunch there too, and more cards, and then its nearly 3 so we can wander over to pick up our rooms at Les Vallois. DE luck out with a balcony; we look N ish towards the church. After a bit I have a quick dip in the pool; we have a pre-dinner walk by the river; and then dinner, pleasantly, at lesV.
Weds 7th [Pix]
Rain at 6:30 is a pleasant surprise. I linger over b’fast despite flies and manage to pour three coffees down myself. MED walk up to Puy St Vincent; M wants the exercise up, but not down, so I drive up. It is apparently a nice walk, shaded. PSV again (like last time when I went up in a spare day when DEI came) somewhat disappoints: it is nice enough but rather quiet; and we struggle to find a good cafe. Nonetheless DE look at the old-church-on-prominence and we also look at the “village center” and the church there.
Light lunch of crepes at lesV, then - inspired by seeing someone running down the street - first D, pre-afternoon-rain, and then I - post - go for a run; I do 6 km, up to Pont des Places, mostly shade. I should run more.
And then up to A for more climbing, Etoiles, LH edge 5c Soleil, and then top-roped the adjacent Sarkostar probably a little harder. GPS.
Down to dinner in L’Ecrin de Suzette which is rather nice; somewhat more refined than our usual fare. M's Oreilles d'Ane.
Thurs 8th [Pix]
B’fast, over which we look at the books, or rather mostly D does, and we agree to try secteur 18 ish; then up to A. Park in the “meadow” over the bridge and up a bit, then come down, past Ailechaude, and further down than you might think before finding the turnoff (see GPS). We end up in Secteur 17: Chlorophyll which wasn’t quite where we were aiming but will do well enough; it has 4b and 5c. M, still knee’d, stays lower on the path (the approach is up some scree-y bouldery stuff, with some cairns). I lead off on the “4c” slightly L of center but it isn’t too precise and probably I’ve strayed on the “5c” partly, it is hard to be sure. I climbed on two but the rope just reaches to top-rope as single; with that, E repeats the 4c, D does 5c just L and R, and I do those two, then E does a “5c”. By then its noon, and the sun has come onto the rock, and so its lunch time. There are various pix of D and E climbing, but they aren't too dramatic, so here's the secteur:
Down to Le P’tit Dalle and have galettes, a little cider, and some crepes and a tarte aux framboises for dessert (or “pudding” as the waitress, amused, hears us).
The chalet-hotel d'Ailefroide is closed, and now I see it is because of "degat des eau"; it does look a bit trashed inside.
Discuss and re-affirm plans for tonight / tomorrow: DEI will go up via Pre to plateau near Ref Tuckett, camp out there - both D and E are keen to camp and I think I’ll enjoy it too, and we did bring the kit - and do the Pointe des Cineastes tomorrow - it is probably about time we / I did this, everyone else does. Here we are, setting off (also the pic that proves I did lock the car).
Fri 9th [Pix]
Up 7, b’fast coffee / tea / cereal bar and a bit of bread and cheese. Admire the morning, and the Pelvoux refl in the lake, and the Ref on its crag above us (guarded by a marmotte). GPS.
Then pack tent and stuff up, and up to Ref (on the way seeing a weasel! So cute! It bounds down the path, looks at us, bounds off, looks, goes away, looks, and disappears), arriving about 8; thence shuffle kit and leave stuff in the boot room; this as more secure than leaving down by the lakes, and more convenient for the return. Take pix from their guide book because I think I forgot ours, oops: one and two.
About 8:40 I think head up; being able to see the path is very convenient. Les Cineastes isn’t at least initially desperately clear on the skyline, but we find the a turn-off and head up on path on the scree, and a plausible start. However we then find ourselves obliged to do a tricky climb up slightly overhanging ground. Looking, now, with the aid of Strava’s heat-maps I think we turned off the main path too late; but that was recoverable, but we then turned up towards the face too early at about 2870; we should have continued NNW till about 2970; that would have allowed us to come in over rather easier ledges, more in accord with the overall “scrambling” nature of the route. See this pic; our first chance was 1, the second 2. Thinking further in arrears, the route we did was fine, and even more interesting than the std, but it gave a somewhat worrying impression of the overall difficulty.
Anyway we get up, and onto the ridge - the pano above is from round about then -, and everything starts to make sense, with E guiding us over the various pinnacles of which we intend to do or pass six, and don’t worry about the seventh and last. So over pointe 2, then round the back of 3, and then there are nice ledges to take us around 4. 5 is barely there and the crux is a couple of pitches of climbing up the E side of 6. Fortunately we sorted out our ropes on the first bit of climbing - we had had me in front on both ends, then E in the middle and D last on the center. But that doesn’t work well: we’ve swapped to the in-retrospect-obvious me leading on the center, D and E on separate ends, and E with coils so she is between me and D. With this, when we need to pitch, she can easily belay me, and I can then do them both, up to 25 m.
The climbing goes OK and I think we even find the correct route, partly guided by a bit of writing, the odd bit of stuck in-situ, a few bits of debris like glass or old tins; and then at the crux, under the roof, were two pitons and some tat I was rather grateful for. The crux is a rather tricky pull around L of the roof (I really should have taken a pic, sorry), onto increasingly good handholds though the feet remain thin for a bit. E goes with weight on the rope; D of course breezes it. After that we need to get up W side of 6, and we’re there! Whew! 5:30 about, rather than the book’s 3-4, but we have various excuses: probably, the hard start cost us an hour, and likely being 3 rather than 2 another half hour?
Eat some more choc - we brought 400 g between us, and some cereal bars; we also had 3L of water which we finish, it being a hot day.
After that there’s tat at the top to abb off and we do, carefully putting in place our backup sling; that gets us down to the 6-7 col nicely; from there there is more tat down the E side heading towards the snow. And so it continues, getting less rocky and more crappy, but it is easier to abb down that walk down, which is presumably why the tat continues. But the tat does eventually run out so we have about 50 m to descend onto the snow. Still, ~6 abbs were excellent practice and we were starting to get really quite fast and confident by the end. Apologies for the lens flare I did struggle hard to avoid it.
Put on crampons - it is quite steep initially and I use my ice axe, cruelly not giving it to E, and head off while they're still fiddling. Once down ~50m carefully the rest is just nice walking for ~150m before we get onto the scree. View back up: the pinnacle in the centre is the 7th, that you don't have to do and we didn't; if you did you would avoid some of the chossy abseils and come down from the col at the R; D and E are visible on the snow if you look closely.
And so easily but wearily back to the path, and then the Ref Gl Blanc for a sit, a drink and awash, to regather our stuff, to contact M and say we’ll be late please buy stuff from supermarche. View on the way back, with the hut in the centre, glacier Blanc to the R, glacier Noir lower to the L, and the dark bulk of the quasi-nameless mountains leading to the Barre in the center.
We’re pleased with ourselves; it feels like a big day out. We’ve lost one of the big slings (the really-quite-old red-and-gold) but gained a nice new blue nut. And so, descend [GPS], with a brief pause for E to watch the Pelvoux; back to car a little after 8 and to lesV around 8:30. Showers all round then dinner for 4 on DE’s balcony at 9. Reference pic: Maison forestiere de Cezanne, which I think is effectively the winter-hut at the Pre.
Sat 10th [Pix]
Change over day. Realise that the house opposite our window has hives up on its top floor, and if you look closely you can see bees at the centrtal one. Packing up by 10 is no big challenge and we do after b’fast, all of us down by about 8, somewhat surprisingly after yesterday. Load car, sit in LesV a bit while E looks at shops. Up to Ailefroide since I think it will be cooler there under the trees and lo it is, outside Engilberge. They don’t want us on their lunch tables but a side table is fine.
Lunch at Ailechaude good: mediterranean / Israeli influences, nice “pita” bread. Then back to E off to one side; then I drone a bit experimentally, and discover that the trees present a hazard. I don’t really get close enough to the faces for good pix (here's an uninteresting one); and of course it is hard to identify things. But, a start. It turns out that the drone has a 500m ceiling, which is a bit annoying; it takes ~3 mins to get that high, climbing at ~3 m/s. Key: Engilberge is top half-right; bridge is middle half-right; road off R is to Pre, with Ailechause on the corner; to L is to Vallouise.
Then back down to V at 4 to pickup keys, but there is a queue, so we’re in Chalet Julie by ~5. It is as promised spacious and well-made, though if you ask me the actual structure is better done than the details of the fitting out. Soir: E having finished Sense+Sensibility, she and M watch the movie; D and I read. I even manage to adjust the AV delay for them to improve lip-sync. Put on bedsheets and discover that our sheets are too small. Really, we should have hired sheets.
Sun 11th [Pix]
Up 7 to boulangerie for croissants, pain-au-choc, pain-au-raisin, and a “tradition”. Coffee juice and stuff on the terrace in the cool. M, then D, then E join me. They intend to walk up to Puy Aillard, which I’d like to see too, not having ever done so; they leave ~9:20 - a little late, if you ask me, the sun came on us by ~9 and on the E-facing slope ~8:30 - and so I’ll get there around 10:30 (the route apparently says 1:40 but that seems absurdly long).
There’s not a lot at Puy Aillard, as it turns out, but it is a cute old village and there is a good cafe, les Rhodedendrons, where we sit for an hour or so in the lovely cool shade, playing cards and discussing Being You, or at least the bits that E has got to. And then, since it trips over noon, we may as well have lunch: omlettes, salad, and I have a very good truite meunier, with lovely crispy skin.
The rest of the day quiet: D walks down, we drive, establishing en route that there isn’t a cafe in le Villard. I water the geraniums and the lawn a bit; D goes for a run later; E does a body circuit; she and I go down to V to shop: we intend to go off to Valfroide tomorrow and “do” le Goleon the day after, camping out, taking M too (but not on the route). Copy some of the guidebook. And then some Go.
Mon 12th [Pix]
Head off a little after 9; it is 1:30 round to Valfroide, and the last little bit is exciting. Just before, and at the entrance to the hameau of Valfroide then Pramailler, there is parking, but looking rather full; but M’s instructions say go on so we do, on a clearly-drivable but dubious-looking single-track-around-steep-slope gravel/stone track, desperately hoping nothing is coming the other way. And, it isn’t. So after a k or more in first gear we find a parking (pic from parking back towards road in; closer, showing the villages), pick up our sacks, and walk. GPS.
It’s now 10:30 but still tolerable; we head up, mostly at M’s pace and thus quite relaxed for the rest of us; 2h to the hut. Along the way are cute story fragments; Il etait une fois une sourciere qui attrape la lune. Along the way, views back down the valley, and across to the Meije (L-ish) and Rateau (R-ish).
Sit inside, drinks / cards, and then rest and relax all afternoon. The hut is small and quite bare, but feels very friendly. They have a watercolour book which includes some routes.
Towards the end of the afternoon we wander off up-valley to bivouac. GPS. View back to hut, over the lake, Meije beyond. Lovely.
It would be possible to camp just by the hut, but we’d rather have privacy, and shave off a little approach time tomorrow. We go maybe 20 mins up, past the “plain of stones”, to just below the old refuge, argue a bit about where is best - the traditional “this bit is flatter” but “it is maybe a little marshy”, and set up. Stove for pasta then drinks; also bread and cheese and stuff; a good supper. Cards, read, bed.
In order to have space in the car I didn’t bring M’s sleeping bag, reasoning that with her knee she wasn’t likely camping, and that if she did, she could have my bag and I’d just cope. Cope means I get a carrymat (she gets my inflatable), I have my silk inner, put my feet in a binbag, and use the tarp as a blanket, and wear my down. This turns out to be enough, but distinctly on the chilly side for feet and legs. Really I should have put up the tarp properly, it would have kept the heavy dew off me and kept the silk dry. View upvalley before we camped. The "fin" in the center I don't know; one of the peaks a little R is the Aiguille d'Argentiere; Goleon is to the L, with a little snow on ledges below the summit.
Up not-too-early at 6; indeed I had a fairly poor night of it (once again I am reminded of my theory that the various heroes of adventure stories really would’t survive; OTOH there is Sherman’s march, so perhaps people just get hardy). So the lesson I’d draw from this is that it is worth a bit more weight - i.e. a sleeping bag - for the comfort.
Anyway, put on stove for tea/coffee, eat bread and cereal bars according to choice, put stuff into the bags we’re leaving, make M a tea and wish her farewell and off just before 7. GPS. There’s about an hour of fairly easy trail up valley, then it narrows, and becomes rougher, and we head slightly L, leaving “the fin” to our R; then we get onto a thin thread of snow that carries us up, over a couple of narrow sections of moraine, onto the main glacier: mostly snow but a little bare ice near the bottom. Then steepening but still easy snow and the ridge, after a last little scrabble up rock; ~3h. Pic: just before the last moraine section, looking up the glacier; Goleon the obvious peak to the L looking fairly friendly; the route goes up the middle to about the least scamble onto the rock (the optional go to the col, then do more ridge, would be up to the right).
De-crampon and, after looking around, de-rope: the ridge is easy (I don't have a good pic; here's a bad one). Head up; there is a party coming down. Perhaps 30 mins to the top, where we sit around for quite a while. Summit selfie, the same as the others. Scratched "1916" stone. Memorial. The day is clear, the views are great: S to the Meije and Rateau, NE to the Aiguilles d’Arves, NW to… not quite sure what that is; snowy but lower peaks, which I think I saw from Emparis last year. And more immediately NW, lower soft eroded hills, all empty. View back to the glacier; the sentier (just visible) goes across, then onto the snow patches and heads off R.
Another party has come up the S ridge. Here's a view down that way, all the way to the lake. It looks like its a shaley trudge and would probably be better with more snow cover; I think if anything I'd rather use it as descent; it presumably gets the sun earlier. Anyway...
They descend our route, and rather later do we. Here's D contemplating the void:
(I learned later that he was watching some birds).
And so down (high up there are some bivvy circles; on the glacier D found an old flare). The snow has softened a little and is good to descend; we make the tent location in about 2h; M has gone so we pick up and head to the hut, finding her just on the scarp before it. Sit around for a little inside and have drinks; then give M a half-hour lead and descend. GPS. It is plein soleil and unavoidably hot, but retains some coolness perhaps from the glacier, so is tolerable. Down takes ~40 mins, and we drive home, starting with the exciting single-track stony gravel.
Soir: to town for a meal, end up at LesV (Suzette has a cook problem, and the owner is limping) and E and I have the saussisses aux choux.
Weds 14th [Pix]
We’re all feeling pretty beat up; I get up at 7:30 with my alarm, and at about 8:30 D goes off to town to buy croissants. I have a bit of a headache and am quiet all morning. And indeed we have a nice quiet day whose most active feature is going down to town around 3:30 and sitting in Les Alphands for some rounds of Polish Poker then Up and Down the River, interspersed with looking at the poterie and E looking at some clothes. E actually buys some beakers and a bowl in their lovely blue; I get very close to deciding to buy some mugs.
Wx is heavy rain for ~half hour in the early morning, then mostly cloudy, all a rather pleasant change from the relentless sun.
Soir: decide to eat in; after playing E at Go, D cooks a tortilla - comes out nice and moist; we remember the “welcome” terrine, v earthy, and en ajoute. Meanwhile, I did a test-fly of the drone around Vallouise. Here's our local area, centered on us (you can see the dark blue car); or from lower down:
The neighbour keeps his lawn greener than ours. Discuss future: Pelvoux is pencilled in for Saturday, going up Friday, as Wx forecast remains cloudy / some rain.
Thurs 15th [Pix]
Morning: Petits Dalles [GPS]; and afternoon again [GPS]. A good area, though quite popular. Nice that the wx now has clouds so we don’t have to hide from the sun.
In between, extended lunch hour at Ailechaude, good again.
Decide to go up to Pelvoux tomorrow. The wx is not tip-top, but if we delay a day we’d be coming down on Sunday and that seems a bit rushed; and wx Sunday doesn’t really seem any better.
Dinner: lesV.
Fri 16th [Pix]
Head up to Ref Pelvoux “in the morning” so we have time to rest in the afternoon, but since there is cloud we don’t need to worry about being v early to escape the sun. Also comedy with D forgetting his coat and M having to drive back down for it means that we get in a coffee at Engilberge.
And so up, pleasantly enough for a steep path, the views are good and we reach the refuge (E and I do; D has steamed on ahead) in just under 3h. GPS. Which is better than our initial Sele time. Once there, sit inside for drinks and relax all pm. We notice that the wx is not 100% perfect, with a cloud ceiling somewhere between us and the Pelvoux. Oh well.
Sometime I go for an explore above the hut to find the route: round the back of the hut (where I find the old, now winter, hut; inside), the path dead-ends at a rock slope but you go up that, and above the path reappears happily; I go up for 20 mins and can see it continue in the distance across snow, which fits the desc, so fine. GPS.
Before dinner guardian gives us the meteo, in French, which still doesn’t seem tip-top, but we can hope. For dinner we have 3 and 1 others at our table; one an Italian living in Paris, and we talk in… English.
Fairly soon after dinner, bed.
Sat 17th [Pix]
Pelvoux attempt. Up 3, down for b’fast, we’re the only ones up so far. Not sure how the lights work so sit in salle illuminated by emergency torch pointed at ceiling. It is raining. When done, and ready to boot up, go look out of door and think “this doesn’t make sense”: there’s no point in walking for hours in darkness in the rain. So go back to bed until 4:30. At 4:30, the other party is up, but similarly vacillating; at any even, we go back to bed until 5:30 (this works better than it might since we’re the only people in our dortoir). At 5:30 it is still raining; this kinda wasn’t in my plan but is reality. We’re really not sure what would be for the best, but it is still dark and so go back to bed resolved to start at 6:30 whatever.
6:30: there is light, and it has stopped raining, hurrah. And there is some viz too, though cloudy. OK, head up. GPS. Get past my yesterday’s explore to the first snow patch easily enough; continue on to second where E and I crampon up; I think by this point the other two, who seem reasonably fit, have passed us. In de-cramponing at the top, where there is an awkward step back onto rock and a large gap under the snow/ice, E manages to drop her crampon bag down the gap; ah well. We'll see if we can get it out on the way down. And so up, on a pretty good path over rock/scree, to about 3200 where the Bosse de Sialouze lowers not much higher out of the cloud.
At this point M is rather tired and doesn't want to go on; but is happy to either wait here, or descend from here, as may be convenient. And that seems reasonable, its a little iffy but within my iffy zone, and D concurs, so fine. We do a bit of kit redistribution and D and I eat a bar or two, before girding up our loins and heading out. Wx is not-raining, but viz is distinctly poor.
In arrears, the Strava heatmap is extremely helpful, and I rather blame myself for not, at the time, using my phone GPS. As you can see, on the way up we were not too far adrift of the correct route - a little low, on the whole, but not bad; and indeed we passed a couple of "blue dots" (about 6" across, which when I mentioned it back at the hut the gruadian said "oui" and pointed to the example one on the door of the salle). But clearly when we decided to retreat I led us too low. This is the "Rochers Rouges" route; the other thing this shows is that the "Coolidge Couloir" is more popular; but this late on it was not in condition.
So we head out, uncertainly, finding the promised "ledges" but many of them. The cloud is ~100 m above us, and we're soon in it. I think we had very infrequent glimpses of the other party, but the cloud was mostly thick. The rock is also somewhat unsympathetic in that gear is not in good supply and had to be hunted for. D and I were on the 40 m rope, doubled, with a few turns taken; and with that we would sometimes struggle to find anything before having to move. Here's a pic from the return. We're admittedly probably a bit low and so of route at this point, but you see how it was.
Anyway, once its become obvious to use that we're not going to make it up, we decide to descend, and after mis-steps (the "loop" ending at the "T"-for-"tat" was one way down, but involved an abseil off some thin tat onto a snowfield an indeterminate depth below us, so we backed off that) we return to where we left E. At one point it looked like the cloud was going to turn into rain again and that would have been really quite unpleasant, but it didn't. E is, as expected, not there, so we descend. I stop to try to recover her crampon bag but it is quite a long way down and I decide that it is beyond the call of duty. And so down, over the snow (here's what I thought at the time would be a heroic picture of D, but in review its rather meh) and then back to the hut and E without incident.
Once there we meet the other two, who had got down well ahead of us (they hadn't got much higher than us, having disliked the scree / crap at the top of the Rochers) and being nice people were somewhat worried about where we might be. A quick chat with the guardian, who being a good hut warden is interested in our experience of the route.
Before heading down, a view of the interior.
The wx remains meh, but at least we can see the way down. GPS. We do in fact rather enjoy the shade.
Meet M at the Engilberge for a selfie. You can tell we've had a hard day, D's hair is rather bedraggled.
And so back home. Dinner at lesV.
Sun 18th [Almost incredibly, I took no pix this day]
Quiet day. Go down to V at 10 ish to sit in lesV, play some more cards, write a few postcards (at rather long last; just getting them in before the end), and browse the market.
Home for lunch, then pm reading, playing Go in various pairings, and pondering our route home.
Soir: out for pre-booked dinner at l’Ecrin de Suzette (the owner said something like the chef was ill, and he clearly has a gammy knee, so capacity is reduced). But the food was good, and on the elegant side, again. I had the La So Choux, i.e. sausisse au choux, not too different from the same at lesV, but better.
Mon 19 [Pix]
Last day at Chalet Julie. Quiet so far: 8:15 and only M and I up, and I’m writing up the last few days. Wx is back to sun, but with light cloud. In case I haven’t written the last few days clearly: from the start, we had clear skies, v nice but hot at noon. But for the last ~4 days there has been the odd thunderstorm, and some rain, v nice to cool the world down.
Pack; eat what's left; leave just before ten. A decent place. Spacious, well constructed, slightly let down by interior finishings if I’m picky. Oh and also slightly hard to keep cool: needed better sun shading. Note: next time pay for their sheets.
Up to Pelvoux for marche in case it has D’s saussison maigre but no; it's a much smaller marche than when at V. Down to V to drop keys and we’re off! After discussion we'll go “south around” because I / we never have. First stop Arg le B for cafe-cards all v nice. Then small roads slowly admiring to Roche de Rame then faster to Embrun. Which turns out to be nice. Good cathedral then lunch nearby.
A bit further to lac Serre Poncon which is huge and has ports and plages. Cross bridge, stop at aire and go dot. Little paddle and realise we ought to swim… so go on a bit and find Plage des Pommiers which is a bit public but we do get a cafe and shade to sit in. DEI swim rpund corner to quieter bit; M isn't dressed for it. Cafe, and E has a gauffre and D swims a bit more. Good. The little island with the church is nearby.
On, to Gap, arriving about 5. Find parking near cathedral and look at that - good though recent - but town does not impress so decide to push on to Vizille, having booked a hotel there.
Hills are lovely and we’re kinda contouring the edge of the park at about 1000 m most of the way until the final v steep desc into Vizille. Which is unprepossessing, perhaps Lundi eve isn't the best time to see it. Find some food and to hotel which is fine but odd. Old chateau de Cornage now le Repere is run on a bit of a shoestring but meh. Eat our food on terrasse overlooking pool. Then to rooms, except I go for lovely soft eve walk in woods to croix de la vue.
Tues 20th
Down to b'fast overlooking the pool and forest and distant town. Good; relaxing; nice honey but it's Pyrenean. And so drive down to town to chateau and its park which is lovely, verdant, stream-rich. We split up; I end up walking round with E; we see the deer and bees, and slightly pick up pace to get round in our hour; its about 2k long. Finish in formal gardens near chateau.
Mountains around Grenoble were lovely in the light.
Then on, stopping for lunch at Villefranche. Lovely church, slight struggle to find resto, nice one in sq is too busy to serve so to little fast food place which is fresh.
And on and on, into the "well we have to drive through this" phase, the eternal cornfields of France, arriving at Laon at 6:30. Park by cath, 5 mins to our appt, which turns out as odd as it seemed: a house, old, cut up eccentrically into 5 rooms. Fine. Monsieur lets us in with spiel and after 5 mins Jr arrives to do the admin. Now pouring / thunderstorm, and since everyone has extended into courtyards with sheeting roofs its noisy. Indian just next door! Good. My aub+ep was creamy rather than the English oily style but otherwise just like home.
Weds 21st
Up 7:30 preceded by rumbles on the cobbled streets. Sun! Get myself going and kiss M; to cath which appears shut so to car and repack. This isn't hard; sac is mostly done select clothes and... it fits, just. 8 am bells ring and other cath door open so quietly in. No one else. Stash pac and wander. Appears empty at first but no; glass and gravestones and side chapels. M appears. Admire outside briefly then cherche b'fast but hotel on sq not till 10:30. DE arrive, mill, M finds cafe I do food bag and we all converge at les Chenizelles. Which does cafe but their viennoiserie hasn't arrived today so M kindly to nearby patisserie.
Whew. I have train to catch so say our goodbyes and hugs and drink up and off. Down long staircase and gare at bottom. Look up to town on hill and cath. Gare, like Briancon, is vast and mostly empty.
Muse on passing of time; Laon is fading. Once, you could get b'fast at many small cafes at any time of morning.
Train pulls out into the flatlands. Some lovely bits between Soissons and Villers-Cotterets. Screaming infants and loud krauts mysteriously don't disturb me. G du N monumental. To Gare du Nord. One of the statues is Laon. Really these are modern caths. Allonge in Terminus Nord so I can appreciate it.
Then walk to Orsay.
Orsay: v good. Densest collection of quality I've seen. Esp vanG (like stained glass) and T-L (never realised he was so good). Now in cafe du pont neuf with v correctly waist coated but most disdainful and unshaven waiter ever.
To Musee d’Orsay which is, as MED told me, excellent. Never have I seen so dense a collection of quality. Endless pix taken. Kinda finish, and they close, at 5:30. So mooch slowly to Bercy via ND and several cafes. ND is coming along nicely and there's a viewing deck at front so you can see over barriers.
Bercy as sky goes pink 9:15 ish; repack bag; loo; and discover Cham is a mere step on the way to Milan. Off 10.
Thurs 22nd
Night journey is tolerable. I'm not sure I slept much but comfort improved after Dijon when some got off and I got two seats to self.
Arrive on time at 7, with some light and mountais from 6:30. Where… find centre and the Isabel and have b’fast: €16 but worth it: good buffet. Somehow Ch is not quite the shape I thought it was. Linger, but then time to go. Decide… to buy food and head up via les Houches.
1:30 walk, initially quite green - Vert Lodge and little hotel and ecole d’escalade and lakes. Then more road-y - I didn't try to find a path instead - but always views up to snow: Dome du Gouter?
LesH 10:30 la Chavane cafe croiss orange pressé.
Wx is sun, and I think I’m not in a hurry: I want to get up to TeteR by end of day. But I need to avoid the bloke that checks reservations.
Hang around Bellevue or rather la Chalette, sadly Bv itself is only open in the winter. Try several times to get drink but defeated by q and eventually realise I don't need one.
Discover Salle Hors Sac (its at the top of the telepherique) has two power points so charge phone and headtorch. Read more Burke but he's kinda ranting on the unjust usurpation of clergy property. Realise that I could do with more water... realise there's probably an empty bottle in the bin... there is!
Try to phone TeteR but need to top up giff gaff credit, and then TeteR doesn't answer. Oh well back to plan A: sneak. Decide that heading round via Plan de l'Are is subtlest, I will go up to NidA via the back way.
Off 3 rest in shade in Plat 3:30 I have time to kill. Nice place. Above - v straight above - can see crane at work and indeed signs said stuff about works up there. I did see Gouter hut at one point but not now; snow is aig du Bionassy I think.
Up the “difficult” path, which has a welcome stream. At end, sneak round NidA at 6:45, harder because of travaux. Not sure if this is necessary. Head up, always nervous anyone I meet might be the check chap. Though I'm assuming they don't work this late. And so up around sunset and for irony points bivvy in their little kiosk which has sympa wooden platform.
Fri 23rd
Overnight sleep / doze ok. A bit windy and a bit chilly but I'm fine inside sac. There is a headlight on the route up, oddly. Around minuit a vast white light briefly confuses me before I realise its the moon rising. A party comes past, brief torches, gone. Stars not so crisp, perhaps v thin haze.
Up 2 pack to Ref quiet. Water and bread and cheese. A bit confusing because upside down; boots and acs is upstairs. Leave 3. Follow tracks at first annoyingly in hard snow then rock then couloir. Slow party of 4 first across then I pass them. But I am feeling yesterday.
To RefG 5:45 slooww oh dear and I really feel it. Boots off then go upstairs a bit but salle not open so just sit on broad stairs. Note one tops out at old ref but then there's icky traverse to get to new: better to put crampons on and go over hard snow. Oddly quite a few parties coming down.
Just sit around 1h then salle opens 7 and sit there. Decide that I'll go on at 8 and see where I get to. First a bowl of coffee. While I've been dozing dawn has come.
11: to Vallot. Views on the way gorgeous. Wx sun and some wind but less than last time. But I'm empty. Time to stop rest and then desc. Ah well. In theory I have perhaps 5 hours in hand because descent will be quick and only ~400 m to do but it would be such a slog I can't bear the thought.
Add: kit used and thoughts.
Desc back to G is indeed quick; sit inside over coffee and doze for an hour before daring the GC desc. Manage not to forget skistick. Rocks in GC during desc but not when I cross.
Options are desc, to valley or bivvy in Plan, or… ask if they have a place? They do. Good. Sit and watch mountains all afternoon. Read AC By the pricking nice lightweight tosh. Move to dortoir Bonatti, great view big windows, people trying to sleep v early like 6 pm.
TR: it's ok. But it's €58 a night or €53 with card, and 19 for b’fast, which the traffic will bear - indeed they're constantly full - but they're a monopoly. Salle has lovely picture window s and terrasse has stupendous view of glacier and GC for pm rockfall. Lack of water for washing grates: I’ve been two nights without and a long day. But then again my light greasiness is tolerable.
Sat 24th
Sleep well which is unsurprising after two rough nights. Up 7 b’fast and net access in this corner. Linger. Update diary.
10: down to NidA 1:30 not rushing. Cafe. Chantier round the corner.
12: down to Bellevue la Chalette. Allonge. Even a little place like this lets you pay on carte.
Experimentally take tele down, €18. Well it works. Now what? Bus to Cham. I find I don't have a plan… and all the hotels I want (Isabel, Chamonix, Lacs) are full. I think the place is full of UTMBers. And, it's hot. Buy oj yog melon and find small shade in centre to eat and plan.
Decide: it's seaside time: Argeles. Trains weirdly thin on ground so BlaBlaCar bus to Lyon. It's ok but Flix was better: weak a/c, no usb power, toilet not op. Hotel des Savoies is ok - small room but meh. Shower. Little evening stroll but still over warm; biere.
Sun 25th
Catch 11:06 to Montpellier with 6 mins to spare, whew. All was well under control until I walked into a giant concrete cul de sac and found that LPD isn't the same as Gare LPD. Cue 10 min forced march. And when I'm there finding platform L isn't easy.
Before that: alarm 7 snooze up :10 DuoL etc b’fast good off 8:30. To cath. Which? Umm… first turns out to be St George, orange-green glass a bold experiment and produces stunning warm light at this hour but perhaps a little sickly? Up, more than I expected, to Basilisque which is massive and striking ~1870, Empire style? Mosaics. Service in prog so be respectful. Down find the “real” cath but it's a bit heavy and undeco. Vieux Lyon is the place to be not Perrache. And so to station over rivers.
Train to Montpellier is fine. 20 mins there so walk round little park; then TGV to Narbonne chosen cos unknown. And cath “complex” is great, stunning; see pix. Also on Canal du Midi: should I walk some of it?
TER to Portbou goes via Argeles. And so I arrive. Busier than before; it's still August. Walk - fail to find bikes - to seafront and checkin and shower. Room ok; Maritime was better. Wander. Busy.
Mon 26th
Sleep well up 8 DuoL b’fast decent. Now what? Not a lot is the plan. Stroll. Coffee and watch the sea before it gets too hot.
Realise I can send stuff home. Comedy finding bureau de poste since old building is gutted. Then pack up boots crampons down coat gloves new skistick and then have looong session where poor madame has to fill in customs form and I have to give a Fr address (use hotel). Cost: €35, not cheap but makes life much easier.
Pm: I ought to plan return. Would be nice to see E. So… oh. Who could have guessed trains from S Fr would be so full at end Aug? But end up with plan alas no sleeper. Takes ~1h.
Rest of day quiet: lunch supermarket walk to port crepe and citron presse. Stomach a bit upset? Perhaps need more real food.
Tues 27th
NB has noted that POB is buried in Collioure and I lacking in clear plans fall in with this… so after morning 5k and b’fast head to port for navette to C, leaving 10. I'm forced to choose a return time so pick 14:35 as leaving time. Day is sun, trip is sparkling, head up and discover that New Cim is further than I thought about 2k out. Oh well. With Maps, find it, and grave. Pix. It is simple. No deep thoughts arise; I leave him a flower.
And so down, on a path that appears. I have 2+h to bum around and do, getting a biere, wandering streets, wondering why no-one sells a t-shirt I want. And then, back.
Afternoon: quiet. Little swim.
Soir: also quiet. Apart from my guts: diarrhea continues which isn't nice. Hmm.
Wed 28th
Last morning here. Shower, B’fast-n-web, pack and head off. Sticking to shadows the walk is ok. Via church: maybe ok but full of proles and doesn't fit my mood. Station.
The coastal lakes from Fitou to Narbonne look worth exploring in a cooler season. Looong delay :30+ at Port-la-Nouvelle because Narbonne is full. And so to Beziers. Through plateau des poetes to cafe by church for coca; then find but not the entrance of Basilisque; then to cath; fairly plain most exciting feature: you can climb tower.
And so back to gare. Overall Beziers mildly disappoints: good old bones but lacking flesh. But the gare cafe is a/c and has fresh pressed orange. Now I get to sit for a bit before heading out.
Round the back of the gare: the tedious bit. To canal and big ecluse / basin. Over river on aqueduct, nice. Then in shade of ?cypress? or like, good. To “sept ecluses” which are nice but annoying because the ecluse-ile forces you to a stupid path so cross back, then find they rather block you from getting too close. 1h / 3.5k: stop for eau gazeuse at top and watch the gin palaces float by. Meanwhile Swann is deeply tediously in love with Odette and I skip page after page.
2:30 to Colombieres. Last few km badly overgrown on towpath and eventually switch to road.
Malpas tunnel: fun. Swap sides.
Stop before 9 at bridge, 2k before Poilhes. Quick dip but not swim in canal to get rid of the stickiness. Bit o’ food. Stretch carry mat in flat bit in angle of bridge and hope for peace.
Thurs 29th
Alarm 6 snooze up :30 off :40 cool early morning. Slept well faint plopping noises suggested ?something fishing? Distant grinding of combine harvesters. Through Poilhes nothing terribly interesting. Past various moorings and to Capestang just before 9. This may be my destination: I could go further but there's nothing obvious before Argelieres 20+k off.
Cafe de la Paix in sq containing the absurd archeveque’s palace. Drag that out rather pleasantly for much of 2h; go look at the church / palace: v good. Has been truncated so now is absurdly tall and square. To campsite, partly as recce but also in case… yes… I can sneak in - recep is ferme during the day - and have a shower. Better! A cycle-touring guy turns up. To Lidl (juice, fruit, yog, choc) then return to main sq; admire ch again. Nearly 2 now.
And so, quietly, the afternoon. Kinda sitting around, on a bench eating lunch then in le Paix again, until 5, face on to the ch, with the shade of the planes. There are a few cyclists coming through so not all is indolence. But I see no signs of other walkers.
Move all of 0.5k to the canal side resto, which is at least trying to look posher. It is still hot; I’m not striding out for an hour or so. Mineralwasser. Quiet on the canal: a few boats pass gently.
Poilhes, 8pm. Sun now declining, more shade. They are planting lots of trees so should be better in 5+ years.
To “my” bridge :30 but there is noise from moorwd boat 100m off. Perhaps sleep next to unoccupied house? They have a nice flat marble path.
Fri 30th
Slept better on blowup. Ag noises at 6 up :20 off :40 having taken pix. And so back; through tunnel and so on.
9:to Sept Ecluses, and a seat. There are few seats along most of the way.
10 ish: to gare, after somewhat circuitous route over vieux pont: there is no good way. In cafe a/c and allonge, then fine loo allows me to restore self to largely non sweaty state.
1:55 catch TGV to gdL. Trip goes painlessly, I have a big seat since I was forced to pay premier just to get a place. But I can almost feel wtf, why not, it is but money. And then recall I bivvied out two nights on the CdM for… hard to write down reasons. Habit? Dislike of booking? Love of the stars. Certainly, it was beautiful.
Face confusion of metro, inc buying a ticket, it seems they aren't up to London ‘s just-use-phone. End up going roughly the right way to St D Pleyet, from which its a 1h walk to St D universitaire, but I have time and to spare, and I go past and briefly in St D. Then to what turns out to be bus station with 1:30 to spare. Fine; there's a Flixbus sign. Go off in search of cafe / loo, have to go ~500m and then its a bit rough. But they serve a decent espresso. Then back, kill some time, and bus “in association with Flixbus” turns up, hmm, not quite the full Flix quality.
Sat 31st
Bus is ok, but yeah not up to full quality: no wifi, suspension and general quality not so good. And my neighbour snores even when awake. At Calais, move to a vacant seat pair. Long wait for ferry but I sleep; passports urgh as usual. Ferry ok some sleep and then just the drive to London.
Out 7 have coffee by Buck house. Realise museums don't open till 10 so… meh, let's go home. Back around 10, hello, shower.
Weigh stuff: Sac: 7.7. Box: 3.7. Me: 65.5!
Black and net: 1.3. Really should get that lighter.
Here ends the lesson.
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