The hike was long: Since we were unable to reserve a room at the chalet-auberge at the Col de Bassachaux (6.5 hrs of hiking from La Chapelle d'Abondance), we reserved at the refuge at the Col de Chésery (8 hrs). We later learned that the chalet-auberge at the Col de Bassachaux had been fully booked since April!
The hike was arduous: We hiked up a steep trail from La Chapelle d'Abondance (1021 m.) to the Col des Mattes (1930 m.), then down to a point at 1680 m., from which we climbed again to the Col de Bassachaux (1778 m.) and finally the Col de Chésery (1982 m.).
And the weather was atrocious! It began to rain mid-morning and never let up until early evening during the last hour of our hike. At times there was a light, fine rain. At other times, it rained cats and dogs – il pleuvait des cordes! – with high wind, as well. We learned that some of our gear wasn't adequately protected against the rain, even with rain covers over our backpacks. And as for our boots, they seemed to be sieves...
Well, we were happy to arrive at the Refuge de Chésery at 7:00 pm (almost 11 hrs after leaving La Chapelle d'Abondance), just as dinner was being served to four other hikers already there. We kicked off our wet boots and socks, washed our hands and sat down to a good meal.
* * *
Departure from La Chapelle d'Abondance, with rain clouds forming...
Carroll marche toujours avec élan!
The trail passed a waterfall and began to climb through the forest.
With the rain beginning to come down heavily, we arrived at a little cabin (le Chalet des Crottes). The door was open and a man was inside. I asked him if we could come inside. "Non, non," he said, without explanation or apology. As I walked away, he said there was a shelter ("un abri") in the woods nearby. I thought he meant some structure. It turned out that he was referring to a little group of pine trees that provided some shelter from the rain. We took a break there. That was the last good shelter on today's trail.
Emerging from the forest, we saw the Chalet de la Torrens above us. We hoped that we could find shelter there. It was used for milking cattle. The man inside ignored us until Mary got his attention and asked if we could come inside for awhile to eat our lunch. He turned us away: "Non, c'est privé ici."
So we found a few rocks and ate our lunch outside, in the rain...
Gimme shelter!
We hiked up to the Col des Mattes after lunch.
Upon reaching the Col des Mattes, with the wind whipping the rain around us, we sought the shelter of a nearby farmhouse. It was closed, of course.
Descent from the Col des Mattes on a wet, slippery trail:
We wondered if we were witnessing an important step in the evolution of cows, as they begin to eat the leaves of trees...
As the trail began to climb again, we were pleased that it was at least an easy one. The farmhouse near the Col des Mattes can be seen on the ridge at the top of this photo.
We stopped at the auberge at the Col de Bassachaux for tartes aux myrtilles (blueberry tarts) – to give us courage for the last hour and a half of the hike!
The final section of the day's hike, from the Col de Bassachaux to the Col de Chésery, was a gradual uphill trail, and the weather improved.
Col de Chésery, the Franco-Swiss border. Carroll camped near here during his hike on the GR5 in 1984.
The Refuge de Chésery, appearing in the distance, was a welcome sight!
There was a big herd of sheep grazing around the refuge, and – comme par hasard – the main course at dinner was lamb. Quite tasty.
We got acquainted at dinner with Michael, a Scot who is hiking a section of the GR5. We enjoyed chatting about Scottish, British and American politics. A Danish woman at the table joined the discussion when it turned to European politics.
