Les Fourgs

19 July 2015:  Today's hike was very pleasant.  The day dawned cool, damp and blustery.  The rain stopped shortly after I put on my jacket, but it remained cloudy and mild – comfortable conditions for hiking.  The trail from Switzerland back into France was mild, too: gentle ups and downs through forests and open countryside. It's a beautiful area that one can really appreciate when walking through it. 

Midday, I arrived at Fort Mahler, which looms over the Château de Joux and the town of Cluse-et-Mijoux – a good place for a picnic lunch.  By then, the clouds had cleared and it was becoming hot again.  Most of the afternoon's hike, after getting past the urban sprawl of Cluse-et-Mijoux, was in forest.  

I arrived at Les Fourgs, where I am staying at a comfortable chambres d'hôtes, in the late afternoon.  And then came the highlight of the day:  Our friends Jeroen and Paula, with their two children, arranged to spend the night near here en route to Verchaix, so that we could have dinner together.  We missed Mary, but had a great evening.

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Hiking from Les Petits Cernets back to France:

Another border stone for my collection; the fleur-de-lys is still visible:

I love the sound of cowbells ringing as I walk through the mountains!

A truncated GR-marker:

Fort Mahler:

Fort Mahler was built in the 1840s to protect the Château de Joux below it.

The Château de Joux is best known now for some of the famous people who were imprisoned there – in particular, Toussaint-Louverture, who led the revolt that won Haiti's independence. 

Seen from a distance, the smaller Fort Mahler, on the right, stands above the dramatic Château de Joux. 

The afternoon trail to Les Fourgs:

A cow on the trail:

The chambres d'hôtes Les Grands Près:

Dinner at a Buffalo Grill in Pontarlier with Jeroen, Paula and their children: