Yesterday was our prologue to the Alps, walking up from Saint-Gingolph to Novel. Today, with no further transition, we enjoyed a great Alpine hike from Novel (970 m.) up to the Col de Bise (1915 m.) and then down to the Chalets de Bise (1502 m.). Here is a selection of pictures that tell the story of our hike:
Threatening skies (the remnants of last night's storm) greeted us this morning.
Departure from Novel:
Carroll marche toujours avec élan!
The trail started in the forest.
Un sujet de philo au Bac, peut-être?
Which way?
Banana break, with a glimpse of Lac Léman:
Climbing higher, we passed the tree line and enjoyed spectacular views of Lac Léman and the surroundings.
On a cool, windy day, we no longer look for a shady spot for lunch.
We chilled our yoghurt in a water trough while eating lunch.
Looking down at the place where we stopped for lunch:
Col de Bise, today's high point:
Descent from Col de Bise to the Chalets de Bise:
The Chalets de Bise include a CAF Refuge (very basic – sommaire, as the French would say), some farm buildings, a simple restaurant – and many goats.
We enjoyed dinner with Dominique, who is hiking a section of the GR5 from Chamonix north to Saint-Gingolph.
Oh, don't hold back on the photos, these are great. Until now, my regrets about not being able to hike in the Alps (my leg) were made out of abstractions, but now....
ReplyDeleteLovely job. I am climbing in some fabulous 'intellectual mountains.' I'm also swimming about ever day.