La Rasse

14 July 2015:  Today is the Fête Nationale – Bastille Day – but I saw no parades or fireworks as I walked along the Doubs River.  The Doubs is a meandering river.  Its source is at Mouthe, a town southwest of here that I will pass in a few days.  After flowing northeast past La Rasse (today's destination) and Goumois (today's starting point), where it marks the Franco-Swiss border, the Doubs enters Switzerland, but not for long:  It makes a sharp, hairpin turn and flows southwest back to France, where it passes Saint-Hippolyte (an earlier destination and starting point on this hike) and eventually joins the Saône River. 

Today's trail followed the left bank of the Doubs upstream, in forests providing welcome shade from the sun.  I saw the river in many forms, influenced by the hydroelectric works along its course: a broad, gently-moving body of water here, a rushing, tumultuous stream crashing over and around boulders there.  It was beautiful. 

Today was another full day of hiking (9 hours), and the trail was rough at the end, with lots of rocks and tree roots, so I greatly appreciated the warm hospitality offered by the owners of the hotel at La Rasse.

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Leaving Goumois, which has an Alpine appearance (perhaps influenced by its sister town on the Swiss side of the river):

Scenes along the Doubs River:

A rare picnic table, encountered shortly after noon:

There was no explanation for this short detour, which did not appear to be necessary. 

Les Échelles de la Mort, a popular tourist attraction.  With so many tourists here, I hoped that there would be a little refreshment stand (buvette), where I could buy a cool drink, but there was none. 

The Refrain Dam:

The man-made lake above the dam:

This ladder has no name:

Rapids at La Rasse – this a very popular area for fishing. 

La Rasse Hôtel:

We enjoyed a convivial dinner on the terrace.