Azay-le-Rideau

Mary and I have planned a short, three-day hike in the Loire Valley, in order to test our clothing and gear before starting our hike on the GR5 in about two weeks.  We took the train today from Paris to Azay-le-Rideau, arriving in the early afternoon.  We visited the charming Renaissance château and walked around the little town.  We're staying in a pleasant, modest hotel, where we will have dinner tonight.  Tomorrow, we'll hike on the GR3 to Chinon.  We'll hike on mostly flat terrain, but a significant distance: 27 km. 

France is enjoying mid-summer weather (sunny & hot!), but the weather predictions indicate that we will have ample opportunities to test our rain gear in the coming days...

Riding the métro this morning, en route to Gare Montparnasse in Paris:

Mary & Carroll visit the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau:

Renovation work at the château: 

Chalet du Lignon

There is still snow on the upper slopes of the mountains around the Vallée du Giffre, but it's definitely springtime down in the valley!  One still sees folks in Samoëns, dressed for downhill skiing and waiting for the ski bus that will take them to the nearby Télécabine Grand Massif Express, but they look rather incongruous under the warm sun.  I've put away my snowshoes and changed the baskets on my trekking poles.  It's now definitely hiking season — and there are some big hikes on the agenda!

I have been gathering and organizing clothing and gear for our big GR5 hike (departure in early May). I loaded everything in my pack and took a hike today from Salvagny to the Chalet du Lignon.  That was a lot to carry for about 2½ hours of hiking, but this was just a test.  The beautiful weather did not put my rain gear and warm clothing to the test, but I wasn't complaining!

No mere daypack for today's hike!

Today's hike took me past the dramatic Cascade du Rouget:

Mont Buet (3096 m.) looms:

It's time for a sunhat! 

Le Chalet du Lignon (1180 m.):

On the snow-covered terrace of the Chalet du Lignon — a bustling café during the summer:

Back to La Bourgeoise

The warm, sunny weather is continuing in the Alps.  Snow is melting, and buds are appearing on trees.  Under these conditions, the best place in the Upper Giffre Valley to go snowshoeing (at least for a person who does not yet know all the special places in obscure valleys and hilltops) remains the Col de Joux Plane and La Bourgeoise.  I noticed, when I snowshoed there yesterday, that the signposts marking the snowshoe trail (see, e.g., the first photo in my post of 29 March 2015) have now been removed.  Well, it was easy to follow the trail without those signposts: The trail that I broke through fresh snow on 5 April 2015 is now a broad, well-beaten path through crusty snow.  All along the trail and at the summit of La Bougeoise, the blue sky and the surrounding mountains were magnificent!

Mont Blanc looms into view:

A well-beaten path:

Samoëns, seen from La Bourgeoise:

Le Collet d'Anterne (thrusting up like the bow of a great ship) and le Massif du Mont Blanc:

Tête et Col de Bostan; les Dents Blanches:

Coffee break @ La Bourgeoise:

A bientôt!

Cirque des Fonds

The beautiful, early spring weather continued today – not a cloud in the sky. I walked to Cirque des Fonds (sometimes written: "Fonts").  Departing from a parking area above Salvagny (900 m.), I followed a forest road for about 2 hours to the Cirque (1375 m.).  Along the way, there are dramatic views of the surrounding mountains that tower above the road (e.g., the Collet d'Anterne and Mont Buet).  Across the valley, the white splash of the Cascade du Rouget was visible.  There are several cabins in the Cirque, including one that is a refuge during the summer hiking season.  I was alone on the road today, apart from an adult male bouquetin that suddenly jumped onto the path, looked at me and then casually walked up the path ahead of me.  I wonder if it was the same bouquetin that made the tracks in the snow that I followed here during a snowshoe hike in January?...

The bouquetin looks back, perhaps to check whether I'm keeping up with him. 

Follow that bouquetin! 

Grand Beau Temps!

Those who know me have heard me say (maybe more than once!) that I prefer a rainy day in the Alps to a sunny day in Paris.  Well, imagine what I think of a sunny day in the Alps!  We got one of those days today: scarcely a cloud in sight; cold in the morning, then warmer as the sun worked its magic.  I returned to the Fer-à-Cheval Valley for a walk through forest and then open slopes still covered with snow.  Vertical mountains surrounded me.  I'll let the pictures below tell the rest of the story. 

Breaking Trail to La Bourgeoise

The heavy rain of recent days fell as snow above 1000 m.  With the sun breaking through the clouds yesterday morning, I decided to return to La Bourgeoise.  Standing over 1700 m., that mountain should have some fresh snow.  And indeed it did!  There was about 15-30 cm. of powder snow on the slopes leading from Col de Joux Plane to La Bourgeoise, with considerably more in some places, due to the effects of wind and drifting.  The snowshoe trail was completely covered and invisible under the fresh snow.  There are, however, occasional sign posts, and I am familiar with the trail, so breaking trail in the snow to the summit of La Bourgeoise was not difficult.  I did not linger long there, as it was quite windy and cold.  Just a quick coffee from my thermos and a few photos, then I headed back. 

The return trip was easy, as by then other snowshoers had followed my route, turning it into a broad, beaten path.  One group of snowshoers, visible as four little dark figures on a ridge in one of the photos below, followed a more adventurous line back from La Bourgeoise to Col de Joux Plane.  I should try that route some time!

La Jaÿsina – Jardin Botanique Alpin

Today was market day in Samoëns, but before going shopping there, I visited "La Jaÿsina", the Alpine botanical garden in the center of town. Built in 1906 with a gift from Marie-Louise Cognacq-Jaÿ (a native of Samoëns who founded the great Parisian department store, La Samaritaine), the garden rises 80 vertical meters on a hill crowned by the ruins of a medieval castle. According to a plaque near the entrance, the garden comprises more than 5,000 species of mountain plants.  I wasn't counting!  One of the noteworthy trees (featured in a photo here) is a California sequoia. 

As one walks up and down the winding path within the garden, there are beautiful views of Samoëns and the surrounding mountains, even – or especially – on a cloudy spring day with hints of snow and rain.