Not a long stage, but a tough one due to two steep sections of climbing. Beautiful route through forests and along mountain meadows. Beautiful views of the mountains.
Last night we enjoyed a beautiful sunset, then set up the tent and had a good, quiet night.
The alarm clock goes off at 6:00am today. Not because we have such a long stage ahead of us, but because we want to get our tent packed as soon as possible. Wild camping is allowed in France, but only for the necessary hours at night. So no cup of coffee in your camping chair in front of your tent. But once the tent is cleared, it’s considered to be “just taking a break” and everything is allowed again.
The tent is still soaking wet with dew this early. Tonight, we sleep in a hotel near Lac Blanc, so we must put it out to dry somewhere along the way.
It’s lovely to see the colors change in the morning with the rising sun. Incredible how many little bees and other insects buzz around through the life-size “field bouquet” in front of us. We really enjoy the beautiful nature….
Around 7:30am we walk through the forest back to the road. Since we camped at just over 1100 meters in altitude, the stage begins with descending on larger forest roads, so it’s easy to walk.
After about 6.5km we arrive in a small village, Le Bonhomme, where, to our surprise, there is a small store in the town hall. Here you can buy some bread, cheese, oil and wine on a few days a week in the morning. It turns out to be a project for a few months, and hooray, they even have 2 chausson au pommes left for us! We are helped by the German teacher from the village, who likes to practice his German with us, and we practice our French with him. It results in a funny conversation and after a friendly wave and “Auf Wiedersehen!” we continue our way into the mountains, looking for a suitable resting place.
We find it at Etang du Devin, a beautiful lake with a picnic bench in the sun and a place to pitch our tent and let it dry.
After about an hour, another tough climb follows, up to the peak Tête de Faux. Over this slope a good 100 years ago a cable car used to transport goods to the peak. It used to be a strategic viewpoint for the Germans during the First World War.
From the peak, the trail runs fairly flat to Lac Blanc, where our hotel is located. We arrive by 2 p.m. and we are lucky; the room is already ready for us. Even though the hike was not long, we are happy to reach our little apartment after 3 stairs on the top floor. Again we have a magnificent view, this time over Lac Blanc and the mountains of the Vosges.
Today we only have one more mission: 2.5km away is a roadside stall that we visited several years ago during a tour. We saved this spot in Google Maps, because they sell delicious cheese and myrtle pie. We are so close right now; we just can’t let this opportunity pass. So, after we’ve installed ourselves in the little apartment, the shoes go back on!
It’s quite a bit of downhill and fortunately it is still there. The owner seems to have enjoyed life very much in recent years; an old man with only one tooth left in his mouth sits in his van listening to French chansons and only comes out when we indicate that we want to buy something. Smiling kindly, he sells us a myrtle pie, a goat cheese and a bottle of apple juice.
Funny how places can change over the years, but special to have been here on foot!