Another wonderful stage over the mountains of the Alps. The route leads from the campsite in Châtel fairly flat to Chapelle d'Abondance. From there it climbs steeply over some 4.5 km from 1,018 meters, to Les Mattes at 1,930 meters altitude. From there the hike remains high, although the route still descends and rises quite a bit. In the first part the route goes mainly on small mountain paths, later the paths become wider. Beautiful views are guaranteed from this altitude!
As early as the past few days, we walk quietly down the campsite. We start with the 5 kilometer flat stretch we walked yesterday to get back on the GR5. It's nice for a change, normally we start with a climb right away.
After these kilometers we turn away from the stream we've been following through the valley to start the climb up. With provisions for 2 nights and 3 hiking days we climb 900 meters up the forest paths. Halfway up, we stop at a small chalet to drink some water, but keep a good pace overall. We walk through the forests, pass some streams and a large waterfall. At the top of the tree line, we emerge into a large green high valley. A beautiful alpine meadow. Here we walk over flat roads and pass a little farm where fresh goat cheese is sold to hikers, as there is no way to get there by car. Unfortunately, the little store is closed today. At the end of the valley, we do today's last bit of climbing and cross a col. On top is a beautiful meadow with distant views and barren peaks. Wow, we are in the high mountains again! Time for a good break.
After this break comes a stretch of downhill, so it's a bit of a wait and see how the descending will go after some "pedicure for dummies" to our blisters and toes. Fortunately, it goes pretty well. Without any significant problems, after about 4 kilometers we arrive at a collection of barns called Lenlevay, where there's also a water point. We don't yet know how far we will hike today, so we stock up enough water for the evening. At least this is good drinking water and we don't know what we'll encounter further along the road. And great to be able to drink a sip of cold water with these temperatures, it's quite warm even at this altitude. From here the narrow mountain paths become much wider and the route much flatter. It's easy hiking. We enjoy the views and the beautiful nature. Not high above us we see two vultures hovering, which completes the picture!
At the top at Col de Bassachaux at 1,777 meters, we come close to the Swiss border. This border area was also smuggling country for a long time and hide-and-seek was often played between fraudsters and tax collectors, which sometimes ended tragically. On top here, next to an auberge is a monument commemorating fallen smugglers.
By now we have walked 18 kilometers and it is 5 p.m., so we follow the trail for a bit more but keep our eyes open for a suitable place to spend the night. We walk slightly uphill on a large path past a ski area with a beautiful view to the right over a valley with a large reservoir, Lac Montriond, glistening hundreds of meters below us in the evening sun.
It gets later and later and the shadows get longer and longer as we leave the wide path and walk into a grassland. After climbing over some small hills and rocks, on the side of the path, right next to a rock, we see a nice flat area where our tent will just fit. We decide to put up our gear here and cook our evening meal. Mark searches the surroundings for a better spot, a little further from the path. By now it is 6:30pm and it's starting to drip a little. With our hiking poles and ponchos, we make a shelter against the rock under which we can sit with all our gear and cook dinner. The views are phenomenal. On one side we see the mountains and valleys in the orange light of the setting sun, with on the other side the increasingly black skies. They don't seem to be getting any closer so we don't worry. By the time we have half finished our meal it goes from drizzle to harder rain and after a few minutes we are in the middle of a downpour with heavy winds. For half an hour, we have to set all sails and are short of hands and feet to keep the tarp under control and our gear somewhat dry. As soon as the rain slows down, it's almost completely dark. We have to improvise; the stretch of path 2 meters away from us is just wide and flat enough for our tent and in the rain. In the strong wind Mark pitches the tent by himself, while Malou tries to keep the gear dry under the flapping ponchos. Fortunately, the tent is up in a few minutes, so we can quickly put all the gear safely in the awning. With all the guy ropes taut, the tent remains in place and we can eat the rest of our meal in a dry and sheltered place.
Once again, we are very happy to have this spacious tent, where we can sit together with all our belongings in the front tent and set up the inner tent all dry. The only uncomfortable thing is that we're standing in the middle of the path. But we assume that in this weather, in the middle of the mountains, no one will cross the pass. Wee set the alarm extra early for tomorrow, so we can break up on time. Hopefully it will be dry again soon....
