The Walker's Haute Route (13)

Click on any image for a slideshow

Sunday 3 September - Cabane du Mont Fort to Cabane de Prafleuri 

Up at 7 am - a long day ahead. Breakfast of coffee, bread and jam, then a decision as to the route. We are just about last away from the cabin at 8:20 (OTH Club left before 7 am). 

Looking back from the Col Termin path

We (I) finally choose the longer but more scenic route over Col Termin - the alternative over Col de la Chaux looks steep and less interesting, if shorter. We don't see anyone on the latter route, but many people are ahead on the Sentier des Chamois. It's a superb belvedere walk and we make fairly quick progress around the side of the mountain, soon losing views of the Mont Fort Hut and its attendant ski hardware in favour of extensive and less spoilt vistas across to Grand Combin and the huge Glacier de Corbassiere.

The view back to Le Chable

Shortly before Col Termin (10.10) the people ahead stopped. And so did we when we saw ibex grazing above and below the path. These are not shy creatures, and many photos were taken.

Col Termin

Grand Combin from Col Termin

Rough going...

It was a lovely route on towards Col de Louvie. On the way we stopped for a brew on a grassy knoll overlooking Lac de Louvie, with what looked like an idyllic refuge / cabin at its outflow 11:10 to 11:40. The hut looks new and is not on my old 1970s map. 

As we laze with mugs of tea (those who have stoves anyway) - there is increasing sunshine as blue sky sweeps across from the west. 

Brew stop

The path to Col de Louvie

It was overcast but warm, with the damp places overrun with yellow mountain saxifrage, and the ubiquitous field gentians adding clumps of purple.

Field Gentian

Lac de Louvie

Spring Gentian

On Col de Louvie

We reach Col de Louvie at 12:35. It's cool, with snow, up here at 2921 metres. Dave arrives first, then Hilde. After a twenty minute wait until 12:55 for everyone to assemble, we decide to descend to just above the remains of the Grand Desert glacier for lunch in a sheltered spot with a fine view. 13:10 to 13:55.

Gaynor strides out

Lunch by Grand Desert glacier

On my last visit in 1984 we walked cross the glacier, but now it has receded and we viewed those ahead crossing below the snout and walking on up to a massive marker rock (a big rock painted red and white).

Ascending to Col de Prafleuri

Spot the hut

I led the way across here, over rough ground below the glacier. The fine weather meant no navigational difficulties, but if it had been low cloud I would have been needed here - others found it quite hard to follow the obvious markers which led (via a deep depression) eventually to Col de Prafleuri (2965 metres) 15:35 to 15:50.

Col de Prafleuri

The team is moving very slowly now and takes some time to reach this col and then descend to the new Cabane de Prafleuri (the old one is left empty and forlorn behind a massive boulder) by 16:50. 

We are greeted by the OTH club, who have only been there for 30 minutes - they took an hour longer than us today. We enjoyed beers in the sun outside.

Approaching Cabane de Prafleuri

This was the only night I decided to skip showering (cold water) and t-shirt washing (not very sweaty), so it was a relaxing time before a good meal of soup - carrot salad, pork with olives and rice, and fruit salad. We were all together on a long bench for 9 people. 

I slept well in the dortoir after Scrabble with Gaynor and a loud sing song from the OTHs and their like-minded (very boozy) Swiss French friends. 

9:30 pm bedtime seemed early, but it was dark. Hilde went at 8:30 - knackered - others rustled until 10 pm, then again from 6 am.

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Lockdown 2021 - Time for Cake!

'Stay at Home.' That the 2021 mantra. So I've gone into cake production.

That's now an empty tin...

On 11 January, Sue borrowed Isabella for a couple of hours.

It snowed and froze for a week, then it rained a lot; I've not been on a bike ride this year. It's very muddy. On 12 January Sinderland Brook, usually a modest little affair almost jumpable, looked like this.

My walk from home on that day featured the delights of Sale West and the Carrington Estate.

The 8 km circuit passed our recycling depot. Inevitably, nearby is the rubbish that is being left when the tip is closed. "Nothing to do with us" is the plant operatives' comment when I mention this rubbish which is dumped just a few metres from their place of work.

Sue and I enjoyed a visit to Hale on Monday. We didn't use the busy towpath, viewed here from Timperley Bridge.

Meanwhile, Isabella grows and shows more interest in things by the day.

After more rain, the flood defences near Navigation Road are being readied for serious action. - this was yesterday, where normally there is a narrow channel.

Today (Wednesday) I was summoned to look after Isabella for a couple of hours. She slept soundly for the entire 10 km perambulation. After more rain, Simon's Bridge in Didsbury was nearly inundated.

Here's the Mersey Valley in roughly the same place, just two months ago (you can see the bridge).

Today, another few inches, and the river will overflow later, as the flood basin is full..

I'll report tomorrow, but Mike and Sarah in East Didsbury are currently moving valuables upstairs and may have to evacuate their house. It's snowing. There are 130 flood warnings.

Update - Thursday 21 January (my aunt Mair's 90th birthday...)

Flood warnings rose to over 200, and Mike, Sarah, Isabella and Millie the cat were evacuated to Mike's mum's house in Chorlton in the middle of Wednesday night. They returned home this afternoon and were relieved to discover that the flood water hadn't reached their house. This was the worst flooding in living memory hereabouts.

The Walker's Haute Route (12)

Gathering outside Hotel du Gietroz (click on any image for a slideshow)

Saturday 2 September - Le Chable to Cabane du Mont Fort 

Everyone is efficiently away by 8:20 after a sparse breakfast and a speedy shop for any remnants needed for our three days of lunches. 

The view from Hotel du Gietroz

Sue collects water... Caroline throws it away!

Above Villette

Alpine wires

The route up towards Verbier is pleasantly shady, and whilst the sun tries to creep out from behind the mountains, cloud cover slowly ensures a day of superb walking conditions despite paucity of sun.

Parasol Mushrooms

The path to Verbier

10:05 to 10:20 - tea break on corner of track before continuing on up paths avoiding Verbier, behind the alcohol laden fumes of one of the OTH gang. (Waggy - RIP).

A view towards the Mont Blanc massif

Another break at the Clambin refuge, where most of us enjoyed coffee, coke, or both - 11:10 to 11:45.

Outside the restaurant at Clambin

Verbier

Fieldfares busied themselves nearby. On and on up easy paths to the cablecar station / gondola at Les Ruinettes, where we commandeer two benches for lunch - 12:50 to 13:45.

Lunch at Les Ruinettes

The warm weather is becoming overcast and threatening, but despite a few drops of rain, waterproofs aren't needed and the paragliders aren't grounded. I get some video of a tandem departure.

Mountain bikes rush past and bounce down a specially constructed undulating path. But our route continues beside bisses, with a final haul on a quiet path up to Cabane du Mont Fort.

The path to Cabane du Mont Fort

We arrived there at 14:50 for welcome beers, etc. We have two rooms for four people - quite adequate, and lots of storage space.

Cabane du Mont Fort

Meet an Englishman (60+ mountain biker) who lives in Verbier and claims to own 18% of a sea of oil in Papua New Guinea. He tells of deals with rebel leaders before they truced with the government. Before that he was a property developer in Barcelona. He says he has to keep working to support several ex-wives, and describes himself as an 'entrepreneur'. He gives me tips on how to approach getting a place in Cortina... "find a farmer about to retire, or buy from plan."

A pleasant evening in the cabin with Uno and Scrabble - I tried playing both at the same time. Unsurprisingly unsuccessfully.

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