One of the things we wanted to do on this trip was to experience the hut-to-hut hiking which is very popular in the Alps.Huts come in all sizes and shapes. Some are more like hotels, others are literally simply huts. We went to the “Maison de la montagne” (House of the mountain) in Chamonix right across the plaza from the tourist office and asked the experts there for suggestions. – I want to go back to that office. So many maps and so much to learn about hiking, mountaineering and exploring this area of the Alps. – With 2.5 days and 2 nights the guy I talked to suggested a hike in the Aiguilles Rouges north of Chamonix and the Mont Blanc. He printed out contact information for the 2 huts we would visit so that I could call and see if they had space available for the desired nights. They did and we prepared our stuff for the hike to start the next day.
We started out by taking the chairlift up to Planpraz with our friends Jack and Dorie. They had decided against the longer multi-day hike and were going for a day hike. They would also pick us up at the end of our hike in a couple of days. The sky was cloudy and we did not see much of the mountains surrounding the valley. The chairlift dropped us right into the clouds at 2000 m. After a quick stop for a coffee at the restaurant we headed into the fog. Just above the chairlift mountain station is a take off spot for paragliders. Paragliding is currently extremely popular in the region and there were always a number of paragliders to be seen in the sky. We watched one tandem jump start. They rushed to glide right into an opening in the fog. The next group was not so lucky and had to wait. We did not stay around and moved along only to have to stop to get our rain gear out since it started to rain.
We headed up to Col du Brevent (2368 m) [Col -> Saddle] and then down on the other side. The climb and the crossing of the col happened in complete fog and drizzle. While we like views, we actually enjoyed these -for us- unusual conditions. As we were descending from the col we stopped for a little break and watched the clouds and fog move. A nice view of the canyon we were going into opened up. At this rest stop Srisuda was able to collect a few hands full of blueberries in no time. We enjoyed them with our snacks. We soon continued down to the bottom of the canyon (~1600 m) to cross the creek running there. Then we had to climb back up to our first hut Refuge de Moëde Anterne (2000 m). After checking in I noticed that the clouds had cleared off the Col du Anterne just above the refuge, so I decided to head up there to peak over to the other side. It was not to be though, as new clouds moved in and I found myself in complete dense fog at the col.
Refuge de Moëde Anterne is a big place providing sleeping space for up to 90 hikers. They even have a couple of hotel type rooms and showers available. This hut is accessible by 4×4, so it’s easy to build a bigger place and resupply it. We ended up in a little 4 bed dorm room that we did not have to share with anyone else. For dinner we opted for the meal plan which on that day was cheese fondue. Food was served in their big dining room which felt like a restaurant. Overall we did not really get the hut and sleeping-in-the-mountains feeling.
After breakfast on day two we started our hike towards Col de Salenton. The sky was clearer and the views of Mont Blanc quickly opened up. While we were admiring the highest peak of the Alps we almost literally ran into another big ibex. This guy just calmly walked right into the trail and then gave us the opportunity for some pictures of himself and Mont Blanc. We continued enjoying the ever changing views with clouds moving in and out above and below us. On the final ascent to the col we came across a group of 3 male ibex. For almost the whole ascent we had clear views of Mont Buet close to the col. I had planned to summit this peak along the way. As we got closer to the saddle clouds moved in quickly and we were in some very cold fog on the col. The peak was no longer visible. We descended a few meters to the turnoff for the peak trail and I decided to attempt the peak despite the clouds hoping that I might end up above the clouds. Srisuda’s knee gave her a bit of trouble and so she decided to wait for me.
I found out that the trail to Mont Buet is very popular and so I met a lot of hikers. Along the way I also saw more female ibex. At about 2700 m the clouds got thinner and I climbed out of them for spectacular views of the Mont Blanc Massif. There were many people on the peak itself. I noticed a number of them sitting there just in shorts. I later learned that the peak is popular with people who are into sunbathing. Something that’s alien to us here on our peaks, the sun at SoCal latitudes is just much more intense then up there at 46º north. I enjoyed the views while having some snacks. It was almost perfect, except that I wished the others would see this also rather than being under that blanket of clouds.
After picking up Srisuda from her waiting spot we continued down to our 2nd hut, Refuge de la Pierre à Bérard. This hut was really a hut. There was a small dining room downstairs and a dorm area for about 20 people upstairs. They also had build an addition for an additional 20 people. The place was fully booked for the night and dinner was served in 3 shifts since they could not seat everyone at the same time. Dinner was much better than in the first hut and due to the close quarters, sitting on benches at one long table, a conversation with other hikers developed. This place felt like what we imagined staying at a hut in the mountains should feel. This hut is resupplied via donkeys.
After breakfast on our last day we just had a 2h hike out to the village of Le Buet where Jack and Dorie picked us up. The pickup was pretty easy to arrange since we had cell phone coverage almost all the way during the hike. Another thing that’s different from hiking in the west of the US. Here we quickly get out of cell coverage even in the mountains right around LA.
Jack and Dorie had held their room so we could jump into the shower before our time in the French Alps came to an end. That was a nice treat and probably made the drive north to Dijon more enjoyable for everyone in the car ;). The Canal de Bourgogne passes Dijon and a barge trip on that canal was the next chapter of this France trip.
