Wednesday July 26, 2017

Cabane de Louvie to Cabane de Praflouri

Miles: 7.19

Elevation gain/loss: +3,233 ft / -1,888 ft

Total miles: 13.14

We fell asleep hopeful to wake up to blue skies. Unfortunately the gray clouds remained and as Laurie fondly describes, it was “actively fogging.”

Other hikers discussed alternate routes but we figured we would go for it and see what the mountains and sky offered.

We ate a nice breakfast of muesli with yogurt (Andy enjoyed bread as a vehicle to eat butter and jam as well), which we washed down with many cups of tea.

We set out around 8:30am. It had stopped raining but the clouds were so thick we couldn’t see the opposite side of the lake.

Luckily it wasn’t coldEdit, therefore didn’t take long for us to take off our jackets and shortly after our rain pants. The clouds continued to float in and out as we climbed back up to the trail we had left the afternoon before to drop down to Cabane de Louvie.

The snow level was lower and we followed the wet foot prints in front of us. In places it seemed like 6 inches of new snow! The rock faces around (at least those that we could see) all had a nice dusting.

About an hour into our hike we encountered our first of many boulder fields. Climbing over and around boulders is not easy in good weather, but doing so when they are partially covered in snow felt quite treacherous. We both moved slowly and carefully. 

Laurie, who grew up hiking and has distinct memories of her mom encouraging her to scramble up rock faces in Yosemite, is more sure footed than Andy. She stopped frequently to encourage and provide suggestions to Andy but this was not always welcomed. 

Andy became increasingly frustrated with himself, his slow pace and lack of comfort. He pouted which made Laurie giggle. This was reciprocated with Andy throwing a snowball at Laurie.

It is refreshing that we can tease each other and use humor even in times of stress or anxiety.

We continued on gradually making our way to Col de Louvie. The going was slow as the trail wound in and out of boulder fields and around exposed ledges. 

Chains were conveniently bolted into the rocks at several particularly exposed areas providing a sense of extra security.

The lack of views made it easier to focus on our steps. Despite gaining 2300 feet in less than 3 miles, the hiking was more mentally challenging than physically exhausting.

Occasionally the clouds would thin and parts of beautiful white mountains appeared in the distance. It was a teaser of all that surrounded us but was obstructed by the clouds. 

Oh well, we were happy to get glimpses of such beauty. And that it wasn’t raining.

We caught up with a couple from Singapore at the Col. We chatted a few minutes before both taking off to avoid getting cold.

We descended from the Col toward the Grand Desert. Below us lay glacier terrain and tarns.

We dropped below snow line and continued to follow the red and white paint blazes and cairns as we weaved our way down to the basin.

From here it was a series of smaller ups and downs before our final ascent to Col de Plafleuri. The walking was easier because of the lack of snow and exposure. Both of our spirits lifted as did our speed.

As we crested one small hill a huge glacier lay to our right.

“Hurry up! You have to see this before it disappears!” Laurie yelled to Andy. 

Andy turned his whole body to look at it. His neck has been very stiff today. Sudden movements are painful. 

Before we knew it we were at Col de Plafleuri. At 9,700 feet, it is an impressive pass. The views on a clear day must be really spectacular. 

Kai and Huy (the couple from Singapore) greeted us at the top. We took a few pictures for one another and headed down the pass.

Not surprisingly our descent was very steep. Laurie headed down quickly while Andy took a bit longer.

We wound around tiny switchbacks which Laurie felt would be awesome if she were an ant on a bicycle. Part of her is still riding on the smooth twisty mountain roads of the French Alps.

We hiked through an old query site before reaching the Cabane de Plafleuri. Contrary to the stats, it felt like a tough day and we were happy to be done. 

Upon check in we discovered that they had canceled our reservation 3 days prior when Andy had called to confirm, like they ask us to do.

In the end it didn’t matter as there was room in the hut. We got settled in our dorm room (9 mats lined directly next to one another), used wet wipes to clean up (after hiking the PCT we don’t feel like we need a shower, especially one we have to pay 5 Swiss Francs for).

We went downstairs to the dining room to look at our route for tomorrow and to try to be social. 

By this time the English couple had arrived so we chatted about various things until it was time for dinner. 

Before serving food one of the gals read the weather report “Cloudy and rain tonight. Cloudy tomorrow morning. Sun in the afternoon but very windy.”

Hopefully we will have some decent views tomorrow.

We had another 4 course dinner consisting of soup, salad, beef stew, rice and canned peach with whipped cream.

With full tummies we retired to our dorm around 830 pm and were asleep by 930.

Tonight we are grateful for sure footing and warm soup.

Tuesday July 25, 2017

Verbier (La Chaux) to Cabane de Louvie

Miles: 5.95 mi

Elevation gain / loss: +1,827 ft / -1,875 ft

We woke up to the sound of cars driving on a wet road. Andy, who is still adjusting to this time zone, was wide awake at 4 am. Laurie groaned as she opened her eyes to a dark grey sky and rain at 7 am. 

As Laurie slowly peeled herself away from beneath her down comforter, Andy stood on the balcony happily watching cars come up and down the tortuous mountain road. 

He was like a little kid, mesmerized and amused, calling out all the different makes and models we don’t have in the States.

It continued to pour as we went downstairs for breakfast. We were in no hurry to walk into the wet outside world.

After a simple but tasty breakfast, our hotel gave us complimentary day passes for transportation around Verbier which included the gondolas and buses.

As the weather continued to change, we devised 3 plans. 

A) hike 9 miles from Verbier via Clambin and Les Shlerondes to Col Termin and down to Cabane de Louvie.

B) take the bus to Fionnay and walk 2.5 miles and 2800 feet up to Cabane de Louvie.

C) take the gondola from Verbier to La Chaux and hike 6 miles via Col Termin to Cabane de Louvie.

Given the rain and fog we opted to take advantage of our day passes. We figured we could take the gondola up to the top of the mountain, wander around and if the weather looked crappy we could come down and take the bus.

Unfortunately the top portion of the gondola was closed due to inclement weather. We took 2 separate gondolas (opting for a gondola rather than a chairlift because of the intermittent rain and wind) up to La Chaux. 

The clouds rolled in and out bringing moments of sunshine followed by sprinkling rain. The hillsides were green and covered in wildflowers.

Dressed in raincoats we wandered down the road. Once breathing the fresh mountain air and watching how quickly the clouds came and went, we decided to go with option C. 

We didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to see the surrounding mountains. And it looked like the worst of the rain had passed.

After about a kilometer down the road we noticed a foot path with red and white painted stripes on rocks. This is a signature marking on the Haute Route. 

We traversed the green hillsides, carefully looking at our feet to avoid stepping off the narrow trail. Views of the valley below and snow dusted rocks above drifted in and out with the clouds. 

Unfortunately due to the low lying clouds, we never got the expansive snow capped mountain panoramas that good weather would provide, but we were content to be hiking without rain.

A very nice man in a gear shop in Verbier described the trail today as flat. Thus, we were surprised when our “flat” trail made a sharp left and went straight up a ridge. “If this is what they consider flat I can’t wait to see what inclines look like” Andy said jokingly. 

After 2 hours and 15 minutes of walking, (in Europe they speak of trails in hours and minutes rather than distance), we reached Col Termin. One side was socked in but the other offered views of the small valley towns and their surrounding green fields.

“Everything in Switzerland is so organized” remarked Andy, “even the town layout and roads!”

We met another couple (Phil and Laura) at the Col. They were out for 3.5 weeks hiking a combination of the Tour de Mt Blanc and the Haute Route. Ironically, they were from Santa Cruz – a mere 90 minutes from our home in Oakland.

We both opted for the slightly longer but less steep trail down to the Cabane de Louvie. Shortly after leaving the Col the fog thinned and we could see Lake de Louvie and a small building on the southern end. 

We had spotted our destination but now had to descend 1000 feet to reach it’s warmth. Small piles of wet snowed lined the trail and the surrounding game trails. 

We took our time, gingerly placing our feet to avoid slipping on the wet rocks. We walked through a field of wild flowers and around the west side of the lake.

Within 200 meters of the hut Andy spotted a group do Ibex. Initially he counted 5 but as we got closer there were 14 of them! We watched in delight as these magnificent creatures grazed on grass.

Ibex are the size of dear with bodies more like cows. They are incredibly muscular and solid yet move gracefully up and down steep mountain slopes. They have long beautiful horns which we witnessed being used to scratch a leg and to defend territory.

As we walked away from the ibex it started to spit. We had arrived just in time!

We exchanged our shoes for the cabane crocs and settled into our private room with 2 twin beds.

Not sure what to do with ourselves since it was only 3 pm, we ate a snack and then went back outside to explore, hoping to catch glimpses of the majestic views that our guidebook says this hut affords. 

Unfortunately, soonafter the rain picked up and once again we retreated to the warmth of the hut. 

On days like today we feel grateful to not be camping. It is nice to have space to spread out without touching wet tent walls.

We played cards, chatted with hikers from Singapore, worked on the blog and read about tomorrow’s route until dinner at 7pm. 

We opted for the half board option at the huts which includes dinner and breakfast. Lunch we do on our own. We enjoyed a 4 course meal while sharing stories and plans  with 2 other couples at our table.

Andy nearly fell asleep sitting upright so we chose to retire early. By 8:45pm we were cozily nestled in our beds listening to the rain and wind outside.

Tonight we are grateful for another walking adventure together and our ability to be flexible in ever changing weather conditions. 

After a wonderful week of exploring the French Apls by bike and climbing parts of iconic mountain stages on the Tour de France, Laurie and her good friend Jeanie drove back to Italy to greet Andy in Milan.

We all shared a room in a descent hotel with a surprisingly delicious breakfast buffet. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that woman made all of this herself” Jeanie remarked as we stood over the array of cakes, muffins and other sweet treats.

We also had artisinal breads and cheeses, deli meats, hard boiled eggs and yogurt with many topping options to choose from.

After breakfast, we left our excess luggage at the hotel and headed for the train station.

Along the way we pulled into a large parking lot, where Laurie tried her hand at driving a stick shift Fiat Cinquecento (500). She regrets never learning when she had the opportunity in her teenage years and was super excited to spend a few minutes learning on a rental car.

Outside the train station we said our goodbyes to Jeanie and set off for our train to Verbier, Switzerland.

The full Haute Route traverses from Chamonix to Zermatt, but because we have limited time on our vacation we chose to start from Verbier to get the most out of our adventure.

We listened to the announcements in Italian, French and English (although neither of us speak the first two languages) which listed our stop – Sion – as what we thought was the 3rd one. As we pulled into what we thought was Sion, we shouldered our packs and disembarked.

We walked down to find a board with connecting train information to determine our next platform.

We couldn’t find any train going to Martigny- our next transfer point. But there were a few heading to Sion…weird.

“Are we sure this is Sion?” Laurie asked as she turned to Andy. Sheepishly Andy replied “possibly not!”

We ran back to our train and re-boarded just before the doors closed.

Whew!

We were relieved but also felt embarrassed and couldn’t help but laugh at our mistake.

The mountain bikers we met earlier (and to whom we had said goodbye to moments earlier) looked at us surprised. “One more stop” we explained as we continued to laugh at ourselves.

Lesson learned – look at the station sign before getting off! 

We rode for another 10 minutes through valleys with vineyards oriented in different directions, offering great texture to the hilsides. We correctly disembarked in Sion and transfered to another train that would take us to Martigny. From there we took another train to Le Chable, followed by the gondola to Verbier.

In Verbier it was cloudy and cold. Then it started spitting rain. And just as we put our rain jackets on, the clouds parted and we started roasting. 

We quickly made a plan, found a bank, withdrew Swiss francs and went to the Coop where we bought dinner. 

After checking into Hotel Les Touristes – a simple, low key hotel with very nice and hospitable staff, we went to our room and gorged on roast chicken, pesto, salad greens, corn crackers and brie.

We stood in a corner of the room, over a small table and ate like hungry stray dogs. “I haven’t had greens in over a week” Laurie exclaimed with her mouth full of chicken meat wrapped in fresh, delicious salad greens and pesto.

We managed to make a bit of a mess but clean up wasn’t terrible.

After dinner we relaxed a little. But this is when the nerves showed up. Laurie was anxious and felt we had done a poor job of packing because she left her pack cover at the hotel in Milan.

We had also chosen to forgo our down jackets since we never hike in them. And because we will be staying in huts, we didn’t anticipate needing them.

Andy reassured Laurie that everything would be ok. That we have mountain knowledge, are both good decision makers and no matter the conditions we would make the right calls.

Laurie was starting to relax. 

Since the wifi connection wasn’t very strong in our room we went downstairs to the dining area and created maps on Gaia GPS for all our hiking days. This really helped Laurie because now we had a plan for each day.

When looking at maps, the multitude of routes makes it overwhelming. The Swiss Topo maps look like a mess, so we were glad we got this done.

The staff told us of a free concert in town (classical music) but it started at 11pm. At 10:15 Andy took a ‘nap’ which lead to a deep sleep. Given his 2 days of travel with minimal sleep he is doing quiet well. Laurie wanted to get the most out of our town day but we chose rest instead.

Tonight we are grateful for wonderful friends and punctual Swiss trains.