ALPS TRIP PART 3

SATURDAY 6^TH AUGUST  -   We were grounded over Thursday and Friday due to more problems with the van.  After driving down the road on Wednesday, after the paragliding, the warning light for the Diesel particulate filter came on, followed by a flashing warning for the glow plugs.  Doing some research, we think it was due to our drive down from the Col du l’liseran the other day.  The DPF is supposed to keep your emissions clean by burning off soot from the diesel (or something like that) but to work properly it needs the engine to burn at a certain heat for a certain amount of time.  Folk who make short journeys around town often have problems with it.  Or, in our case, people who’s van engine runs from cold, from 2700 metres all the way down to 1000 metres without the engine heating up at all because the road is so steep that no acceleration is needed!  This, compounded with our drive on Wednesday which was very stop and starty, trying to find take off places to paraglide, which weren’t in the cloud.

Anyway, D seemed to think that because it was only emissions that the van was fine to drive.  But researching online we discovered this wasn’t the case and we needed to find a stretch of road where we could get engine speed up to 60mph or revs over 2, and maintain this for atleast 30 miles.  But if the DPF is over a certain level of saturation then  it needs to be sorted by a garage.

So Thursday was spent finding our nearest VW garage (in St Jean Maurienne, around 60km down the road thankfully!)  We then drove there to try and burn off this soot, unsuccessfully.  The usual communication problems ensued but they did plug in the diagnostic doodah into the engine and said that something needed to be updated after the work that was done previously (which was to repair some sensor.)  We were told it was okay to drive the van and to bring it back tomorrow as they didn’t have time to fit us in today.  Rats!  That was 2 days of scorchio weather wasted on van troubles.

Friday we drove back to the garage, left the van with them and went for a shop in town, returning an hour later to be told that they had updated something or other and we now had to try and drive the van to burn off the soot.  If this did not sort the problem then we would have to bring the van back a week later to replace the DPF (big job so will take all day supposedly!)  So it turns out that booting the van for 30miles didn’t work and we now have to fork out a grand to get the van sorted!

Gutted!  We were both very tempted to say, ‘feck it!’ and just start driving back home.  This holiday has been jinxed by so many things so far that we’re not both sure that if we get up into the mountains then we’ll both fall in a crevasse and die or something!  Although, I did say that maybe we should stay because fate might have us drive home and we’d end up in a horrific car crash or something!  Yes we were both feeling rather pessimistic.  In the end we decided to stay and I felt much more optimistic after finding a Alpinism guide in a local shop that has loads of interesting peaks to climb in the area.  It is written in French but it’s 100x better than the guide we bought from Needlesports for this area, which is in English but is absolutely ancient!

We spent last night getting pissed on a local Chardonnay and today we went for a short walk up to the de l’Arpont refuge which is a base for doing one of the local mountains above 3500m.  It wasn’t very exciting (at all!) but it was still good to get out and stretch our legs after a couple of days of being  cooped up doing nothing.  We’d decided to walk there as the weather forecast was for showers but we could have done something more exciting in the end as there were only 2 very light showers during the whole of the day!

The walk up starts of steeply, through woodland, winding up and up and up and up for over 1000 metres.  Like doing a munro, but starting at munro height!  The scenery was pretty though once out of the woods and we caught snitches of the glacier above when the cloud cleared enough.  At one point we came across a herd of sheep (there was hundreds of them!) with their 2 shepherds and dogs.  The dogs are known as Pastou and they are big white, fluffy beasts which guard the flocks of sheep from harm.  If you encounter them, they are supposed to be very interested in your presence and want to check you out to make sure you are not of any threat.  Well the doggy we encountered was a gentle giant who came over to say hello and to be petted.  Though I suspect he was possible an older doggy as there was another dog below with the sheep who was a bit more threatening.

 It wasn’t long after this point that we reached the hut, around another hour.  It’s a quaint wee hut though I suspect it is privately run.  I tried to ask about the peak above with a few folk but all that I spoke to had only been to a lake an hour and half above.  I suspect that this hut is used more by walkers going along the GR5 from hut to hut in the Vannoise, as opposed to those climbing any peaks.  We hung around for a while though (me eating cake of course!) feeding the free range hens that were pecking about and watching the marmots who were tamer than usual.  Then it took us a couple of hours of slogging downhill to get back to the village shop and to the campsite.

Weather is for heavy rain and thunderstorms tomorrow morning so we’re heading to Modane to look around the shops.  Then on Monday the weather looks a bit iffy too but Tuesday might be okayish so we may go up a peak called Rochermelon which is one of the easier 3500m peaks in the area, though a very long day.  Indications are that Thursday may be okay, if so we’ll head up to the Dent Parachee hut on Wednesday and get up our first big hill on Thursday.  Then the van has to go back to the garage on Friday.  This has screwed up all our plans to go to Italy and the Monte Rosa but we’ll just making do with what is around here instead.

ALPS TRIP PART 2

MONDAY 1^st AUGUST -  We did the Lessieres Traverse today which goes at PD and in my book, in this case, the PD stands for pile of dogpoo!  Andy Hodges guide book to the area likens the ridge to the Aonach Eagach, what a load of bollocks!  If you’re expecting the AE then you’ll be sorely disappointed.  In fact, there was only one section really that had anything reminiscent of the Aonach Eagach and that was the descent from L’Ouillete which was quite exciting in a couple of places!  The ridge starts from the highest col in Europe, the Col d’leseran at 2770m.  D had been worried about the van driving up that high but I was more worried about the guide book description of the awkward descent from the first peak, Point des Lessieres.  The ridge itself is only 8km from car to car but it felt like a really long day to me, traversing over four 3000 metre peaks, Point Des Lessieres, L’Ouillete, Pointe De L’Arselle and Pelaou Blanc, the highest at 3135m.  

We started off pretty late in the day, around middayish after the van drive up which wasn’t *too* bad.  D was amazing and drove the van really slowly for me, though probably just as much to stop me from squealing and gasping in his ear!  The Col de L’iseran is a very touristy spot and was full of bikers (getting their photo taken at the top) and motorbikers (one of which was a complete and utter nutter, taking a bend fast enough that his knee was nearly scraping along the ground!) and general tourists and walkers like ourselves.

Because the col is so high, there is only 300m of ascent to be made to the top of the first peak.  It started off pretty chossy, with one clean section of rock which had been ruined by an iron wire as a handrail, which was pretty loose anyway!  I thought the rock might get nicer nearer the top but it was pretty minging all the way up.  But just typical chossyness by alpine standards really. 

I was slow going up, getting some serious calf burn as I had my stiff boots on.  I really need to get my calf muscles seen to as they are a literal pain!  I had the excuse to slow down however when I got stuck behind a family of grandparents, parents and children heading up, the children being carried, lucky buggers!  It wasn’t too long before we were at the top however but we didn’t hang about for too long.  Couldn’t really get any pics from the top as the family were kinda in the way (it was a small summit!)

So, to the awkward descent…………………

It wasn’t so much awkward as utterly disgusting!  Now I know that alpine ridges can be chossy and loose but this was taking the piss!  I’m used to ledges covered in loose stone and rubble, but this was just mud covered in loose stone and rubble!  Not once of that descent was there any clean rock and nice holds, regardless of what the guide mentioned about nice incut holds, aye right!

The second peak however was much nicer.  There were nice holds and cleaner rock here, though still loose and rubbly, but just typical alpine stuff.  The descent from the 2^nd peak also had a couple of tricky steps, though they just tended to look intimidating but were easy enough in reality.  Apart from the one section, the rest of the ridge was either boring or disgusting.  The ascent of the 3^rd peak was the worst section on the hole ridge!  To be fair to the guide book author, he does mention that the schist is slippery in the wet, and there was a section going up to the 3^rd peak that was wet due to the melting snow.  D had gone ahead of me after I’d stopped for a pee and after climbing a small section reckoned that the better way was around this big block.  So I set off around it, easily at first, but the going underfoot got looser and steeper until I was faced by a traverse around a corner into a groove of 45 degree wet schist with muddy, ballbearing choss lying on top!  Fecking great!  I told D not to bother coming my way, that even though his way hadn’t looked great and had to be better than my way!  And just as well as every step I took upwards was knocking loose blocks and dirt, tumbling off down the mountain.  My heart was going like the clappers as I trusted each foot step to the choss and I exhaled with relief when I finally got back on to the crest  and more solid ground.

Quick stop for a bite to eat on the 3^rd peak and it was just a walk down to the next col and up to the last peak.  I think the only saving grace of the whole ridge was the 2^nd peak but also the views.  We’re not entirely sure what we were seeing but we could definitely see where we were yesterday and the Dent Parachee and Grand Casse, but we could also see what we thought was the Bar du Ecrin and possibly Mont Blanc in the distance.  We thought we saw Gran Paradiso poking through the cloud at one point too.

Yet again, towards the end of the day I started to get a headache.  It’s definitely related to the heat!  I really don’t know how to get round  it as I lather myself in suncream, I have a sunhat on and sunglasses but it just exhausts me being under the glare of  it all day long!  I took a painkiller at the top of the 3^rd peak but it helped a little but I could still feel it lingering in the background and by the time we were coming off down the last peak it was really grating at me and making me feel like my head was in a fuzzy bubble.

The descent involves crossing old glacier morain which seemed to go on forever and ever and ever.  I wondered if the moon was like this, then I wondered if one day in the future, like long, long into the future, if space travel were ever to be possible, how cool it would be to go on mountaineering trips to other planets (yes, the heat was getting to me!)  The moraine takes you down to the road and the path continued for around 3-4km back to the Col and the carpark.  However, this walk back felt more like 10miles it seemed to drag forever on and upwards, the heat and sun beating down and totally zapping me, my head thumping and starting to go that ever so slightly delirious way when I’m drained and exhausted by the sun.  I was glad to finally be back at the carpark but gutted that the café was closed, I had been so looking forward to ice cream!  A semi chilled bottle of coke from the tourist shop had to suffice.

D was great on the way back down, making an effort not to drive too fast, though I still squealed and gasped on a couple of occasions.  We stopped off at Lanslebourg on the way back to the campsite, for something to eat and D even forewent his vegetarianism for the evening!  Well, he didn’t have much choice really, the French just don’t do vegetarian food in these wee places.  In fact, I don’t have a clue why folk go on about French cuisine cos it’s crap as far as I’m concerned.  It’s all meat and one veg (not even meat and two veg!) and the meaty dishes are too meaty and too salty.  We ended up with Duck leg and cabbage with bacon (there was no need for the bacon which just served to make the cabbage salty/smoked tasting!)  In saying that though, D did have a goat’s cheese salad for a started which was actually really nice.  I had Gazpacho, which wasn’t anything as nice as the Spannish.  D had apple crumble for dessert and I had a lemon tart which made me cheeks sook in it was so sour!

TUESDAY 2^ND AUGUST  -  Well today has been a bit of a non starter.  We had planned to go up another 3000 metre peak by it’s North Ridge down by the Col De Mount Cenis area but the whole day has been a bit of a fuck up.  Firstly, I forgot to set the alarm and D presumed that I was just meaning to have a lie in.  I slept badly again, up between 3 and 4, too damn hot!  And it was the back of nine before we woke up.  We ate breakfast and then rushed off into town to find out about a paragliding session for Wednesday if possible, and to buy a loaf of bread from the shop (they have normal bread, none of this white baguette nonsense!)  By the time we’d got ourselves organised it was nearly midday and we set off for the Col.  Missing our turn off, we stopped at Lanslevard to turn back and it was then that I noticed pools of water on the van floor.  I went to investigate and discovered that my bladder in my rucksack had emptied all of its 2 litres of water into my sack and onto the floor.  Fecking great!  We gave up on the idea of heading up the mountains today and decided to drive down to Modane instead for a spot of noseying around the shops.  D and I then had a tiff which left me in tears and I didn’t feel like doing much of anything after that.  I hate crying, it drains me even more than the sun does!  And just at that point in time, I wished we’d never gone on holiday and I wished I was free of the humdrum that relationships can bring at times.  But like all superficial emotions, the moment is fleeting and all it takes is one look at D’s eyes and I burst out laughing.  My man.  Ours isn’t the easiest of relationships, but I wouldn’t change anything for the world and I love him so much in all his idiosyncrasies.  And I’m glad he puts up with mine.

Crisis over, I dry my eyes, take a deep breath and then life is back to normal.  We’re sat at the campsite now, climbing rope being used as a drying line for the load of washing I’ve just done and yes, yes, I know that ropes shouldn’t be out in the bright sun, but they’d be out in the bright sun if I was climbing with it and it’s only a short, old rope to be used for glacier crossings (if we ever get there)

Had a phone call from a man in the village earlier too and it looks like my paragliding session is all booked for tomorrow.  Got to meet him outside the tourist office at 8.20am tomorrow.  OH MY GOD!  I AM GOING PARAGLIDING!  OH MY GOD!  I’m so excited and I just know that come tomorrow morning I’m going to be utterly crapping myself, eeeeeeeeeeek!  I’ve had an inkling to try paragliding for years but never got round to it.  Dunno how I’m going to find it, if I find fairground rides and driving in cars around tight bends sickening.  But it’s going to be fun, oh yes!

3^rd AUGUST  -   So I went paragliding and it was AMAZING!  Usually I inwardly cringe when people use the word awesome to describe something really good as it’s just so American, but this *was* truly FECKING AWESOME!  The only thing that I didn’t like about it was that we were only in the air for around 15 mins, just not long enough!

Met up with Philippe of By Air at 8.20am in the morning outside the Tourist Info building in Termignon then we followed his van to Lanslivard where we picked up another instructor.  I don’t know this guy’s name but he was a clichéd surfer/snowboarder/midlengthed haired/goateed beared/dude type which tickled me.  We then drove further up the road and picked up more clients and more instructors and then waited about for 10 minutes whilst the guys decided where the best place to go was.  The forecast was good for the morning but with the weather turning later in the day and there was cloud building in the sky and low mist forming which could make things too dangerous to fly.

Philipe had some info that the lake at Mount du Col Cenis might be clearer so we drove over the pass and towards the Italian border.  Well, D drove and we followed the van with the instructors in it and the car with the  other clients.  The lake was a no-go however and Phillipe was most apologetic but I shrugged it off, they don’t control the weather, much like a climbing guide wouldn’t control the rain on a cragging day!  So we drove back to the main road and headed further up the valley to Bonival which is around half way between Termignon and the high col where we were the other day.

Thankfully the air was clear of low cloud here and it was safe to fly, hurrah!  Starting to get nervous  now………………  

D waited at the landing area for photos and I’m kicking myself for not taking my camera up with me as there was loads of opportunity for photos!  We drove up towards the Col de l’Iseran and then took a dirt track off up into the hills.  Philippe asked why we had driven so slowly and I had to explain that there little, windy roads made me feel sick!  Paragliding instructor ‘dude’ offered me his hat to throw up in and they all had a good laugh.  I reassured him that I would not be sick in his van and I was hoping that they wouldn’t think that I needed kid glove treatment either.

Before long we reached the end of the track and the top of a bluff where I think they take off from regularly as there was a wind sock in place.  Philippe explained to me that we were going to run off down the slope towards a drop.   Eeeeek!  He said that it wasn’t a big cliff or anything and that we would probably have taken off before we actually hit the edge.  He also said that I shouldn’t sit down until we were off the ground as it ‘makes things complicated.’  I guess if the instructor is trying to run forward and the client is pulling back then it aborts the take off if the client tries to  park their bum down.  There were 4 of us flying and Philippe let a couple of the others go first so I could see how they took off and everyone else sat down and had to start again!  I was the only one who managed to take off properly.

 

As he mentioned, we hadn’t even reached the edge of the slope where it dropped off steeply before we took off.  There was no lurching involved and it was really easy and non intimidating, piece of cake really! And wow, what a feeling!  You’re sat there in this comfy wee canvas bucket seat with your legs dangling into the void below and you just cruise around and glide so smoothly and gracefully through the air.  On a few occasions we hit an upwards stream of air (I assume) and are lifted up higher and again, it’s really a really smooth pull up, not lurching at all, so I don’t get that lurching, sick feeling in my belly at all, just a wee surge of excitement, woop woop!

We fly past a gully with a river flowing down and he explains that you can often see animals stopping to drink there, but not today, then we pull in low to the hillside and I see a marmot running along the ground with it’s big, black bushy tail behind him.  We lean into the direction where we want to turn and Phillipe doesn’t have to tell me when to stop leaning as it just feels natural to me and I know when to lean and when to stop. 

We glide down the  hillside, back and forth and follow the high road for a short while.  I thought it would be cool to pass above a car but none came.  We then approached Bonival and I could see the van below.  Rats, don’t want it to end!  But Philippe turned the chute round and we flew over the village itself doing a couple of rounds.  The village looked so cool from above,  not quite as small as a toy village as we weren’t that high by this point.  Then it had to end unfortunately!  I saw one of the other gliders landing before us and the client skidded along on their bum.  I asked if it was not more normal to land on your feet and it was explained to me, that just like taking off, clients always seem to want to sit and that there was an air bag under the seat to make it less bumpy.  He just told me to stick my legs out and I would land on my bum.  That was fun!  The ground comes hairing up at you and you go sliding along your bum on the grass, I gave out another woop woop!

This is something I just *have* to do again!  I’d quite like to look into how you can go about learning how to paraglide as it’s just the most amazing thing ever, so peaceful and relaxing.  I can remember there is quite a lot to it though, like learning about reading air currents and what’s safe and what’s dodgy.  Definitely gotta do some more of this!

ALPS TRIP 2011 -July 27th to August 18th

Sat out in the sunshine of the campsite in Termignon in the Vanoise Alps in France.  The sun is shining and it’s good to be here.  But Christ it’s been an epic and a half!  D has been having some pretty full on dental surgery and I’ve been kicking myself for not suggesting that he cancel the appointment to have 6 teeth removed a week and a half before our trip.  Yes, he’s had a lot of bother with them and yes, being a man, has buried his head in the sand that there was the slight possibility that there could be an infection and that’s why there is pain.  So, after much nagging from myself and a dentist appointment and course of antibiotics later he was on the road to recovery.  Problem one solved.

Problem 2, the van insurance…………….4 days before our departure date we get a letter saying that the insurance company want an extra £200 as they have no proof of D’s full no claim’s bonus as he’d forgotten to send the proof to his previous company.  So, many phone calls later and we were still no further forward with Direct Line threatening to cancel our policy if we didn’t get it sorted.  It’s a long and protracted, agonising and stressful story but I finally got it fixed.  

Problem 3, D has some sort of reaction to the antibiotics he is on, nausea, digestive discomfort etc and yes, being a man, sits and procrastinates and is full of ‘woe is me’-ness and is undecided whether he will go on holiday or not.  I feel utterly torn.  Do I bugger off to France on my own and just play on some lesser mountains or do I do the supportive wife bit and stay at home with him and make sure he’s alright, knowing fine well that if he *is* okay within a few days and we’ve missed our holiday that I’m going to be a right grumpy and miserable cow for the foreseeable future.  On the other hand, if D is at home, ill and I’ve buggered off to France, then what sort of unfeeling and selfish person does that make me?  Anyway, problem 3 was solved when D decided that he would come along anyway, as we’re convinced that when his treatment is finished he will start feeling much better and regret not coming.

Problem 4, problem with the van engine…………..we got as far as part way down the road to Lille from Dunkerque when the Engine Management warning light came on.  We pulled over as soon as we could and D went to investigate.  Oil, check, water,check, brake fluid check, um other fluid, check.  No manual in the van, so not a Scooby what the light means.  A quick phone call to Bekah’s Dad back in Dundee who although not a mechanic, is more clued up about cars that either D or I, and we find out that it could be something or it could be nothing!  Basically, there is a problem with the engine and it will need a garage with a hook up to an electrical/computer diagnostic doodah.  Plan…………..close all the blinds on the windows and get some shut eye for a couple of hours before we deal with the situation.  D has had 2hrs sleep in the past 24hrs and I have had 1hrs sleep.  We did try to sleep before Dover but it was too hot for me and I was getting restless legs and was too achy to sleep.

So a couple of hours later and we’re driving to the nearest town where we find a Citreon garage only to be told that we need a VW garage.  Thankfully there is one in the nearby town of Hazebrouck and it doesn’t take us long to find.  A wait of a couple of hours and one hundred euros down and the van is fit for the road again.  Don’t have a clue what the problem was as the bill is in French (google translator might come in handy later on)  The man did come out and point to the bit that needed replacing and it looks electrical but I don’t know what it is.

I had been dreading problem number 5 being the campsite full, sorry no spaces but thankfully here we are.  D is still feeling under the weather and now I’m not so convinced that it’s a side effect of the antibiotics as I’ve had to rush off to the toilet twice now and I’m feeling dizzy everytime I stand up.  Feel like I’m coming down with something.  Rats!  Two ill and grumpy feckers on holiday, joy!   I WILL NOT BE ILL ON HOLIDAY! 

Plan is to walk into town for some maps tomorrow then perhaps take a walk up to Lac Blanc and a nearby refuge.  It’s a short walk of 6km with nothing strenuous so I’m sure we’ll manage in our present state.  Although toilet stops could get interesting!

Sat 30^th July -  Well, I’ve gone back to thinking that the problem with D is related to the antibiotics and my grumbly tummy is just to do with eating crap like Beanfeasts and tinned beans and sausages on the way down.  A wee grumble this morning and fine after that.  But D is still not feeling 100% so I was on my own today on the walk up to the Lac Blanc.  We went into town first to buy some maps, mission successful and we now own maps of Les Trois Vallees, Val Cenis and Tignes, Val-D’Isere Haute maurienne.

Termignon is a lovely wee place!  With old French looking buildings and plenty of wee tourist shops.  There are 2 cheeseries which I’m sure Bekah would love and a chocolate shop which of course had to be visited!  Also found an outdoory type shop which has a sale on and has a softshell jacket similar to the one I own (over £200) which is on sale for 35 euros, very tempted to go back and buy it!  I’ve also discovered that they do tandem paragliding rides nearby for 70 euros and I’m really tempted to give it a go one day.

So after our trip into town, D decides that he’ll just stay at the campsite and maybe go for a wee stroll later, so I get my stuff sorted and head off for a local bus that takes you from Termignon up to Bellacombe for free.  The bus ride is scary!  Horrible, narrow, windy alpine tracks, sharp bends above hair raising drops, sickening!  I had to clutch my seat on several occasions!  Half an hour later and I’m there and happy to jump off the bus.  I spot my path pretty much straight away and head off.

I can see tantalising wee glimpses of spikey and snowy peaks poking out through the cloud on occasion and they look gorgeous, definitely got to get up there soon!  Signs say half an hour to the lower carpark of Coetet but I’m there in much quicker time, even after a short stop off at the Saint Marguerite Chapel.  Cross the road at the carpark then slog up to the Lac Blanc.  Crikey, I’m not feeling that fit and this is an easy walk!  There’s just one little steep section at 2187 metres and it’s got me huffing and puffing a bit, but I’m determined to keep the same pace and not slow down, my calf muscles don’t thank me for it!

The lake is really pretty, but even better is the view up to the Vanoise Glacier and peaks above and then West across to the Dent Parachee.  That looks an impressive mountain and I’m looking forward to climbing it, hopefully this week some time!  There’s a lot more snow about than I’d expected though.  I know that Chamonix has had a hell of a lot of snow but I thought with this area being lower that it wouldn’t have gotten as much, but anything over around 2500-3000m has snow on it, albeit patchy lower down.  I hung around the lake for around half an hour then made my way up to the Refuge lacBlanc, declining a visit as I wanted to press on.

Arrived back at Bellacombe an hour before the next bus was due back to Termignon and recalling that I’d seen signs on the way to Coetet that said Termignon was 2hrs away, I decided to walk back rather than take the bus.  Quite glad I did as it was a nice walk through the Forest Domaniale des Sallanches passing buy some funky limestone towers on the way and an equestrian centre which had the cutest little foal ever wandering about who came over to say hello and have his neck scratched.  I made it back the campsite from Bellacombe in 1.5hrs, beating the bus anyway!

Not sure what we’ll do tomorrow yet.  D is looking through the guide book and hopefully he will be fit enough to do something.  Hopefully a longer walk (todays was 4.5hrs, in the baking sunshine I should add) than today and maybe a wee scramble if he feels up to it.

SUNDAY 31ST

D finally made it out , woop woop!  So much nicer to have his company rather than beon my own.  He just fancied a fairly short day though to see how weak or strong he felt, but in the end he was going totally fine and fitter than me as usual!  We took a walk up to the Pointe de Lanserlia at just under 3000 metres.  We took the bus up to Bellacombe again, with me on the seat away from the window.  I’ve discovered that if I close my eyes and don’t look at the bends and drops then I don’t feel so sick.  We caught the 9.30 bus and were walking by 10.20.  I’d bought Andy Hodges guide book called Mountain Adventures in the Maurienne but his description of where to go was at odds with what I was reading on the map.  I could see the ridge up to point 2879m on the map and I could see the same ridge poking it’s head out from the mist, but I was confused by descriptions of passing Le Plou where you can buy cheese and eggs.  The path doesn’t go past this farm at all!  So if anyone is reading this, then simply follow the GR 5 path until you pass the first ravine and this is where you start going uphill, there is a faint path.  The rest of the description is correct enough though.

Soon we were dragging our asses up the steep and grassy hill (well, I was dragging my ass, D seemed to be going fine, and the ridge isn’t that steep but it felt steep to me.)  I seem to feel the effects of altitude really easily and starting at anything above 2000m then I can feel it alright!  We reached the first top in just under 2hrs after much fannying about with D having to find a source of water to fill his bladder and then getting confused by the guide description.  We ended up walking along the GR 5 for far too long and having to back track and contour up towards the ridge.

The views from the top are amazing though!  Across to Grande Casse, her South Face looking like a Torridian mountain and covered in snow with the huge fracture line of a cornice at one point.  Made me wonder how much snow is on this hill on the North side!  In front of the Grand Casse we could see the funky looking Pointes de Pierre Brune looking like something from some deserty region in America.  In fact, it’s an amazing place altogether.  Walking down from our peak it seemed funny to me that we were walking down this green valley, with rocky, tottering towers above, and snowy peaks higher still.  Like 3 separate places all in one.  

Over to the East we could see the Impressive looking Point du Grand Vallon (which I’d like to climb on this trip) and the even more impressive Grand Roc Noir at 3582 metres, it’s towers covered with snow and looking very intimidating indeed.  Be curious to see what this peak goes at and if there is any serious climbing on it’s eastern cliffs which look really impressive!  Back to the SW we could see tantalising glimpses of the Dent Parachee peeking out of the cloud, another peak we plan to do on this trip.

It doesn’t take long at all to reach the summit of Point de Lanserlia from point 2879 and we hung around for a while on the summit, just relaxing and taking photos.  Just to the North of this peak, lie the Rochers de Lanserlia though I don’t imagine there is much climbing on them as they look pretty tottering and chossy, but impressive to look at all the same!

The way down into the Grand Vallon is really pretty and at one point there is a really curious hole in the ground surrounded by chalky limestone walls which looks almost like the remnants of an old glacier.  I’m really curious to find out if it is.  Once down into the valley, it’s a bit of a slog back along a level track which reminded me of the Pony Track on Ben Nevis back home, simply due to the fact that there was so many people!

We were pretty early for the bus back to Termignon so we stopped off at the touristy refuge du Plan du Lac and I had 2 cokes (the woman though D wanted one too so I drank his as well as he didn’t want it.)  I also had the most delicious apple crumble I have ever tasted in my entire life!  Mmmmmmmm, nice crumbly pastry, with an apple filling, topped with a crumble with pieces of almonds and raisins and sprinklings of cinnamon, topped off with a side serving of a little cream and a drizzle of some sort of liquer.

I’d been getting a crappy headache and stopping off and eating and having a big drink, necking some painkillers in the process, seemed to shift it into the background.   I’m still none the wiser as to what causes these headaches when I go on holiday as I seem to get one every time!  Although I didn’t get one when I went to costa Blanca.  I’m still sure it’s to do with exerting myself in the heat rather than anything to do with altitude.  I was up at 3000 metres today and my head was fine, it only got sore once we were lower (at 2400) and I didn’t get a headache yesterday.  They seem to come on really quickly as well.  One minute I’m fine and then within seconds I’ve got a horrible headache.  Luckily this one wasn’t too bad, there was just one moment where it was thumping when there was an uphill section.  I made sure I was wearing hat all day today though I didn’t put on my sunglasses until later in the day.  And I’m sure I was drinking plenty as when the headache came on and I made an effort to drink, I started needing the toilet every bloody 5 minutes!

The bus ride back to Termignon wasn’t too bad with just a few intakes of breath as the driver kept on braking too suddenly for my liking!  We made a quick visit to the outdoor shop which was still open and I bought a red softshell jacket made from exactly the same materials as my Mountain Equipment one but around £200 cheaper!  And D bought himself a pair of approach shoes.  We’re going to do a traverse of the Lessiers tomorrow which goes at PD and is supposed to be similar to the Aonach Eagach.  Another day of sun forecast for tomorrow, should be good!