2013
Day 45: 20 July, Refuge de l’Aiguille to Modane
We had a late breakfast in the sun, Nutella and bread. We packed and climbed downhill through the forest.
This was Christers last hiking day, so it felt extra sad to walk down. It was quite steep. In an hour we reached Modane (1070 m).
Christers last steeps before entering Modane.
We picked up our parcel at the post office and visit the tourist office to find out about accommodations. We chooses to stay at the camping. On our way to the camping we made some shopping at a nice sport store, I bought a knife to Christer and a new top. Yrr bought a new water system.
The camping was ok but the showers was turned off.
Christer took us out for dinner, we ate cheese fondue at a nice place run by three ladies probably sisters.
Day 46: 21 July, Modane
Resting day. We ate breakfast in the sun outside the tent. Then we took a shower and washed some clothes before we went to the supermarket to buy food and some other things we needed.
Casino supermarket
When we came back we moved from our tents to a small refuge that was on the camping, we got the little house all for our selves with a nice porch. We made ”fattiga riddare” bread fried in eggs for lunch and a glass of cider. We relaxed in the afternoon and updated the blog, we hadn’t had wi fi for over a week.
Ýrr and Anna updating the blog
We made delicious dinner, fresh sausages, mushroom risotto, salad and creme brulè for desert.
Delicious sunday dinner!
Day 47: 22 July, Modane to Les Granges de la Valle Etroite
We had a last breakfast with Christer on the veranda of the refuge. At 8 we took farewell of each other, Christer walked to the train station to start his journey back home and we hitched hiked up to Valfrejus. I (Anna) felt a bit sad, it had been a pleasure to spend some nice days with Christer in the mountains.
Valfrejus is a ski resort just a few hundred meters above Modane. Our backpacks was extra heavy this day as we had brought food for some days.
At a water spring we shared the last creme brûlée from the evening before, again very nice!
It started with a climb up to 2434 meter, the first bit following a road in a forest and then we came up to a more open landscape, with beautiful surrounding and views.
We had lunch just before the col de la Vallee Etroite.
At the col it started to go down again. Some of the mountains reminded us about the Dolomites, very rough and rocky. The climb down was sometimes steep and heavy for your knee but we enjoyed every step as the surrounding was remarkable.
We reached the small and village Les Granges de la Vallee Etroite (close to the Italian border) around 13.00. An old village with a lot of nice stone houses. It seemed well visited. The first refuge, Rifugio Tre Alpini, was full and we where not aloud to set up our tent with out having dinner there. It felt very unwelcoming and not a common behavior at a refuge. At the same time it started to rain very heavily and we sat down outside of the refuge.
After a half hour we walked to another refuge, Rifugio Re Magi, they where much more friendly and could offer us two beds and we where welcomed to cook our own food.
We had some wine before having a warm shower and do our daily wash up.
For dinner we made some lentil stew. The refuge also invited every guest for a drink and some snacks. Closest we have been to a cocktail party for a long time!
Day 48: 23 July La Vallèe Etroite (Rifugio Re Magi) to Lac de Cristol
We climbed up from the village in a forest. We came to a wonderful big open green area on the top, with view in all directions.
We walked through it and walked down on the other side it was quite steep and a long track down to Chapelle des Ames a small village, and from there to the next village Névache. We decided to take GR 5C a higher level route. It was long and steep two hours climbing up to the lake lac de Cristol (2245m)
Looking down at Névache where we came from
The sun was shining and we were really hot. We were tired when we reached the lake. It was a beautiful place, We found a place to put up the tent, sat down and fell asleep. We woke up and realised the weather was changing, the rain was coming. We put up the tent and then it started raining. We relaxed in the tent for almost two hours and listened to the rain. When it stopped Anna made thai dinner, rice, vegetables coconut milk, peanutbutter and red curry, and then it started raining again.
The tent and Anna making dinner at Lac de Cristol
Dramatic weather
We ate inside the tent, listening to the rain and thunder outside.
Day 49: 24 July, Lac de Cristol to Chalets de Vers le Col
After a rainy and windy night we woke up when the sun reached the tent. We had a lovely slow morning at the lake. The tent was wet, we let it dry in the sun before packing it down.
We where ready to leave around ten, starting to climb up to the Porte de Cristol, 2483 meter.
Leaving our nice campsite at the lake
At the Porte de Cristol
From there we followed a flat track for some kilometers until we reached Col Granon, it was nice and easy walk.
At the col it was only downhill, all the way down to Briacon at 1180 m. We decided to hitch hike down to save our knees. The first car stopped, a very nice family took us to a neighbor village of Briancon.
We stopped at a bar/food store and had some peach jus on the outside and ate our lunch. The place was own by a very sweet old couple, the let us stay even during the siesta.
After an hour break we continued and we soon had a lift by two old men. They drove us all the way to Briancon. We walk through the city to reach GR5 again. The first part was a heavy climb through the forest and it started to be a bit late in the afternoon and our plan was to reach the refuge at the Chalets de Vers Le Col (2163 meter) before it was to late, so we hitch hiked again. This time a very sweet girl,with her kids or it might have been her two little brothers, picked us up. They where going fishing. They dropped us of at the smal nice village, Chalets de Ayes.
From there we had one hour nice climb through some forest up to the unstaffed refuge. Unfortunately the refuge was quite dirty and full of flies. Outside there was a lot of cow shit and the smell was quite bad. We decided to find a campsite nearby instead.
It was tricky to find a flat area but it was a nice valley that could compensated a uncomfortable sleep. And the view was magnificent.
We made some potato pancakes, or more likely scramble potato pancakes, with dried ham. For dessert we had some almond cake from the store we visit earlier in the afternoon.
It was a nice evening and not to cold. We went to bed just before the sun went down.
Day 50: 25 July, Chalets de Vers le col to Chateau Queyras
We woke up early, before the sun reached us over the mountains. It was still a little cold. We started to make breakfast but the gas ran out right before the water started boiling, no coffee or tee this morning only müsli with milk. We climbed up to the top Col des Ayes 2547m. It was cold and fresh in the beginning but when we got closer to the top the sun reached us. The view was beautiful in all directions, we stopped for a while and enjoyed before we walked down on the other side.
There was a little bit of snow on the top. It got warmer and warmer the farther down we got. We met quite a lot of day walkers on their way up to the top. We also saw some climbers climbing up a huge mountain-wall. We passed a camping in the woods, it looked cosy. We borrowed the toilette, but when we came out we met an angry woman that told us the toilets where only for camping guests and pointed at a sign in french. I offered to pay but she decided just to continue being angry. We continued down to the small village Brunissard, by the time we got there it was almost noon and it was really hot! Considering to the guidebook there was supposed to be a bus to Chateau Queyras. We decided to take it because we didn’t want to walk in the valley in the heat. But the bus didn’t go on Thursdays. We started walking my feet boiled, we stopped and hitchhiked. Pretty soon a car stopped and a young couple, climbers, picked us up and took us to our destination Chateau Queyras. The village with a the chateau, was really beautiful. We walked through it down to the camping in the end of the village.
The chateau
After we putted up our tent we washed our clothes and ourselves, after two nights of free camping we were really longing for hot water! We relaxed outside the tent while our clothes were drying.
We went to a restaurant, that serwed local dishes, for dinner. It tasted delicious!
Tartaflette
Day 51: 26 July, Chateau-Queyras to Celliac
We did some practical stuff on the internet before leaving, we rarely have connection so we have to take every chance we get.
The sun was shining and we started to climb, the first part through forest and some grassy fields.
After two hours we got the first view of the col de fromage, you would expect that you would get some cheese on the top. But unfortunately we did’t.
Col de Fromage (cheese in French)
We had lunch all most at the top, on a grassy slop with a nice view.
We continue to the top, the last part went via a rather flat track, nice for a change.We took a break at the col (2386 m) to enjoy the view before heading down to Ceillac, all the way down to 1639 m.
At the top
Celliac happened to be a nice active village. We first went to the post office to pick up our parcel and repack it. A very nice and helpful women worked there. The opposite from the unfriendly women at the post office in Val d’isere.
Afterwards we sat down and had a glass of wine before looking for a Gite for the night. We got two beds at a big Gite that had a great, well equipped kitchen that we could use. We made some pasta with mushroom (black trumpet) and bacon. For dessert we had some blueberry/almond tart. It tasted really nice. We accompanied it with some white wine.
As usual we went to bed really early, did some reading before turning the light off.
Day 52: 27 July, Ceillac to Lac st Anne
We ate breakfast in the kitchen at the gite, yogurt and fruit. We walked along a river for about 20 minuets before we started climbing up the hill in a forest. It was quite steep and it was really hot. After about 2 hours we came to the lake Lac Miroir (2214m) we sat down and had some lunch, it was a wonderful place. After a while we decided to take a swim in the lake.
Anna taking a swim in Lac Miroir
The water was of course cold, but not that cold, it was nice actually. We dried in the sun before we continued to the next lake Lac St Anne (2415m). It was more than beautiful! A totally blue lake surrounded by green grass and stone-grey mountains. We had decided to look for possibilities to put up a tent by the lake. We found a spot and I (Ýrr) decided to take a swim also in this lake. It was colder than the other one but really refreshing after the climbing in the sun.
Ýrr swimming in Lac St Anne
Anna and Ýrr relaxing at Lac St Anne
We relaxed for hours in the sun, waiting for the day tourists to disappear. I did some reading and Anna made some I pad drawings of the mountains. When we were alone we made dinner and put up the tent. We had brought some white wine with us and had a glass, luxury!
We made a fire and boiled some water to drink.
We enjoyed being in the big and beautiful nature in a this wonderful place, looking at the colours changing while the sun slowly moved behind the mountains.
Day 53: 28 July, Lac St. Anne to Lac Vallonet
Waking up at the lake was nice, the sun hit the tent at 7. We had breakfast, musli and milk.
It was a quite windy day but the climb up to the col Girardin was great.
We followed a zig zag path up to the col. The last part was dry, stony and with all most no vegetation.
Anna and the wind at the top of the col
At the col the wind was really hard, we quickly took some nice photos of the view, some last images of the lake and started our climb down on the other side, down to the village La Barge.
At first it was really nice climb but later before reaching the village it was really steep. Tough for our knees. On the way we saw a lot of butterflies, Machaon for instance.
Machaon
In the village we sat down outside if the chapel and had our lunch. The trail continued for some kilometers, on a concrete road we decided to hitch hike. It took a while, as no car had our direction. But finally one car came and they picked us up, a sweet couple. They all ready had one other hiker in the car, an older lady that had the same destination as us. They dropped us all of in a small village, Fouilouse. We sat down together at a restaurant and had a lemonade in the shadow. It tasted delicious.
Another hiker came by, a guy from Belgium. He had walked all the way from Celiac and his plan was to reach Larche. Long walk for one day.
After some talking we all broke up and started to climb up to Col du Vallonet, 2524 m. The guy was fast so we didn’t see him again. The lady past us after a while, she hiked alone, walked like six-seven hours per day and she was wild camping mist of the time. Inspiring women!
After the col the landscape was more stony and rough. We stopped at the lake Lac Vallonet, just bellow the col. It was a bit windy but still, nice weather. Yrr took a swim, the water was really warm. We washed our clothes and they dried fast in the wind and sun.
We made dinner, pasta with tomato sauce, we both wished we had some sausages with it. The fresh ones we have had a couple of times. But as they are fresh they are not so suitable to carry with you.
The lake
Before going inside the tent we took a walk around the lake, there was a lot of marmots and we could get rather close to them.
The night was windy.
Day 54: 29 July, Lac du Vallonet to Larche
The weather woke us up around six o’clock. It was a storm and heavy rain. We were afraid the tent would blow away! We started packing our stuff and it started to thunder, right were we were. This was not what we had expected, the tent was placed in quite an open space. We ran out of the tent and hided by a big rock, waited for the thunder to pass. Then we went back into the tent and quickly ate some bread with peanut-butter before we packed the tent and started walking in the rain. We had one top to climb before going down to Larche. Considering to the guidebook there was supposed to be a ruin with a shelter before the top. We decided to go there. We came there after about half an hour walk, we were totally wet, but we had good rain cloths. It was foggy. We went inside and made some hot soup (varma koppen)with apples and cinnamon. We waited, the weather got worse, and better, and worse again…
Anna inside the shelter
After about an hour we decided to go.
The ruins from above
When we came out the weather got better and when we about 20 minuits later came to the top col de Mallemort (2552m) we could actually see the sun and we could enjoy the view.
Group photo from the top
But it was still windy and we didn’t stay for long. We started to walk down and suddenly there was sun and clear blue sky! Well, not for very long.
On our way down to Larche
We walked for about two hours and arrived in Larche around noon. We found an auberge and went inside, it was warm and nice. The weather got worse again. We had a wonderful three dishes lunch. We sat in the restaurant for quite a long time. By the time we came out the weather was better but it was cold. We went to the refuge. In the refuge we met Claudia a really nice hiker from Switzerland. We spent the afternoon with her, chatting outside the refuge and we walked together to the camping where there was a small store. We bought some food we needed for the coming days.
Anna and Claudia outside the refuge
We just had some bread, cheese and sausage for dinner, we sat in the dining-room with the other people that were eating the refuge food, it lookt really good. The nice lady in the refuge gave us some tasty soupe. The refuge didn’t look much from the outside, but it was a really nice place. There where possibilities to cook your own food and the woman who ran the place was super nice.
Day 55: 30 July, Larche to below Col de la Colombiera
Claudia was early out of bed and had left when we went up. We made breakfast at the refuge, the very sweet owner gave us hot water and insured us that the weather forecast for the next days would be sunny.
When I was paying she didn’t want us to pay for the wine. She really had made us feel very welcomed and she really took good care of her guests.
Entering the national park,
We took farewell and started to walk towards the national park, Mercantour. You entered the park by walking in a nice valley along the stream.
There was a lot if marmots and signs telling you that it wasn’t allowed to feed them. Usually it is quit difficult to come close to a marmot but in this park they had become quite unscarred.
At the end of the valley we started to climb up, all most at the top we walked into Claudia. We walked together up to the lake, Lac du Lauzanier. We had a break, Yrr took a swim, I dipped my feet in the cold water. We had a Pain Chocolate that we had brought at the camping shop in Larche.
Lac du Lauzanier
We continued up through some stony area to another lake.
The last climb up to pas de la Cavale was really nice, a narrow path it went along the stony slop, gradually going upwards. Just a few plants was growing in the rough ground.
At the top we had lunch together with Claudia with nice views all around us.
Group photo at the top
We continued down together, down to a grassy valley with sheep’s. We talked a lot about flowers we past and got some nice tips from Claudia about eatable ones.
When we started to climb again I found some really nice and big champions in the grass, but we where in a national park and picking them wasn’t allowed. I behaved even though it was very tempting, a specially as we where planing to make risotto the same evening.
On ou way download to Bousieyas we past à ”ghost village”.
We reached the Col Des Fourches, Claudia went ahead and we sat down for a while before heading down to the village Bousieyas. We had some Panash (beer an lemonade) together with Claudia and two other Swiss, Sylvia and Jose. It was Caudias birthday. The others where staying at the gite in the village but we had decided to continue a bit further and camp somewhere on the way.
Celebration of Claudias birthday!
The owner of the gite gave us some nice tips of places close by. We bought some cheese and chocolate and he gave us some bread.
Further up we found a really nice place, with a nice view over the valley and of the other side where we had been walking earlier that day.
We washed ourselves and some clothes in a small and warm pond. Yrr mad lovely risotto and I took care of setting up the tent.
Before going to bed we ad some chocolate and looked at the mountains and the sun going down.
Day 56: 31 July, to St Ètienne de Tinèe
We only had about 20 minuets walk to col de la Colombiere (2237 m) from our tent. It was nice to stand on the top and look back at the beautiful walk we had done the day before and the place we had slept at.
Looking back
We walked down to St Dalmas quite slow, focusing on the small things in the nature, butterflies, flowers,crickets, herbs ( lavender, salvia, oregano…).
Small things in the nature
We went to the post office when we came down to St Dalmas, we had sent our poste restante package to there. Our plan was to send it further but there are two St Dalmas on the way, very confusing. Anyway our package had not arrived, the lady at the postoffice was very helpful, she made some phone calls and said that hopefully the package would be in St Ètienne the next morning.
St Dalmas from above
We sat down at a cafè and had a lemonade and talked to a couple from Holland we had seen a view times in the trail but not talked to. They were also walking the Gr 5 but they were doing their last day. Claudia came and sat down with us and we walked together down to St Ètienne slowly in the heat, still enjoying the butterflies, herbs and flowers.
Lavendel and something hairy
We arrived early in the afternoon to St Ètienne and went to the camping. Claudia went to the gite she had booked. It was a nice camping with a swimming pool. We went for a swim, washed our clothes in a washing machine and walked to the centre. We went for a drink with Claudia and after a while Silvia and Josè joined us. Nice time with nice people, then we went to the store to buy food. We cooked fresh sausages and made a fresh salad at the camping, it tasted really good!
Day 57: 1 August, St Etienne de tinee to Roya
Before leaving St Etienne we had to pick up our parcel at the post office. We brought all the remaining dried food and just left some things in the box, the next destination for the box is Menton, the end point for this trail.
If you choose to walk for a few days along GR5 this etap is not the one you should choose. The first part is going through the ski resort, Auron. The last part from the col Blainon before reaching the little village Roya is very nice though, so is Roya.
You walk slightly downwards a long a slop, with a lot of flowers, butterflies and grasshoppers. There is also some old farmers houses, unfortunately most of them in ruins. The houses where build in another way than we had seen before in the alps.
We took it slow, enjoying following the nice path, tried to cash some big grasshoppers on photo, not succeeded very well. A specially one big yellow one with black eyes attract our attention.
We entered the village and walked to the nice gite, Claudia was all ready there. We had a drink with her and decided to stay.
The gite had a kitchen in the cellar, we made carbonara. It worked quite well using the egg powder instead of fresh ones. The evening was warm so we sat outside, the gite owner served us some homemade Genepi (malörtslikör), it tasted really nice.
As usual we went to bed early.
Day 58: 2 August Roya to refuge de Longon
Hot and sunny day, clear blue sky.
We left the refuge together with Claudia and walked into a valley there was about three and an half hour of climbing to col du Crousette (2480 m). In the beginning we walked along a river in a forest. After a couple of hours we came to a shelter, we took a break in the shadow. Later we walked in an open area and passed another shelter and we saw goats and sheep. It got really stoney close to the top. We were really hot when we came to col du Crousette. It was a little windy on the top, nice!
We took a break ate lunch and relaxed. When we continued by walking along a mountain a lot of big eagle like birds crossed the valley right above us. It was amazing to see. We continued for about one and an half hour to Col des Moulines (1982m). It was a wonderful walk with great view.
After the col we walked down to a river, we were out of water and took some water from the river and putted in a tablet to be on the safe side. We climbed up again zigzagging along the river and a small waterfall. We came to a flat open grass area. We walked with Claudia to the Refuge de Longon and had a cold beer. We had been told we could buy cheese and milk at the refuge, we had looked forward to that, but that was not possible. They made cheese but they didn’t want to sell it to us. We were disappointed. We left the Refuge and took farewell of Claudia, we had had a really nice day together.. We putted up our tent about 100 meters away in a ruin.
We washed our selves and our cloths in the river. We had three dishes dinner: instant mushroom soup ( varma koppen) for a starter, followed by lentils with smoked sausage and for desert we had mint chocolate. It was warm until the sun went down and when the sun goes down we crawl into our sleeping-bags.
Day 59: 3 August, Refuge de Longon to St Sauveur sur Tinee
The tent was very moister on the inside, so we decided to let it dry in the sun before leaving. Claudia came by before she left to say good buy. Our plan was to rejoin in Menton, and if possible even before when our tracks would meet again. After St Dalmas she would follow GR52A and we GR52.
When the tent was ready we started our climb down. It was a sunny day and the path was nice, first through some forest and later some nice fields with flowers and a lot of butterflies.
On our way down we meet a young French guy, we walked and talked with him for a while.
We reached the beautiful village, Roure, located at a steep hillside, it would have been nice to spend some hours there but we continued down to St Sauveur sur Tinee, 496 m. This was the first time in a very long time we where below 1000 meters. It felt strange. You also could clearly feel that we where more south and close to the Mediterranean. It was much warmer and the flora and vegetation had changed, we could find a lot of herbs like Oregano and different kind of thyme.
.
We run in to Claudia and she made us company for lunch at a restaurant. Yrr ordered, capacious and I had some calf meet. For dessert we had some nice ice cream.
Claudia continued up to Rimplas. We stayed the night at the camping. We made a light dinner, tortellini with fresh tomato and drank some nice cider with it. For dessert we ate some nice pannacotta with caramel.
