Mark2rs our SS Leader, chose this hike early “Due to the lack of snow both actual and forecast in the Jura, I am proposing our classic end of March outing a month early.”
Indeed there was a sad lack of snow but higher up the skiers seemed happy on the artificial stuff.
Meeting at Divonne at 9.30am were –
Mark2T
PeterT + Kobie
LarryF
NathanF
MikeM
RobP
MervynP
Mark2R
Three joined directly at the Crozet Télécabine at 10.00
RichardS
PhilipJ – but not for lunch
DavidC
It was a splendidly good turn-out for this classic (heck, the hiking outings don’t attract as many) perhaps lured out by Franck and Katy’s hospitality (esp. le génépi) at La Loge. Very little wind was forecast and although the day was cloudy, we could see the white of the freezing cloud on the trees high on the skyline and Richard promised sun even higher. The first question seemed to be – carry snow shoes or not? According to Mark “Katy advises snowshoes as there are areas with accumulated snow and it can be slippery with the negative over night temperatures” but some decided to leave them in the cars. For some it was wise advice.
So, to the télécabine (Nathan said that he had always hiked up until now but he seemed prepared to join us in the lift). With our tickets in hand “The télécabine costs €9; the return “free” offer is valid one year, so if the tickets are not punched on the return, keep them as they could be useful if we walk up to the Grand Mont Rond later and wish to take the télécabine down from the Petit Mont Rond – they are becoming sticklers there and could charge €5 for the down trip” it was a matter of getting Kobie (free for dogs but not us old-dogs) and the team up the metal stairs and into cabins. The stairs were easy but Kobie had to be pulled hard in to the moving cabin, others may have been pushed.
Safely out onto the artificial snow at Le Fierney at 1300m after a ride up of 700m or so, it was a little cold as we were in the cloud. Dodging the zipping skiers we crossed the slope to pick up the track that would take us to the Col de Crozet. Normally snow-covered it was completely dry.
In order to avoid the ski-piste (dogs and skiers don’t mix well) we took a turn right up a grassy hill. There followed the need to cross a steep snow patch; this was our Hilary Step and it tested the mettle of the party.
Mettle tested, we were on our way across easier gradients as the sun began to shine through and we summited (mathematicians might disagree) the col at the viewing platform. Views indeed there were excellent including Mt Blanc in its/her radiance. Time for some sustenance and gold-flecked Sambucca and other things in flasks appeared, as well as a bottle of Luins, and we toasted our good fortune under a blue sky.
Richard had heard that a party of 14 had also booked lunch at La Loge, so we said our goodbyes to Philip who had an appointment, and steadily pushed on down past the top of the Lelex lift to the Ref de la Loge. In fact it was some while before we all arrived as Katy’s slippery paths materialised and slowed down some of the party, indeed snow shoes were utilised after three falls for one member (but no submission or knockout).
We sat out in the warm sun on adjoining then merged tables in an as-good-as-it-gets setting. Beers preceded wines (red and white excellent) and good food (chicken and rice, or cheese sort of en croute with salad, followed by tart and genepi). We toasted absent friends naming a few (well most of us seemed to be around the table) and our discussions covered the usual subjects; health, Scottish independence, Brexit, Northern Ireland, Boris, Trump, Ukraine, Putin, war, music, art, watches, rugby, dogs and the weather. Larry told us the secret to ageing well (it is a secret still).
Laos, the dog du Refuge was absent – not as we suspected down in Lelex with lady friends, but locked up to prevent that. Kobie did his begging rounds of the tables. There was much banter with other parties and with our hosts. Various members acted as serving wenches, one member using his flat-topped head. A large and friendly looking fellow came over to chat – he was the vicar of the valley. It was good to see such good humour in a man of the cloth, possibly helped by years of génépi. I liked his dog-question method of introduction.
All too soon it was time to revisit the terrors of the slippery traverse path back up to the col and then the amble back down gentle slopes to the T-Cabine where Mark2ts kindly treated us to his (black! no sugar!) coffee (merçi Mark).
Kobie had behaved and I think members almost did too.
Another splendid Franck and Katy Loge classic, not on snow shoes but with super weather allowing us to be outside in the sun. Thanks Mark for organising.
I believe Richard recorded 323m. I had less but I think my recording stopped. Between 6 and 7 Km.
