Annual Lac de Joux hike 12 September 2024

Would we or wouldn’t we?  There was some speculation on Wednesday as to whether we should trust the everchanging weather forecasts and proceed with the annual LdeJ hike.  In the end, six of us showed up, three (Mervyn, Peter S and yours truly) in Divonne and Rob, Richard W and Andrew met us at the parking spot at the Geneva end of the lake.  We had a few spots of rain on the way up, but it was dry at the meeting place.  Noting that the weather was only 5 degrees up there, most opted for long trousers except for our hardy Scotsman who had decided to display his bare legs.  We set off in a clockwise direction on somewhat muddy paths until we reached a boardwalk that one of our number tested the slipperyness of, thankfully with no painful results.  Progress was swift but we resisted the temptation to stop at the Bellevue Hotel at Le Rocheray for a coffee and ploughed on admiring the views across the lake.

The lake level was high and we enjoyed the rocky path right by the clear water. 

Stops were made for comfort breaks and photo opportunities on sandspits and then we climbed to about 100 metres above the lake where the inevitable refreshment was proffered, a very acceptable nip of Glenmorangie, thanks Richard!   A phone call was made to the resto to confirm numbers and timing and we set off past some bungalows of the charmingly-named settlement of Le Lieu.  Two chamois in the road eyed us cautiously followed by two more and as we entered the woods, a group of six were meandering around on the path. 

A few minutes later, we encountered a herd of about 20 grazers and shortly after, a larger group of 40.  It was certainly a record to see 70 chamois which included several very young “bambis”!

Our rocky and rooty path dropped down steeply almost to lake level and I needed to take a breather on a convenient bench.  Then our shorts-wearing member arrived complaining about a pulled tendon, so various piggybacking options were considered, and rejected.  Anyway, he soldiered on with gritted teeth and we reached our goal which was the Brasserie des Combières.   

Locally-brewed ales were ordered as was the plat du jour which turned out to be a very large entrecôte with all the trimmings.  I haven’t fully regained my taste buds or full appetite but I was assured that the meal was a definite  improvement on last year’s offerings (the resto is under new management).  The steak was far too large for me but I’m sure Peter S’s hound benefited that evening.

As usual, there was an eclectic range of subjects discussed, including postprandial naps, US elections and misogyny, hearing tests, doggy diets, UK politics, phone contracts, rugby, beer and wine barrels, and of course, how could we not – Scottish Independence!

After desserts and coffees, some  more Glenmorangie (courtesy of Rob this time) and some nocino di Modena from my magic bottle which startled the palates of the participants, there was little appetite to continue walking around the lake for another two hours or more.  So we repaired to the gare in Le Pont and caught the little red and white train back to Le Solliat, about a kilometre from where the cars were parked.  Our whole hike had been without rain and indeed we enjoyed quite a lot of sunshine and eventually, a balmy 11 degrees!  As I write this on Friday morning, I hear that it’s snowing in St Cergue – snowshoeing may not be far away!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow hikers for their encouragement and concern on what was my first hike for over 4 months, and also to all my dear GIN friends whose good wishes have helped me get through a difficult period of my life.

Our hike was about 14kms and just over 200 metres dénivellation.