A Stroll up the Môle – 10Km and 725m
With apocalyptic weather events currently affecting much of the planet it might seem churlish to be concerned about our local météo. But there were some apprehensions expressed about the conditions we could expect on our planned ascent of the mighty Môle. However, with Ralph’s confident prediction of a temperature of 23°(where?), Mark 2Ts, Mervyn, Nathan & Ralph confidently set off from Divonne at 9am in Mark’s new e-car to rendezvous with Ross and Peter T, plus faithful four-legged friend, at the start of the hike.
After a few minor detours, but at the last minute wisely excluding the option of going via Bourg en Bresse and Lyon, we duly arrived to be met by a slimmed-down, shaven Kobie bounding down the track to lick us all. The two-hour ascent from the parking at Chez Béroud 1160m via Plan Meulet to the summit at 1863m was completed in under the signposted 2 hours.
It began in sunshine while we traversed the forest but by the time we emerged above the tree line the clouds were gathering and the mountain tops were frustratingly obscured.
The path became steep and the heavy recent rain had made it muddy and slippery. It was reassuring to know that there was an alternative route down.
At the top, wearing our warm outer-layers and gloves (it couldn’t have been much above freezing) we duly celebrated with champagne, chilled gamaret and warming Knockando.
Absent friends amongst you readers were toasted. The promised full 360° panorama was not to reveal itself on this occasion, much to the chagrin of the two Môle virgins amongst us, but we did get fleeting glimpses of the some of the peaks and the lake. Another time?
The threatening shower accelerated our picnic and we quickly descended to Le Petit Môle, where it was sunny, tantalizingly revealing the peak we had just left. No-one was keen to reclimb 330m!
The easy route back down became a stony track and we were reacquainted with the cars within an hour, all the while enjoying good views of the Arve valley well below.
I for one enjoyed the day immensely.
(PeterT Notes:- A great day out, pity the weather was not great, but it could have been worse. A really tough last few hundred metres, my heart rate went higher and for longer than any on other hike in the last 4 years…)