{"id":4324,"date":"2023-09-01T18:00:03","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T17:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/?p=4324"},"modified":"2023-09-01T18:35:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T17:35:54","slug":"gin-hikers-end-summer-on-la-dole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/2023\/09\/01\/gin-hikers-end-summer-on-la-dole\/","title":{"rendered":"GIN Hikers end summer on La D\u00f4le"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

 The summer heat was starting to dissipate, especially after the horror of 40C just the Thursday before. Sadly the sparkling weather only appeared on the Friday – the day after this hike – and we were faced with a cool and cloudy start with the prospect of lurking sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan was to start from the car park at La Givrine and ascend via my secret back route up to the Pointe de Fin Ch\u00e2teau, the Pointe de Po\u00eale Chaud and La D\u00f4le. Most of the ascent is through beautiful and little trod forest and the following ridges are airy with fine 360 views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(I had checked this out the week before with Kobie on that hottest day of the year. We were cooked but survived…). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eleven brave souls signed up, and with Nessie and Kobie we were a dozen plus two hounds. Attending :- Nathan, Mark2rs, Mark2ts, David, Richard S, Richard F, Philip, Bill, Stephen, Mike M (and Nessie), Peter S, Peter T (and Kobie).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having negotiated the Easypark App, we set off from La Givrine in good spirits just after 10am. Shorts were being worn by a third of us, despite my warning of possible cool weather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly the start was not great for Kobie as he trod on an electric wire and received a shock that spooked him a bit. Cows in the Jura in summer are a hazard for the hiker and for the hound. Undeterred we escaped off up my secret path (which for the record turns left from the road up to the Couvaloup de Crans at W3W rooting.snuck.horizons). We were soon up into the very pleasant forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Team in good cheer on the way up <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good thing about this route is that it is shady in sunny weather and it delivers one out onto the ridge between the Pointes de Fin Chateau and Po\u00eale Chaud. Stephen and I turned left to tick off the PdFC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Selfie on the PdFC with Kobie and Stephen and with my sweater that I cannot wear at home..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reunited on the ridge there followed a pleasant 100m ascent up to the top of the Pte de Po\u00eale Chaud 1629m. Duly conquered, it was time for some ap\u00e8ro and Richard S extracted his bottle of many dubious potions and distributed what he told us was Aquavit – very pleasant it was too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the Pte de P C<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ap\u00e8ro time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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View of La D\u00f4le from the PdPC on the hottest day of 2023, the “dangerous path” is obvious<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Suitably refreshed and fortified we set off down towards the Col de Porte looking out for chamois but seeing none. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking back up from the Col de Porte<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Mark at the Col<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The team split several ways for the final ascent of the day, with three brave souls tackling the open and “most dangerous” path of the Jura, while others and dogs went round the back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Peter and Philip. Looking back to the Col de Porte.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We were soon at the Domes of the D\u00f4le and Stephen and Richard established lunch camp on the edge of the precipice, with what would normally be stupendous views to the alps. We could not complain though; it was warm with little wind and the view we had over the Lake was superb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lunch in heaven<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly two (Mike M and Richard F) of our party met their better halves at the top – they had hiked up from St Cergue and were lunching right next to us. They had probably done a bigger hike than us ! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kobie eyeing Ms Flett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Spousal support for two of our team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Last of the summer wine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stephen opened his rather impressive and heavy bottle of Salice Salentino, Epicuro, aged in oak, which went down rather nicely before some of Mark2ts’s Luins chasselas and some of my own Gruener Veltliner. We managed to remember to toast absent friends<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the team lined up as if to launch themselves over the edge and me behind them catering for a hungry Kobie, there was little opportunity for me to record conversations, but there was some talk of Spanish kissing. Happily I noticed nothing of Scottish independence. Kobie impressed me by being able to see half a dozen or so chamois grazing at a large distance below and to our right, and he took a keen interest in their progress before taking up his position between Richard and Stephen (see photo). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In due course David emerged his really rather excellent grappa and Mark2ts his strong black coffee. Thanks to all for their contributions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well sated, some took the opprotunity to grab forty winks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nathan and Stephen napping.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All too soon it was time to pack up and leave, an easy route down planned via the ski slope to the Couvaloup de Crans. Again this was slightly marred for Kobie by him touching another live wire as he went through the gap in the top wall. With that and the assorted herds on the descent, I had to guide him down and around through the forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The descent – note Mark’s natty braces (more anon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Suitably ensconced on the outside tables at the CdC, the beer and panach\u00e9 order went in and Richard F kindly treated us all to some restorative. Mike regaled us with a tale of self control (or lack thereof) when the appendage of a nurse somehow fell into his palm. There were other tales …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Resuscitating at the Couvaloup de Crans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All too soon it was time to saunter back down the track to the cars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not far now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bill Richard Nathan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Prize for best breeches goes to Martk2ts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A very pleasant hike – about 11km and 550m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 The summer heat was starting to dissipate, especially after the horror of 40C just the Thursday before. Sadly the sparkling weather only appeared on the Friday – the day after this hike – and we were faced with a cool and cloudy start with the prospect of lurking sun. The plan was to start from … Continue reading “GIN Hikers end summer on La D\u00f4le”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hikes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4324"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4348,"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4324\/revisions\/4348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ginclub.website\/home2\/gentsinnyon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}