Day 89: Mission, Get Back on the Trail
The morning after our failed attempt to reach the Saint Sorlin glacier, we get up fairly late. First, we go and have breakfast with Magalie and Nicolas, who are quite surprised to see us again. We explain the previous day’s mishaps and put together a plan to get back onto the trail today. There is no question of retrying yesterday’s climb, once is more than enough (we like the effort, but doing exactly the same thing twice is less tempting).
We study the maps and agree that the easiest point to rejoin the trail will be from the Col du Glandon (honestly, the French really do have a talent for coming up with funny place names).
This is followed by a long day alternating two buses and three lifts to reach that famous col. Luckily, the shuttles offer free journeys, one driver gives us ice creams, and the last one even detours from his route to drop us right at the top of the col. Honestly, I feel very lucky in situations like this.
We arrive late afternoon at the col and decide to spend the night right there, as it offers a magnificent view over the surroundings. Tomorrow, it will be time to tackle the famous Belledonne range. But for now, rest.
Day 90: Towards Belledonne
The next morning, we set off from the col around 7.00 am, at the same time as sunrise. Little by little, we discover Belledonne… and its scree. Because wow, there is an unbelievable amount of scree. So as well as hikers, we have to improvise as tightrope walkers.
It is not that difficult to go from rock to rock, but it requires a lot of concentration, which quickly becomes tiring.
Around 11.00 am, we reach the friendly Refuge de la Combe Madame. We order a blueberry tart, which we enjoy to the sound of Charles Aznavour playing throughout the room. Swept up by the great singer, we cannot help singing along (sorry for your ears). We also take the opportunity to sign the HexaTrek guestbook. It is always a lovely moment to read the messages from other hikers who passed before us. We know several of them, and it always warms the heart to get news of them through the book.
Before we set off again, the lovely managers give us a few Carambar sweets (Hugo manages his stock better than I do, let’s just say my own supplies of eight very sugary caramel sweets disappear in about two minutes).
After a long descent, it is time for a big steep climb that will take us to the Refuge des 7 Laux, a hut surrounded by Lac Carré (have you ever seen a lake shaped like that?) and Lac de la Motte (honestly, you’re taking it too far 😂). The ascent is particularly steep and the crushing heat makes my forehead bead with sweat almost immediately. A shower would not go amiss (I say that for everyone’s benefit).
I arrive at the refuge around 3.00 pm. I chat a bit with the manager and tell him that I am doing the HexaTrek. He immediately asks what I want to drink. Not understanding his eagerness, I say a lemonade would be incredible, and as I take out my money, I realise he is offering it to me for free. It is always lovely to see these gestures of pure generosity. His daughter, who must be about ten years old, brings me the drink. She is the one dealing with customers, service and payments, and let me tell you, despite her young age, she is very, very on it. A few minutes later, Hugo joins me.
We have not even been sitting for an hour when the owner offers to make us an omelette, also for free. Wow, we cannot resist. With its lardons and spices, this omelette is by far the best I have ever eaten in my life.
Since the weather is not ideal, we decide to pay for beds in the dormitory. It is, shall we say… old and very cramped. In total, more than 50 people will spend the night in the same room with only one toilet. That promises a snoring concert, a free show as well. Apparently, this refuge is extremely popular because it is the starting point for several climbing routes and different hiking trails.
The little girl, the refuge manager, takes us to the dormitory and carefully assigns the beds. It is quite a mental gymnastics exercise to fit 50 people into one room. I end up with a bed on the third level.
Climbing into it is a climbing exercise in itself. I am on the third level and I have to get up there with no ladder to help me. The moment anyone moves in the structure, all the beds shake. The night is going to be short.
I get into bed, then lights out is around 9.00 pm. We will not be the only ones getting up early tomorrow morning, as a group of 16 mountaineers have set their alarms for 4.00 am. One hiker makes everyone laugh by wishing us a lovely night in our prison cell. I admit these are not the prettiest dorms I have seen, but it will do. I put my earphones in and play music to drown out the snoring that is already starting everywhere. Right, time to sleep.
Day 91: Belledonne Wears You Down, Wears You Down
While we had a bit of a break from bad weather in the Écrins, the forecast deteriorates slightly in Belledonne: every afternoon for the past few days, a storm has been announced around 2.00 to 3.00 pm. That means we have to start our days extremely early, so that we are finished before the potential weather deterioration.
So today begins with a 5.00 am wake up. Let me tell you, between the snoring concert and the mini earthquakes caused by people getting up in the night to use the toilet, I did not sleep much. So I start this hiking day very tired.
Even in the morning, we understand that today will be physically demanding. Belledonne is a chain of technical climbs over scree. We have two passes to climb today. After two hours of effort, we reach the top of the Col de la Vache after a rather… vache climb. Good grief, that one was steep.
We continue on, then around 12.00 pm, we meet Éloïse coming the other way, an HexaTreker with whom Hugo had walked a few hundred kilometres in Stage 1. It is a joyful reunion after more than a month. While they chat, I decide to continue so that I am not too stressed about the storms expected later in the afternoon.
The second part is a bit less interesting, with technical sections on steep scree. The mist blocks the view of surrounding mountains and heightens the uneasy atmosphere. I pass quickly through the Brèche de la Roche fendue (now that is a long name), then the Col de la mine de Fer. Soon, there is only a 2 kilometre descent left to the Jean Collet Refuge.
This refuge is by far the best surprise of the day because of its perfect location overlooking the city of Grenoble. In the distance, you can make out the Chartreuse and the Vercors, the next stage of this HexaTrek.
It is only 2.00 pm. We could continue further, but the next kilometres are an ascent of a third very steep pass, and Hugo and I feel quite tired. We pitch our tents near the refuge and rest for the remainder of the day. We meet two other hikers and share a meal with them. In the evening, we watch a magnificent sunset to close a day that, although short, has been very physically difficult.
Day 92: Goodbye Belledonne, Hello Grenoble!
The last two days in Belledonne have left us a bit hungry in terms of scenery (well, to be fair, we are coming from the Écrins, which were mind blowing). Since the day before yesterday, we have felt like we are suffering a lot for not much reward.
Luckily, today looks very beautiful, with lots of lakes along the trail. Before we can admire them, we still have a good climb up to the Col de la Sitre. We set off early again, at 6.30 am, because storms are forecast in the afternoon for the fourth consecutive day. Over the past three days, we have seen clouds build and grow threatening without actually breaking. At night, we even saw plenty of heat lightning under a perfectly clear sky. With the humidity today, we expect that this time will be the one for the storm. Our plan is to reach Le Recoin, then take the bus to Grenoble, which is off route, for a few days of rest.
Since we had a short day the day before, with fresh legs we reach the top of the Col de la Sitre quickly.
Then we start our descent towards the magnificent Lac du Crozet, where a happy hiker has chosen the perfect bivouac spot.
After one last climb (yippee), we drop our packs for a break at the Refuge de la Pra. One Nutella crêpe later, we set off again towards the final part of the day, which takes us successively to the Claret, Longet and Lémea lakes, then finally the Robert lakes.
We reach the Robert lakes around 1.00 pm. We have a good snack, then do not linger too long before continuing to Le Recoin. The storm is expected around 4.00 pm. Two more hours of effort and we arrive. While waiting for the bus that will take us to Grenoble, I book myself a night in a youth hostel. The Écrins combined with Belledonne have really broken me physically, and I feel the need to rest a bit before starting the Vercors.
Hugo, meanwhile, goes back for a few days to his home near Grenoble. We agree to meet in the evening to celebrate the end of Belledonne over a good burger.
I have not even been in the youth hostel for 30 minutes when lightning starts striking all over the city. Oof. We got to shelter in time.
In the evening, I meet Hugo and his friend in town and we eat good, greasy food, including a dish that looks like a proper Quebec poutine (oh how I dream of it).
Tomorrow, I will start planning my next days in the Vercors. Tonight, I am far too tired to worry about the days ahead, especially as they are shaping up to be quite complicated. For now, the weather does not look too kind…