Day 85: Goodbye Écrins
The night was very short because of strong gusts of wind that kept compressing the tent. My eyes are puffy with tiredness, but since tomorrow will be a rest day, I am not too worried, especially as today only has a small amount of elevation gain and is mostly downhill.
Today, we want to make it to Les Deux Alpes, a ski resort where we want to spend the night, resupply, and restock on gas canisters (so we can eat hot meals).
I set off around 8.30 am and climb the pass without too much difficulty. I laugh as I watch the three hikers we spent the evening with yesterday have a race to see who reaches the summit first. Watching them run like that, I almost feel physical pain for them. For them, today happens to be the last day of their tour, so they can afford a few extra bursts of energy.
The view from the pass is simply magnificent. France has held an enormous variety of landscapes since the start of my adventure and I am so grateful to be able to admire so many different sides of nature.
After Col du Vallon comes the descent towards Lac du Lauvitel, the largest lake in the Écrins. Even from far away, you can clearly make out its emerald colour against the surrounding scenery. The mist in the mountains enhances the mythical feel of the place.
By the lake, I catch up with Hugo and the companions I have been hiking with for the past three days. We have a picnic together and enjoy a good swim in almost transparent water. It feels so good here. We would love to stay all day, but we still have to move on, teleportation has not been invented yet.
We continue for a few kilometres with our new friends, then our paths finally split, as they need to reach Bourg d’Oisans and we Les Deux Alpes.
Hugo and I carry on, avoiding certain trails that have been reduced to rubble by landslides in recent months. We are very excited to reach Les Deux Alpes, because there is a youth hostel where we will be able to have a proper bed and stay dry.
Unfortunately, when we arrive at the ski resort, we realise that the hostel in question is definitely closed… And on top of that, it is impossible to find a gas canister in the outdoor shops. And it is not for lack of trying, we try our luck in about ten different shops. They are either out of stock, or they do not carry that kind of supply. Arggggg. Eating cold is much less enjoyable (Hugo can confirm, he tried the experience for more than a month). Hugo and I are a bit exasperated, because we simply want to find somewhere to settle for our rest day. We finally decide to go back down to Venosc and bring provisions for the next day from there. Luckily, a free cable car links Les Deux Alpes and the village we need to reach. So we get to the campsite (with far too much food, as usual) and finally enjoy a well deserved rest.
Day 86: We Really Needed This Rest Day
Since we have already bought our food for the day, the longest distance I cover today must be the one between me and the shower and toilets (I must have walked a good 50 metres today, what a day). In any case, we do not have the energy to do more (as proof, please observe the photo below).
I use this day to organise the next part of the trail: the Plateau d’Emparis and Belledonne. We have been warned, Belledonne is not an easy section and should not be underestimated. The trail is scattered with scree, steep climbs and wild descents. Unpredictable weather conditions could complicate our task enormously. We will need to be particularly careful.
The rest of the day goes by very gently. I take the time to write and read, massage myself, nap and watch a few series on Netflix. I also take advantage of being close to a town to lighten my rucksack a little. With a base weight of around 10 kilograms, everything had been going well on almost the whole trail, but the harshness of the Écrins convinced me to try to optimise it again. With a little pang in my heart, I remove my Crocs (I love them) and a few items of clothing. In total, I take out 1.5 kg, which seems minor, but I can clearly feel the difference.
Day 87: Heading Towards the Plateau d’Emparis
The next morning, we do not leave too early because we have to wait for the shops to open in order to resupply for the days ahead. I post the parcel of gear I removed from my rucksack yesterday (goodbye to 21 euros in postage fees), then I buy food. Since our gas reserves are running low, we mainly buy foods that can be eaten cold (I am very sarcastically thrilled by that prospect).
We start walking around 10.00 am, with the Plateau d’Emparis in our sights for tonight’s bivouac. The first part of the day takes us to Lac du Chambon, then we climb towards the Refuge des Clots.
The refuge owner welcomes us warmly and comes to chat with us about the HexaTrek. He disappears into the building for a moment, then comes back with two free portions of an incredible chocolate fondant. It is delicious.
After a good hour at the refuge, we head towards the Fontaine Pétrifiante, a magnificent airy waterfall with dazzling colours. When it comes to views, it seems you have to earn them. The trail is so steep here that it is impossible to walk straight. You have to turn sideways and climb one step at a time so as not to lose your footing.
After a good hour of ascent, we reach the Chalet du Fay, which is about one kilometre from the entrance to the Plateau d’Emparis. Checking the forecast again, I see that a chance of thunderstorms at 8.00 pm has appeared in the region. Only one weather site has that prediction, unlike all the others, which forecast a few clouds and fair weather.
I mention it to Hugo, who is not too worried. We decide to rest for a few hours at the refuge. I still have doubts about what I will do: pitch my tent next to the refuge in case the storm arrives, or take the chance and bivouac on the plateau.
After the break, we check all the weather sites again. Everything is fine (I am adopting French expressions, it has been three months now), no more rain or storms forecast overnight. Still, something stops me from leaving immediately. Hugo heads back onto the trail around 5.30 pm, and I decide to eat at the refuge and then continue afterwards, if my bad feeling eases. Over the next two hours, I eat, watch the clouds, check the forecasts, and ask other hikers what they think. After reflection, I decide to go and join Hugo, who in the meantime has sent me beautiful photos of his bivouac spot. So I leave my shelter around 7.30 pm. I have not even walked 500 metres when I hear thunder rumbling in the distance. Right, that is enough, I am going back to the refuge. Storm or no storm on the websites, I can see one forming around twenty kilometres away.
I go back to the refuge and say hello again to the hikers I had spoken with earlier. They tease me kindly because I changed my mind about three times before deciding to bivouac on the plateau, and in the end, here I am back again. The owner lets me pitch my tent near the chalet, which I do immediately. It is really hard for me not to have gone to join Hugo because I feel like my fear has won over everything else. For the first time, I crack and start crying. Managing a phobia is really difficult sometimes.
It is only a few minutes after I pitch my tent that the storm breaks and the rain starts. Well, the forecast got it wrong. In the end, my instinct was right this time.
I go inside the refuge while the storm passes. The owner sees me in tears and, with great generosity, tells me she is offering me a bed for the night. She says it will be her good deed of the summer. I am so grateful. I message Hugo to ask if the storm is not too violent, and he tells me he is fine. More rain than lightning. Reassured about him, and exhausted, I slip into a warm bed. Thank you so much, Chalet du Fay ❤️
Day 88: A Gruelling Out-and-Back
After a good night’s sleep at the refuge, I wake up around 6.00 am and quietly slip out of bed so as not to wake the rest of the dormitory, still fast asleep. I need to leave early because I have a huge day ahead. First, I have to catch up with Hugo, who bivouacked about five kilometres further on the Plateau d’Emparis. Then we plan to reach the Refuge de l’Étandard, which would make a day of about 33 kilometres for me, with a lot of elevation gain.
It is August, but you can already notice the days getting shorter. In June, you had to get up around 5.30 am to see the sun rise, but now it stays dark until almost 7.00 am. A new excuse not to set the alarm too early.
Around 6.50 am, I begin my day towards the Plateau d’Emparis. I leave a little thank you note for the owner of Chalet du Fay since she is still asleep at that hour. After about 2 kilometres, I enter the famous plateau, which is magnificent.
I quickly catch up with Hugo, who is watching the sun rise from the top of a rock. Hugo tells me he has a very good feeling about today. Indeed, the sun is out, the landscapes are already dazzling, and we feel very good physically.
On the descent, we talk with two lovely hikers, Magalie and Nicolas. We talk about the HexaTrek and our lives outside the trail. When I tell them about how impossible it has been to find gas in the area, they tell us they have an extra canister they can give us. Wow. What luck. Thanks to them, we will be able to eat hot meals for the days ahead. That is a fantastic start to the day. We all walk together to Camping le Gay, a small bivouac area available to hikers for the modest sum of 5 euros per night, then we say goodbye because their journey ends here. Tonight they will camp there, then head home in the coming days.
However, our day is far from over. We still have 23 kilometres and 1,600 metres of elevation gain to reach the Refuge de l’Étandard, so we cannot linger. We continue on and after a good climb, we reach the Vallon de la Valette, a valley surrounded by shimmering cliffs.
We move at a good pace and we are confident we will arrive relatively early (by that, I mean before nightfall) at the refuge. We take a small lunch break around 1.00 pm in the valley, then we set off again to tackle the last long climb that will take us to the Saint-Sorlin glacier.
Halfway up the climb, just when our day was going so well, a series of chaotic events begins and turns this day into one of the worst of our entire journey. Let me tell you.
- Chaotic element 1: past the Valette ridge, it turns out the path… no longer exists. The HexaTrek mobile app decided to take us on an unplanned backcountry trip. No waymarks, no tracks, nothing. It takes us a few minutes to realise we are no longer on the trail. When I point it out to Hugo, we are both surprised, because we have drifted several hundred metres without noticing.
- Chaotic element 2: of course, the sky could not stay calm for even one afternoon, and it decided to join the party by sending us magnificent cumulonimbus clouds in a very dark shade of grey. Erm, sky, did you not read the weather bulletin? You were supposed to stay clear all day. Did you not want to follow the announced programme?
- Chaotic element 3: dark grey sky plus big clouds equals a Charlotte who stresses very quickly (a new mathematical formula to add to your classes when term starts). Panic mode activated.
So we have a lovely cocktail of three rather explosive elements. Hugo sees the terror in my eyes. He is not thrilled either about continuing towards the glacier (which is under those big clouds, of course), on top of being on an unmarked trail.
I remember seeing a shepherd’s hut a few hundred metres from where we are. I suggest to Hugo that we head towards it to find shelter. As we approach, we are horrified to see dozens of butchered ewes lying on the ground. Only a few scraps of flesh remain, not yet taken by the dozens of vultures circling above our heads. Very, very grim.
We continue, wondering what could have happened. When we are finally only a few metres from the hut, we realise the scale of the damage. Dozens of empty alcohol bottles lie all around the shelter. An axe rests by the entrance. Very reassuring. Looking inside, I notice plenty of packaging and leftover food scattered across the floor. In the distance, we see the shepherd returning with his flock towards the hut. The conclusion is quick: no way are we staying here and meeting a shepherd who does not give a very good first impression, judging by the state of his hut.
The clouds are still black. No way are we risking the official trail (I say official, but it is also an imaginary line drawn on a virtual map). So we make a slightly (well, quite) stupid decision: we decide to invent our own route to reach a village down below. We tell ourselves that by cutting across, we will avoid the potential storm and still make decent progress.
We descend very, very steeply off trail through tall grass and very steep rock. After losing about 300 metres of descent, we realise we cannot go any further. In front of us, there are only cliffs. Well, that is why Google Maps did not offer any trails here.
No choice but to turn around and swallow the 300 metres we just lost. It is exhausting. We are lucid enough to climb back up slowly to avoid tripping. After a good twenty minutes of effort, we return to our starting point. I look at Hugo and tell him, “I think the safest thing, given the weather and the shepherd’s hut, is to turn back. I am too scared to go up to the glacier with those clouds, and I do not want to put my safety at risk.” So, with heavy hearts, we decide to go back the way we came. We had spent hours climbing, and the fruit of all that effort will vanish in an instant.
After an hour of descending, we reach a small refuge we did not notice on the way up. It is already 6.30 pm. We are still 9 kilometres from the bivouac area where we left our friends this morning. The little hut is cute, but grim at the same time (I admit, that is a strange description). It is only 2 kilometres from the shepherd and his decapitated sheep. Neither of us feels comfortable staying here for the night. We would probably sleep terribly.
After having dinner in the hut (very important, we will need energy), we continue on with headtorches. Luckily, this part of the trail is easy and not technical. It is still 9 kilometres, but we can do it. We finally arrive around 10.00 pm, completely exhausted, at the bivouac area. I cannot take any more, I have been walking since 6.00 am (do the maths, I walked the trail for 15 hours today).
We pitch our tents near Magalie and Nicolas, who are sleeping in the same place. They will be very surprised to find us there tomorrow morning.
What a day, honestly. Luckily, tomorrow can only be better. Around 11.00 pm, I finally slip into my sleeping bag and fall into a well deserved sleep.