A November Hike in the Chablais Alps.

Saturday November 7th;

Taking advantage of cheap flights to Geneva, I decided to head off on my travels again for a short trip. I had booked to come back on Thursday, so all going well, I would have four full days on the mountains. My first dilemma was where to go. I was in contact with Andy Griffiths, and he was tentatively up for a few days hiking, but would have to work on the fourth day. I was thinking of doing a section of the Tour de Mont Blanc, but I have been to that area quite often by now, and I was keen to visit somewhere new, so I decided to give the Chamonix area a miss. I looked at the possibility of exploring the mountains around Aigle, but one of my biggest headaches was trying to get gas when I arrived, so I could travel, wild camp, and be self sufficient for the duration. Camping is always my preferred option, and I didn't have much choice anyway, as everything would be closed at this time of year. I had sussed out where to get gas in Geneva before I headed to Aigle, but at the last minute, I checked out the southern side of the lake. The Chablais Alps area looked promising and another plan fell into place. I could get to a town called Thonon les Bains fairly quickly, and there was a Decathlon store about a kilometer from the hotel I booked into, which was open until eight pm, so I should be able to get the gas there as I was arriving in Geneva at 15.20 and all going well I could be in Thonon by 17.30.

Annemasse

Everything worked out beautifully, until I reached the bus stop in Geneva, where I had to wait over half an hour for the bus, which was then caught in rush hour traffic, and arrived too late for the  train connection to Thonon. I then had to wait for 65 minutes for the next connection, which was unfortunately a replacement bus, which was also caught in heavy traffic. This meant I didn't arrive in Thonon until 19.15. No major panic as the shop was open until eight, so I reasoned that a short hop on a taxi and I would be easily sorted. Alas there wasn't a taxi to be seen when I left the station, so I set off on foot, and still reckoned I had enough time to cover the three kilometers or so, before the store closed. I was quickly out of the town centre, and found myself in that urban otherworld that is a mix of busy roads and industrial parks and occasional retail outlets. I found my way as far as the hotel okay, but the final section was vague in my memory, and the one person I saw to ask directions was equally vague, and I ended up taking a wrong turn and getting lost. Balls and bugger to it, my time was suddenly up and I had no gas. As tomorrow was Sunday all the shops would be closed, so I had no option but to put my plan to start my hike the following morning on hold. I returned to my hotel, checked in, and tried to figure out how I would fill the next day.

Sunday November 8th;

A leisurely start, the benefit of WiFi and free train travel, meant I at least could pass the day on the trains. After a good breakfast, and checking in for another night, I went back to the centre of Thonon and caught several trains, that saw me strolling around the city of Lausanne, on the shores of Lake Geneva. I had hoped to stumble across an outdoor store there, but the same applied to this town, and all seemed to be closed up for the day. I went down to the lake shore and enjoyed the busy buzz of the place and soaked in the warm sunshine. I couldn't help but look longingly across the water to the mountains beyond, and feel that it was a day wasted, especially in such glorious weather. The views were wonderful and I was looking forward all the more to starting my trip properly tomorrow.

Down by the lake in Lausanne

Monday November 9th;

Since the shop wouldn't be open until 9am, I had a leisurely start, before going and getting my precious canister of gas. I then got a taxi to the village of Vinzier, which was about 6 miles away ( quite expensive) and finally at 9.40, I was setting off on my route. Even at this stage, I didn't have a definite plan for the three days now left available to me, but for today, I was going to go as far as the CAF refuge on Dent d'Oche 2222mtrs. I had spotted this peak online, and it looked like a worthy place to spend my first night. I had my Alpkit Delta tent with me and food for the duration of the journey, so the bag way fairly heavy, but I was delighted to finally be leaving urban sprawl behind and setting off into the beautiful landscape. The weather was once again wonderful, and it was quite warm and sunny. It was hard to believe that it was November, and the mainly leafless trees, were the only indication that winter was almost upon us. After passing the sleepy hamlet of Le Cret I finally left tarred roads, and started up a forest track that gained me a lovely upland alpine pasture, that led to the first top of the day Mont Baron 1566mtrs. Even here the views were great and almost the whole expanse of Lake Geneva was laid out below. That of course wasn't the only attraction. Everywhere all about the mountains swept away. In the south, the giants of Chamonix could be seen, and the wall of mountains continued east to the Valais. Nearer to hand, the pleasant peak of Dent d'Oche and its near neighbour Chateau d'Oche were spectacular, and only became more so as I got nearer.

Visnier from Le Cret

My target for today,, Dent d'Oche on the left and Chateau d'Oche on the right

Les Cornettes des Bise

From Mont Baron I dropped a hundred meters or so, before climbing to Tete des Fieux 1776mtrs, and then on to Pointe des Pelluaz, which was the top of the ski area that rose from Bernex. Now I was getting close to finally reaching where the mountains took on a higher alpine feel. I had been on the go now for several hours, and the one liter of water I had brought with me was long gone. I was looking forward to reaching the small Lac de la Case, where I could re-hydrate. I was a little dismayed at first by the sight of the little lake, ( more like a big pond really), as the surface looked to have a coating of scum, and the entire edge of the lake was muddy, and was obviously used as a watering hole by cattle. It was more heartening to discover that the layer of "scum" was in fact ice, and the water was crystal clear and sweet. I drank a fair bit of the cold water (which resulted in a resounding "brain-freeze") and filled up my two 1 liter bottles, before setting off to climb Dent d'Oche. From the lake the path diverged. One headed for my main target, and the other headed up steeply towards Chateau d'Oche. At the last minute, I decided to include this peak in my day as well, so off I went. Climbing fairly steeply with the big bag was tough, but I plodded on, and eventually gained the eastern shoulder of the mountain. Now the summit ridge became quite narrow, with particularly big drops on the right hand side. It also became clear that my initial thought, that I could easily combine the two tops, was very much mistaken, and the only place to go from the summit, was back down almost to the lake again.

The Dents du Midi... a constant pleasure to the eye.

The Grand Combin looking stunning

From the summit of Chateau d'Oche looking towards Dent d'Oche

Sunset in the misty cloud as I neared the refuge

Oh dear but I was getting tired by now. Wearily I headed towards Dent 'Oche and after a steep slog I reached the ridge that descended from the summit. I enjoyed the spectacular views, but I wasn't looking forward to the climb I still had to do to reach the refuge, which is situated only 100mtrs below the summit of the mountain.Tired legs protested, but the time was moving on, and I would be doing well to reach sanctuary before dark. I slowly gained height, and the way became steeper on the final stretches.Here some chains and ironware provided some assistance to negotiate the rocky gullies that led to the hut. Finally, just after the sun had set in a hazy firestorm, I arrived at the wonderfully situated hut. I went in search of the winter room, but I was disappointed to find that the whole complex was closed tight. Here, at over 2100mtrs, on a narrow rocky section of the mountain, there was precious little space where a tent could be put up. A stiff breeze was blowing, and to top it all, I had separated the inner section of the tent from the flysheet before packing it away. Now in the breeze and gathering dark, I had to try and re-assemble it correctly, (a bit fiddly at the best of times), and find a spot to pitch it. I decided to place it on the concrete deck alongside the hut, and "peg" it out with stones. It worked well, and I actually enjoyed a pleasant warm evening and night in this spectacular place. It felt great to be back in the mountains.

Towards Lausanne

Thonon and Evian nearest with Geneva on the left

Tuesday November 10th;

I rose just after first light and watched the beautiful red sky fade over Mont Blanc. Yet again the weather promised to be great. I was certainly feeling the effects of the 2000mtrs plus of climbing from yesterday, but I only had 100mtrs to go to reach the summit of Dent d'Oche. I was entertained by a couple of Ibex near the top, and once I reached the summit I delighted in the stunning views. It is seldom that I have found myself on any top anywhere when there has not been a puff of breeze but today was such a day. As you can imagine the vistas were wide ranging but I guess the view down to Lake Geneva and then across to the Mont Blanc massif were the stars of the show. It was nice to sit and relax so soon after starting off, but I had a fair ways to go so I traversed over the mountain, down to Col de Pianchamp. Then I went back down to near the lake and then rejoined the Gr5. My destination for today was Lac de Taney in Switzerland, from where, I had several options to finish my trip on Wednesday. I would also have the opportunity to climb the Cornettes de Bise if I so chose. Down into the shade I went and in the early morning, the chill was noticeable, but later I was again in the sun as I headed down towards the picturesque Chalets de Neuteu. The trail droped down to around 1300mtrs, before then crossing into Switzerland and climbing steeply up to Col de la Croix 1757mtrs, from where I had further options.

Dawn light and Mont Blanc

On the summit looking down at the refuge and beyond

The Grand Combin-Dents du Midi and the Mont Blanc massif

 My legs were shot today. Climbing with the big bag was tough, and it was clear that I still hadn't recovered from yesterday. From the col, I could take the difficult trail on the northern side of Lac de Lovenax, or the normal route that followed Route 6 of the Swiss national trails. I opted for Route 6 and followed the trail easily (almost entirely downhill) to the beautifully situated Lac de Taney 1408mtrs. There was a public camping area here, but the facilities were closed, but I pitched my tent anyway and settled in for the evening. The area was a real frost pocket, and I guess this time of year, it didn't receive any sun at all during the day. Several spots on the way down to the lake were still coated in frost, and this came as something of a surprise as up at the refuge it had been really quite mild, but I guess at this height, when there isn't any sun the temperatures would seldom be above freezing during the night. It was just 14.30 when I arrived at the lake, and it didn't feel too warm then either. I set about doing the usual camping stuff-like feeding myself etc, and settled in to the tent soon after it got dark. I had dinner early, and just after eating, my headlight decided to pack in but thankfully I had brought a battery charging pack and this saved the day. I settled in for the night early and slept very well.

First view of Lac de taney

Camping heaven :)

Wednesday November 11th;

Chillier in the morning.

I knew it had been colder last night than the night before, so it wasn't really any great surprise to emerge to a frosted campsite this morning. I had left one water bottle outside and one inside the tent and the one outside was frozen solid. The one in the tent was fine, but it was a surprise to find, that it froze in the time I was cooking breakfast, so it must have been a bit chillier than I had thought. Anyway, I had decided to go as far as the town of Bouverey today, which was down by the shores of Lake Geneva and had public transport links, that would see me able to reach Geneva the following morning for my flight. A lovely walk along the northern side of Lac de Taney, through the woods, quickly gave way to a wonderful hillocky pastureland, and I was once again basking in the morning sun. Down then easily until you reach a forest road, and here the trail divides. I wanted to gain a viewpoint one more time and I turned left and headed for Croix de la Le at 1873mtrs, which promised to give great views down to Lake Geneva and beyond. I followed the trail until point 1669mtrs, and here I diverged and headed straight up to the col, directly above, at 1913mtrs. Here I dropped my bag and walked easily to the nearby summit at 1993mtrs. Wow what a wonderful place to be. The views were so much better than I had anticipated. Everything, from the Mont Blanc massif to the Valais and the Bernese Oberland could be seen on the horizon, and of course the ranges that bounded the huge lake below, were wonderful to behold as well. Warm sun and no wind, meant that a layer of pollution could be seen, hovering above the Rhone valley far below. I relaxed a while, and it was some reluctance that I turned and set off for the long descent all the way to the valley floor over 1600mtrs lower. Once I got back as far as the forest road, I was from there to the bottom walking in the shade. Walking in the woods had a charm all of its own.

The Rhone valley with a layer of pollution clearly seen

The end of Lake Geneva with Bouverey on the bottom and Villeneuve on top

Mont Blanc

The Tashhorn and the Dom

Bouverey seemed to hover far below, and never seemed to get nearer, but eventually I emerged from the woods, and set foot on the smooth tarmacked streets. I made my way as far as the train station, and I found that the first train didn't leave early enough tomorrow for me to make the airport in time. Because of that and the campsite being closed, I opted to walk across the valley to the town of Villeneuve, which had another campsite, and was on the main rail route to Geneva. This proved to be a very enjoyable walk on a mixture of tarmac, walking/ bike trail, and lovely forest trails, that made for easy walking. The campsite in Villeneuve was open so I enjoyed a comfortable evening and a great shower. The connections to Geneva were superb, so the return home was stress free. As a place to launch similar outings in future, this town would be ideal. I had been unlucky with the gas situation, and I must consider getting a multi fuel stove for future international trips, but I had been so so lucky with the weather. It would have been great to get such weather in the summer, not to mind on the cusp of winter. I enjoyed visiting somewhere new, and regretted that I didn't have more time to delve deeper into the area. The Dents de Midi were so beautiful, and the mountains behind Aigle, are definitely worth exploring as well. As I left I couldn't help but feel as well that perhaps I had missed an opportunity to perhaps climb Mont Blanc, or indeed traverse from Bionnasay, but who was to know that the weather would be quite as good as it turned out to be. One thing for sure is that I will return to the area.

Where the Rhone enters the lake

Journeys end, looking at Montreux