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Time to return to civilization

This post is a continuation of my series on hiking the Tour de Vanoise in France. This post follows the post “Our Last Night in the Alps at Refuge Peclet-Polset”. To read it, click here. 

As I always like to say “All good things come to an end”. Today would be our last hike in Vanoise National Park in the French Alps. It had been a glorious hike with lots of spectacular views and over 800 sensational photos to prove it. Yet, I was really ready to get back to civilization and get a good night’s sleep!

Our last refuge. I should have known it was going to be trouble.

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A Picnic Lunch in Paradise

Author’s note: This post is a continuation on my travel series hiking the Tour de la Vanoise. Somehow or another I had started this post and forgot to finish it! How dare it! This post should have occurred the afternoon before we arrived at our last refuge, Refuge Peclet-Polset, and should have been placed after my post titled “Into the Mystic”. 

Have you ever been in a place that felt like it was out of a fairytale? A place that brought back memories of being a child lost inside some fictitious fantasy land? Well that is how I felt when I climbed over the low-lying hill and descended upon our picnic place for the afternoon.

As I walked over this hill….

This is what I saw….

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Our last night in the Alps at Refuge Peclet-Polset

We reached our last refuge for the trip, the Refuge Peclet-Polset around mid-afternoon. It was another stellar day awash in brilliant sunlight and perfect temperatures. We had heard from our guide Mark that this refuge was relatively new and “modern” as the old one had burned down. By the looks of it, modern meant ugly. It was poorly designed and felt like a shoe box inside with paper-thin walls, no ambiance or quaintness like the other, older refuges and many people.  As we entered the refuge to get our bed assignments I thought to myself “Here we go again. Another night of no sleep”.

So what did we do? Celebrate and have a good time!

Our group having an apres-hike beer at our refuge.

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A steep descent to our final Alpine refuge

After reaching the highest point of our trek at Col de Chaviere and a stunning view of Mount Blanc nestled in the clouds, it was time to head down. Unfortunately it was a long, steep descent through a path of rocky glacier moraine. But at least there were plenty of beautiful views to keep me and my camera busy.

Amazingly enough, at the very top of the Col I found these beautiful wildflowers and could hardly believe that they grew in such a place. The top of the Col was surrounded in rock and normally quite windy. Yet life not only survived, it thrived.

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Into the mystic

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away”. – Anonymous

We rose feeling well rested and well loved after our wonderful night’s stay in such a heavenly place. My stomach ached from eater and drinker’s remorse but I knew it was deserved after such an enormous, gourmet french meal.  In a few hours after hiking, I’d be fine and hungry once again, as the calories I consumed magically burned off.

We set off into the fog, our first day that wasn’t perfect.  Despite the lack of a decent view, the fog was a welcome surprise as it kept us cool as we climbed back up into the Alps.

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The hike down into a heavenly place

Author’s note: This is a continuation on my series of trekking La Vanoise National Park in the high Alps of France. To see all posts in this series, click here.

“In the mountains there are only two grades: You can either do it, or you can’t.”— Rusty Baille

I have always liked the saying “What goes up, must come down”.  As much as I enjoyed the long hike up to the stunning snow-capped 360 views of the Alps, I knew without a doubt that it would be a long, knee-breaking hike down.

Heading down through a rocky, steep and slippery trail.

Looking back to the top of where we were.

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Views from on top of the world in the French Alps

Author’s note: This is a continuation on my series of trekking La Vanoise National Park in the high Alps of France. To see all posts in this series, click here.

After a strenuous morning of hiking, we finally made it to one of the highest points of our week-long trek. I was the first in the group to get to the top and what a sensational view we had. The reward was worth all the sweat and effort. It felt great to be on top of the world!

“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.”    — Greg Child

Fourteen-year-old Jonty, the youngest of our group, taking a break on top of the Alps.

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The ultimate hike: Day 4 in Vanoise National Park

Author’s note: This is a continuation on my series of trekking La Vanoise National Park in the high Alps of France. To see all posts in this series, click here.

After a fabulous night’s sleep in our very own Chalet de grade (guards hut) I was ready to start day four of our week-long trek in Vanoise National Park. The Chalet proved charming, basic and serendipitously quiet for a peaceful night’s sleep of five.In the middle of the night, I had to use the loo and was awestruck by nature’s light show of dazzling stars shining brightly above my head. I knew tomorrow would be another perfect, cloudless day. And that it was.

Setting off in the morning on a long, six hour hike.

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Something in the air

Author’s note: This is a continuation on my series of trekking La Vanoise National Park in the high Alps of France. To see all posts in this series, click here.

The glorious day only continued to improve. Each step I took made me feel more alive than I had in ages. There is something about hiking that gives me an enormous emotional high. It is funny as I’m a runner and the euphoric feeling I get from working my body strenuously is often the only thing that makes me feel whole. Being outside, breathing in fresh, pure air and feeling the sun on my face is perhaps the closest I’ll ever come to heaven.

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An evening escape watching mountains and marmots

Author’s note: This is a continuation on my series of trekking La Vanoise National Park in the high Alps of France. To see all posts in this series, click here.

All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. – Walk Disney

L’Arpont refuge. About a ten-hour hike from our starting point in Pralognon-la-Vanoise.

After a long day of hiking we finally arrived at our destination for the night: l’Arpont refuge. From afar, it looked like an old rustic stone dwelling left over from the old days. Yet inside it was actually quite nice, with bright open windows overlooking the mountains, wood floors and ceilings and a beautiful bakery. Perhaps I’d get a better night’s sleep.

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The hike to l’Arpont refuge: Morning

Author’s note: This is a continuation on my series of trekking La Vanoise National Park in the high Alps of France. To see all posts in this series, click here.

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” -
John Burroughs

Morning clouds over the Col de la Vanoise.

After a rough night’s sleep, I gathered my wits and set off with our group a little past nine o’clock to the rising sun. The fresh air seemed to help immensely and draw me in. Soon, my three-hour night’s sleep was all but a distant dream and I was in my element. Embracing life and breathing it all in with each and every step.

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A rough night’s sleep in a French mountain hut

Author’s note: This is a continuation on my series of trekking La Vanoise National Park in the high Alps of France. To see all posts in this series, click here.

Sunset over Col de Vanoise.

If you have never been on a mountain hiking trip before, you probably haven’t been properly introduced to “les refuges” or mountain huts. Over the years of my travels, I have stayed at many, some nice and others not so nice. Mountain huts are generally basic shelters in which hikers can sleep and eat for the night at a relatively low cost. Normally mountain huts are quite rustic either with or without electricity, running water and adequate “loo’s”.

The nicest one I’ve ever stayed at was in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park. This refugio (as it is called in Spanish) had heated indoor showers, “Western” toilets, decent food and separated bunks.  Some of the worst I’ve stayed at were in Nepal and Peru where a real live toilet was around the bend, under a bush and electricity was a distant dream.

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