Thursday Aug 11. Day 2 of walking.
Yesterday we walked from Evian on Lake Geneva to Bernex, a small ski resort about 850m above Evian. It was a warm sunny day and an easy walk. We used local walking trails to stay off busy roads and only got lost once. Someone walking in the other direction sorted us out.
The hotel in Bernex was the image of an alpine chalet resort. Very French dining room with traditional service and excellent food. The only thing wrong was majestic Dent d’Oche towering in the distance. Beautiful but intimidating.
Tonight we are tucked in at Dent d’Oche. It wasn’t that hard, although I found the almost vertical scramble up the last bit unnerving. The refuge is at 2114m. Very basic. No running water, but a good dinner with wine. The summit is 100m above the refuge. The view is fantastic – all of Lake Geneva, even the fountain in Geneva, Mont Blanc, and a sea of mountains around us. Perfect clear day. On the way up cows with bells in the pastures, marmots, flowers. A herd of mountain goats at the top. Equal to the best of any hiking I’ve done in Canada. Lots of families on the trail.
A good start to the walk.
Roy