Day 32, Saturday September 10
Le Boréon to Refuge de Nice
A sunny day with some good mountain scenery. Saw chamois goats several times, sometimes quite close.
It was a longer day and more difficult terrain than we expected. The guide book said 7 hours 15 minutes walking, but it took us 9 hours 45 minutes including a short lunch and short breaks. We got off to a late start today as the hotel didn’t serve breakfast early and arrived here at 6:45, just in time for dinner at 7:00.
Rocky trails and quite a bit of walking across rocky slopes where there is no trail, just rocks and sometimes some scrambling. You have to pay close attention to the markers. We got off the trail once and had to backtrack down a rocky slope we climbed in the wrong direction. Fortunately we realized our mistake quickly and it didn’t cost a lot of time.
Also some very steep climbs and descents.
But, whining aside, it was a good day. Two cols, some challenge, lots of work, and some wild and spectacular scenery. Even a small snow field beside us at the second col.
Tonight we are in an isolated but large and modern refuge.
The photo is a mountain lake (tarn) just before the first col.
Roy