Martigny to Orsières

A decent hike today. Nice to get off the hard surfaces; more a sense of adventure walking through the forest and across streams. Even a swing bridge which I know some people would not have liked.
A blue sky day, a bit warm in the sun. But up here less humid and the sun soon drops below the sharp ridge and remnants of snow in shaded slopes high up and a pleasant crispness to the air.
More the Switzerland I imagined with hillside farming villages and the occasional cow with a bell.
Met two Belgian men and we talked about the hiking trails we had done in Europe - they love the pilgrim trails. So easy for them: they jump on a train and soon on the trail.
The Col du Grand Saint-Bernard (Great St. Bernard Pass) had a decisive influence on the history of Orsières. North-south trade created prosperity for the area, those who controlled the gateway extracted a toll from traders and travellers. But this was a double-edged sword. The town owes its first historical mention to this: in 925 the Abbot of Cluny was kidnapped near the bridge of Orsières and only released after the payment of a ransom. You have it, other people want it.
The area has a long tradition of alpine farming with cute Ehringer cattle and sheep. Basically, in summer the stock are out grazing on the lush summer grass; in winter the stock are kept in barns and the farmers make cheese. This business model kept these remote farming communities insulated from, at times, the chaos of Europe.Read more