La Vanoise

Our last day before coming home.... we have chosen to descend from Montcenis to climb to the refuge de plan du lac, 2476m, at the heart of the Vanoise. This a solid climb with views on the region of the French-Italian border that we visited a few days ago (Sommeiller, etc.). It takes us in front of the Vanoise glacier and the highest point in the massif, La Grande Casse. Neither of these great features are visible from our usual places of observation in the Jura, so it's all new to us to admire.

We bivouac next to the refuge, and have dinner there, thus enjoying a bit of refuge life. The guardian is a smily and bossy lady, and generally the feeling is that of a French grammar school. At the large table we meet new people, coming from different lives and targets. Good fun. The views from the tent are superb, clouds permitting.

Altogether, with several climbs of over 1300 m and up to 3000, and several nights above 2000m, we are itching to climb even higher in South AmericaRead more