Dwight Peck's personal website

Wet woods in the Jura, June 2013

It's been a fabulous winter for snowshoers here in the Jura mountains, but now summer's here . . . or is it?


You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Dripping wandering in the forest of Marchairuz

The first of June, 2013, and the snow has finally disappeared from the Pré de Rolle pastures (ca. 1350m).

Down the long pastures -- a few months ago we stumbled upon a sort-of-path through the cliffs to the top of the ridge, and today we'd like to see what it's like without snow all over it.

We're passing by the gouffre, a protected natural monument that goes straight down.

The marked path to the end of the Pré de Rolle

At the end of the pastures, here's the uphill view, hopefully now to be guided by little red dots.

Our first red dot, and up we go -- ooof, slidey wet leaves.

A breather after the first stage . . .

but no red dots.

We'll wander around till we find one.

Bingo.

Two more red dots; good.

Just when we're starting to really like the red dots, none.

Red dot!

Please don't let us find a red dot here. (I'd like to get this right, because I tore my shoulder tendons out looking for this thing in 2008.)

No red dot yet, but a hint of a vestigial path.

Red dot! But no way we're going downhill now.

Ha ha ha. Topping out.

Very reassuring, despite the dilapidated old stone wall

We've got into the ravine between La Neuve and the main ridge from Marchairuz. This will be easy.

Scenery roundabout

Our path, and the remains of an old stone wall

A red dot. Good.

Claustrophobic on both sides of our path

Ancient configurations of rocks and trees

Straight ahead . . .

. . . and no plausible alternative.

Somewhere over those rocks, the pastures that lead towards the Crêt de la Neuve make for pleasant walking.

In the meantime, we're proceeding up the centre of the ravine, but . . .

we'll now take a short cut up to the right.

It was a rough winter.

Foresters' débris everywhere, we're near the top of something (1427m on the map).

Wood ants

We're looking for the former Chemin des Crêtes hiking path, and that's probably it . . . down there.

The old Chemin des Crêtes. It's been a rough winter.

A soggy hiking path -- unmarked but well known, direct to the hotel at the Col du Marchairuz.

But it's time for another shortcut.

We're plunging down the Lake Geneva side of the Jura ridgeline.

Briefly lost, but . . .

relieved to find real trail signs. Enough with the red dots.

Now just a soggy walk out to the car

GO!


Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 6 June 2013.


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