|
 Dwight Peck's personal website
Winter
2005-2006
Short
breaks from poring over the newspapers as the Bushies implode
A
round-up of refuge pix, 25 and 26 February 2006
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.
Bois
Carré and the refuge Intercommunale
Some
weeks ago we got some poignant photos of forestry
refuges in the Marchairuz region, so today we're out to get another one, and tomorrow
we'll go back to some of the earlier ones. Here we're heading
out past the farm at Pré de Bière north of the Marchairuz road,
trotting along about three times faster than in the horrific new snow last
week.
Our
guide is spending more time shooting off holiday snaps than getting us to our
objective.
We're
passing by Pré de Bière now and the weather's still holding.
And
now we're passing La Perrause. Weather's still holding. We're still following
last week's track, more or less, past Grandes Chaumilles, and then we'll launch
up into the forest of Bois Carré.
And there's
our objective, the forestry refuge of Bois Carré
(1380m), owned by the commune of Chenit in the Vallée du Joux, which covers
the towns of Le Brassus, Le Sentier, and L'Orient at the southwest end of the
lake.
A
welcoming sight in the dark forest.
But looking
a little stranded and alone with all that snow on it. The ornament to the right
of the front windows is a fake chamois' skull made of bits of wood and Heineken
beer bottlecaps.
The
ladder leads up to a sleeping loft above the single room. Our guide leads mostly
at random.
A
cozy sort of place, with its Toulouse-Lautrec, map of the area, regulations on
the wall, and most of all its place mats.
Most
and probably all of the forestry refuges in the area have the same set of rules,
varying only by the name and logo of the commune that owns that part of the forest.
| Forestry
refuge
Commune of Chenit
Dear
visitors,
You
find yourself in the forests of the Commune of Chenit. The refuge in which you
install yourself is the private property of the Commune. It was constructed as
a shelter for the people who work in the forest. Therefore, they have the priority
in the use of this refuge.
If
the forestry personnel don't need it, the Commune willingly puts it at the disposition
of hikers, as long as they respect the following conditions:
1. The
length of occupation is limited to one day.
2. Except in cases of distress,
it's prohibited to stay overnight.
3. When needed, the use of the refuge must
be shared with other people.
4. No reservations are permitted.
5. Fires
can only be lit in the stove and with all of the precautions of such use. The
wood used should be replaced by fallen wood found in the forest roundabout.
6. When you leave the refuge, you should leave it clean and carry out with you
all your refuse and empty bottles.
7. The Municipality reserves the right
to supervise the present rules and take suitable measures if necessary to prevent
any abuse. The
Municipality of the Commune of Chenit.
| 
Thereafter,
Dr Pirri leads us in a circle, unfortunately a very uphill circle.
The
Chalet des Combes at 1488m.
Dr
Pirri exulting in the weather, scenery, and ambiance, 25 February 2006.
Passing
by the farm of Pré de Denens on the way back to the car
The
Refuge "Intercommunale" in the forest of Grande Rolat
Over the wall
The long way
round through the forest from the scarcely penetrable east side. 26 February 2006.
No
good in trying to hurry, patience and focus are best. No daydreaming either.
The refuge
(1346m) peers back at us. The place looks forlorn enough, but
a popular hiking trail passes just behind the cabin from the main road to the
Sèche de Gimel and is usually beaten down by battalions of snowshoers nearly
to tarmac, as hard on the knees as the floor of a hotel lobby or convention centre.
There's
a wooden name sign on the front wall, just under the two little dortoir windows,
which is almost perfectly unreadable. I finally came up with something like
"I . t . erc . om . ua".
In fact,
it appears that (see the blue sign at the very top of this page) we're now in
the forest owned by the commune or town of Le Lieu in the Vallée du Joux,
but the refuge was built in collaboration with the nearby commune of L'Abbaye.
Thus it's the refuge "Intercommunale".
Very
snug and cozy. Very like all of the other refuges.
The
guest book and some kids' drawings of the place in springtime.
| Rescue
Group, Jura Vaudois
Hikers,
you who pass through our magnificent region, thank you for respecting this refuge.
For us, it is a valuable reference point in the search when someone has become
lost.
If during a hike one of your companions has got lost, make this known
immediately by telephoning 117.
We will come, if needed, to make a search,
24/24.
This box contains what you need to inform yourself and get help.
We wish you pleasant moments in nature.
Rescue Group, Jura Vaudois. |
The guest
book's filled with lots of enthusiastic families who had marched out here for
a barbecue in "the nature" and seemed moved by the experience. (For
someone who grew up in northern New Jersey, where litter is frequently an improvement,
this is a wonderful thing to see.)
The
willfully circuitous way home, uphill to the north, is frequently blocked by missing
pieces of the ground.
Oh
well, back to work tomorrow.
 Feedback
and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative,  .
All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 3 March 2006, revised 2 September
2007, 3 January 2014.
|
