Autumn 2012 hiking in the Jura

Dwight Peck's personal website

Waiting for the snow, autumn 2012

Anticipatory hiking in the meantime

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.

The Sèche des Amburnex

Our favorite cave with a view, hidden away in the protected area in the centre of the Sèche des Amburnex near the Col du Marchairuz, Switzerland -- not easily found unless you know where to look for it.

A bit like a secret passage. 6 October 2012.

Kristin in our little cave

The sun's beneficial rays through the roof

The Sèche des Amburnex

Kristin and the Sèche des Amburnex

The ruins of an old farm building

Kristin and the sinkholes of the Sèche des Amburnex

La Glacière

The cabin of the bûcherons, or forestry fellows, on the road to the Glacière above St-George, 13 October 2012.

Kristin and the bûcheron

It's another brilliant woodcarving by M. Paul Monney.

The road past L'Eau Pendante, or 'Hanging Waters'

The Story of the Bear in the Marchairuz region. From the journal of Baron Guiguer de Prangins, October 1772, recounting the tale of Jacques, the former shepherd from Prangins, who killed a bear above Saint-George with a bayonnet to the throat. It was gigantic (measurements follow).

Mr Monney's version of it is indeed pretty big.

The bear of Marchairuz

The Glacière road on a colorful October walk.

The Hanging Waters (in winter it is sheeted with ice and running with melt-off)

La Glacière, one of the local cave systems that has permanent ice down in it.

Kristin loves nothing so much as standing in inadvisable places (except marmots, and seals and kitties).

Back down out of the forest of Grand Pré

William's October hiking expeditions

William (above) and Marlowe have been visiting, late October 2012, and hiking everywhere. We call it hiking.

Leysin (Tour de Famelon)

Hiking near Leysin, early November 2012

Foxes in the Combe des Begnines

We're on the road through the Combe des Amburnex, 15 November, and starting up to find foxes in the Combe des Begnines.

The pastures near Rionde Dessus -- the Combe des Begnines is over that ridge.

There's normally a fox here somewhere -- Monsieur Renard -- and Kristin's gone down to get him to reveal himself.

Monsieur Renard

And a filled sinkhole at the Petite Chaux end of the Combe des Begnines.

This is in unmarked short cut down out of the Combe des Begnines, and it's not recommended for everyone.

The short cut requires a certain faith in the outcomes that may only come with familiarity.

But Kristin has got that kind of faith, sometimes.

And so far it's worked out pretty well.

Toledo

All of our mid-November hiking took place in Toledo, Spain

Crêt de la Neuve

But now we're back in the Jura, and Dr Pirri is leading us up to the famous Crêt de la Neuve, 25 November 2012. Here we're emerging from the trackless forest at the farm of Perroude de Marchissy, onto the Chemin des Crêtes long-distance hiking trail.