Dwight Peck's personal website

Winter 2016-2017

In the awful, hopefully only, Year of Trump

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.

A sunny Sunday walk from the Col de la Croix

Very uncharacteristically good weather this time

The carpark at the Col de la Croix (1776m) on the soon-to-be-closed-for-the-winter road from Villars-sur-Ollon over to Les Diablerets -- filled to capacity on a sunny Sunday, 30 October 2016.

Kristin dashes off, Teny, Joe, and the photographer adopt a more measured pace

Up out of the woods

The dirt track towards the hamlet of Ensex

Our objective for today, the Col de l'Encrène at 1936m

The pointy Oldenhorn (3123m) and, to the right, the top of the Diablerets skilifts at Sex Rouge. The Glacier of Diablerets (properly de Tsanfleuron) extends down in the other direction.

The Sex Rouge (2971m) and, right of centre, the Tête Ronde (3037m) and, peeking behind it, the Sommet des Diablerets (3210m)

Teny and Joe

Hikers approaching the hamlet of Ensex (1812m). The main Villars ski facilities of Bretaye and Chamoissaire are on the farther side of that ridge on the horizon.

Crowds of sun worshippers out for a bracing walk

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Ensex

From here we're turning up off the through path, heading up to L'Encrène

Hop Suisse!

The end is in sight

The Oldenhorn again -- there is a difficult hiking path up the far side of that.

Local scenery

Nearly there

From L'Encrène, a zoom of the Meilleret skilift half a kilometre away along the ridge

The range on the far side of Les Diablerets village and the Col du Pillon: Châtillon, Le Tarent (2548m), and La Para (back in the day, I had an annual running route up that long slanting ridge on the right to La Para).

Serious avalanche barriers protecting the villages below: Les Diablerets, Vers-l'Eglise, etc.

The little ridge upon which we are presently having a nice sunny rest and chat before descending

The Leysin Tours: the Tour d'Aï, Tour de Mayen, the long ridge of Sex Truex, and (our favorite) the Tour de Famelon on the right.

The Tour de Famelon

And in the other direction, to the south, the tiny village of Taveyanne (1647m), two and a half kilometres away

The Dents du Midi across the fog-shrouded valley of the Rhône

Going down now

Returning by a higher path

Discussing Trump's chances. Rated at about zero.

The massif of Diablerets with the gypsum pyramids coming up shortly

The top of the Pyramides de Gypse (1842m), overlooking the Col de la Croix

There are a few nasty little paths among the pyramids to lookout points, but they're unpleasant.

Back to the Col, with the parking lot beginning to thin out in late afternoon

Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 14 November 2016.

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