Day 3/5 : 08 September 2021
- Refuge de Plaisance to Refuge du Col du Palet
- Distance: 15.04 km
- Vertical up: 1,063 m
- Vertical down: 672 m
We were a bit quicker packing up camp this morning, and were soon back on the trail and hiking through more stunning landscapes around Mont Pourri in the Parc National de la Vanoise.
This morning’s hiking was over some steep terrain and we crossed this river (see below) high up, before descending alongside it and heading towards our mug earned lunch stop.
We were now in a part of the mountains which showed us plenty of evidence of how they were formed by glaciers. Below, you can see the recession of glaciers and the way they have carved their shape into the mountain.
In the next photo, you can seen a huge rock which has been smoothed and shaped by a glacier moving over it, albeit millions of years ago.
Either side of the valley floor, the mountains are rugged and deeply carved by the water and ice.
We then entered some more gentle terrain where we found this sign advertising Beaufort cheese for sale. Having been brought up a dairy farm, I recognise the authenticity of a sign tied up with bale string! We had to go and check it out.
In France, Beaufort cheese can only be produced in the Beaufort and Tarentaise valleys, and can only be produced from milk from Taurine and Abondance cows.
A Taurine cow (in the foreground) catching a few rays sunshine. The cows with white faces are Abondance cows.
We finally arrived at the top of the Col du Palet, where we caught our first glimpse of the eponymously named refuge where we would camping this evening. (See lead photo).
Then all we had to do was chill out and relax until we could put our tents up at 7pm. As with all evening meals in France, dinner was also served at 7pm, but now we were well practiced at setting up our tents, so we didn’t miss dinner, nor a game of cards and a good natter with some of the other hikers who were staying at the refuge.
The weathermen have forecast a change for Thursday, so we were watching the sky with interest. This morning, small cumulous clouds were forming on the highest ridges and ice crystals were forming into wispy cirrus clouds over the highest peaks. As the day progressed, the temperature rose and by late afternoon it was very hot for this time of year.
Things I learned today
(We had a good chat with the friendly cowman whilst he was milking his cows. Three men look after 180 cows during the summer and make Beaufort cheese from milk. They have a permit from the commune to graze the pasture, and they look after cows belonging to several other farmers for the summer.)
Besides looking pretty and chiming an iconic mountain tune, the cow bells see two main purposes. The first is the well-known location bell to help farmers find them in the fog or cloud. The second is the bell’s intriguing ability to warn away snakes! Vipers are shy and avoid humans and animals whenever they can, but they don’t like being surprised, and that’s when they bite you!
Read about the other days of our hiking trip here:
- Day 1/5 – My front door to Refuge du Mont Pourri
- Day 2/5 – Refuge du Mont Pourri to Refuge de Plaisance
- Day 4/5 – Refuge du Col du Palet to Refuge de la Martin
- Day 5/5 – Refuge de la Martin to my front door
You will also find other articles about Sainte Foy on the Time to Ski blog page
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