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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3689 |
13th March 2020 Hiking - Walking: Sentiers des Tannes et Glacier at Margeriaz Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: Max Speed: Distance Covered: 5.75 miles (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise) Friday 13th yes Friday 13th of March! – snow show **** Sentiers des Tannes et Glacier at Margeriaz 1400 – cloudy. It rained all night, mild too, it’s amazing there is any snow left! Although the rain had stopped in the morning the forecast sun had failed to arrive:( So easy start reading as the cloud was low and you couldn’t see the mountains opposite so the snow shoe to the ridge was out of the question today. Then over breakfast we decided to go down to a park just below the resort in a small car park popular with snow shoers and explore what looks like a flat walk through the trees. With the picnic packed we soon arrived and set off at 11.35 with several cars already there. The map on the information board was no help so we set off on the flat in a well grooved SS track through the pretty beech trees with the visibility much better at this height:) We soon reached the first helpful place the Place a Babon with a wooden cabin, a top igloo and several sign posts directing you all over the place. Mag didn’t fancy the walks to the caves or the Cret which involved a steep path up so we continued on the flat path towards the Col de la Verne wherever that was as we had no idea? We then came to a sign to La Grotte des fees so made a small detour and were soon high above the path but still following some older SS tracks. It was a cool path as it followed a cliff face with loads of small trees growing in the way and then the snow had been melted by a small stream. The origin of the stream was the cave itself also the end of the line! I went and had a look inside the cave which was dripping with water, in fact there are loads of caves in this area! We took a bit of a short cut down the steep bank to re-join the main path. We then got to the best bit with high cliffs to the right and amazing views down to Aillon – le – Jeune and its sad ski resort where we were yesterday. We turned left into a narrower section past three more snow shoers having lunch and the wide path suddenly ended with only two options, return the way we had come or continue to follow the sign to the Col, the only trouble was the track headed very steeply uphill!!! Mag seemed keen to continue up so we set our SS for uphill mode and followed the well walked narrow path up and up and up!!! We had no idea how far it was but Mag had got it into her head that because we were on the Sentiers des Tannes et Glacier then we could do a circular walk and get back to the van but we were not sure. We followed green and yellow markers up through a lovely forest gorge and once we had committed it was easier to carry on than turn back! We were actually walking uphill for an hour and it was hard going but then Mag spotted a very welcome sign saying we had reached the Col de la Verne at 1517m with the good news that we could return a different way from here:) A little further on you could get to the edge of the ridge which offers stunning views but sadly not today in the low cloud but we sat on a rock and had our picnic. Up to this point we had seen no wild life or animal tracks in the snow, just the odd bird singing in the trees, it was just so quiet:) Getting a bit chilly we decided to carry on, thinking we must be nearly at the end of the uphill section but were surprised that it went on farther than expected! We did meet two well equipped snow shoers coming the other way, they even had a map and stopped to chat. They said they had seen Tetras tracks, which is a grouse we think and had scared one just a minute before, also rabbit and fox tracks so a right couple of Bear Gryls!!! We were now in more open undulating snow fields very near the top of the resort, you could even hear the lift but you could see very little. We followed the tracks made by the people we had just meet but they seemed to be going up so we turned down following some old tracks, then some ski tracks and then just made it up. It was great fun making fresh tracks in deep snow over some very challenging terrain. I did fall in some deep snow and put my SS in very deep at one point and had a job to get it out! We had no idea exactly where we were but knew all you had to do was head down and you would come across the husky dog run. In the end we did better than that and found the Cret path which than took us right back to the van. So much for an easy hike along the flat as we had done some serious up and down and were glad to see the van having been out for 4hrs 25 mins covering 5.75 miles! We were pleased to return to our parking spot at Margeriaz for the 4th night for a delicious homemade hot chocolate and brioche:) Easy day tomorrow hopefully relaxing in the sun and then we might attempt the walk to the top of the resort, still after today nothing is too much for a couple of intrepid explorers like us!!! Photo Gallery Here |
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