Today was a day of surprises! Both good and bad.
I hiked 800m down in the morning through vast grasslands and forests and the towns of Valezon and Bellentre. I was lucky to walk through an apple orchard, and made sure to snag a couple snacks for later.
Morning commute
Valezon
Then a 400m climb up to Montchevin, where I was hoping to resupply at a supermarket in town. But I got there and the doors were locked! I checked online and apparently they close it down for summer two weeks ago, August 31! Just my luck! And in fact, the whole town was closed down! The burger shop? Closed! The public bathroom? Locked! Uggggh.
I hike out of town and my hopes of a grand sandwich were quickly dashing away.. but I looked on the maps and there was another potential supermarket just a short 15 minute diversion from the trail, in Les Coches.
I figured it was worth a try, considering the alternative was starvation haha! So I get up there after climbing through a little forest, and of course… it’s closed as well. But the burger shop was open! So at least I could get a good lunch.
Then I followed a road to rejoin with the GR5 and followed on through a forested canyon with pretty steep slopes. At one point, I followed a road covered in logs and downed brush thinking it was the trail, until it just dead ended! Super steep slopes all around. I checked the map, and somehow the trail was like 30m below me! So glad to have GAIA GPS in times like those. I climbed down the slope in front of me and lo and behold, there’s the trail!
Finally, I came out on a road into a gorgeous valley. I had entered the Vanoise National Park! Joyous day.
You know you’re entering a national park when…
It doesn’t even look real!
I climbed up the valley in front of me, past tons of huge waterfalls cascading down the granite cliffs. On to the Valley of the Plagne, past the lake and refuge of the Plagne, and finally, up to the Refuge du col du Perset, where I asked to bivouac and have breakfast in the morning.
Waterfalls
A good spot for dinner
View from the refuge. I ran to that hill on the left to snag photos!
After pitching the tent, I walked on to a big hill just near the refuge and had awesome views of all the splendor of the national park, just as the sunset hues were at their most red. It was really a magical moment. Vanoise has proven beyond a doubt that it is a place of the utmost beauty and natural resplendence.
And the stars have been divine the last few nights! Like full on, you can see the white band of the milky way streaked across the sky, and just millions and billions of stars. You dont realize how many stars there really are until you come out here.. wish I could get a good photo. But you’ll have to see it for yourself anyways! Good night!