Today’s 29km walk into Briançon crossed some seriously cool terrain, and rode a high, exposed ridge for half of the time, as I took the high level GR-5C alternate route.
That’s the ridge, but I gotta hike down from this col to get to it, and then hike up that valley on the right!A nice spot to stop for coffee in the valley. Even a simple picnic table can really make you feel civilized when you’ve had nothing but dirt and grass to sit on for so long
The 1,000m ascent to the ridgeThrough beautiful, Sierra-like coniferous forests
The beautiful Lac Cristol, last water source to Briancon
Views from the col, where the ridge walk begins
Ridge walking along that path on the left
Panoramic views from here onGlaciers!
One more set of climbs, ridge walking is always a lot of small ups and downs
I was obsessed with these glacial mountains behind me!
A little steep..Looking back down the ridge from the Croix de Cime
One final stretch..
Croix de ToulouseThis descent was super steep and precarious! But nothing a little caution and some good boots and batons can’t handleAfter descending 1,300m, I come to the walled city of Briançon! Home for tonight.
