I awoke to the sun warming the tent and got hiking around 9.
First, a brief climb up to the Col du Morgan.
Then, a sweet ridge walk to the col du Fer or “pass of iron,” named because of how often it gets lightning strikes!
From the col, I could see the gorgeous Lacs du Vens down below. The trail zig zags down the mountain and I have a pleasant walk beside all four of the different lakes.
From the last lake, a 200m climb up and over a small pass, and then a 200m descent, and bam! I’m on the Chemin de l’Energie, a road/trail cut into the sides of the mountains in the 1930s to facilitate a dam project that never happened. But the trail they left behind was just fantastic! Photos:
After a brief few kilometers on the Road of the Energy, I was sad to have to leave it– I needed to hike 1000m downhill to the town of St Etienne, as I was totally out of food, and this is the only town with a market for miles around. I really am in the middle of nowhere, or as one guide book puts it, “one of the wildest corners of France.”
The trail down is no frills switchbacks dropping 3,300 feet in elevation. My knees!
I make it down to town around 1 to find the market is closed til 3:30. Darn! You mean I have to stay here for two hours and drink coffee and have burgers and beer? What a travesty! Really though, this town is super quaint and pretty and worth checking out.
Finally, I get into the shop, and although it’s pretty limited, I snag enough supplies for a good 2 days of food.
So off I go, up a different trail that leads back to the Energy Road. 3,300 feet uphill.. in the heat of the afternoon. Rough going, but I make it back up to the balcony road just around 6:30 and hike a good hour further to the Lac and Refuge of Rabuons, where I find a nice place next to the lake to bivuoac. Okay, I’m worn out after all that up and down! Good night!
