Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme to Refuge de Presset (16km, +911, -830)
Breakfast is a busy affair, and I find myself explaining to the young Israeli I briefly met yesterday that the reason there are no mugs for coffee is that the French drink theirs in bowls. He looks at me with disgust and disbelief, only convinced when he notices that is it indeed what the people around us are doing. I have a feeling I already had this conversation at least once before.
Today I follow the white and red blaze of the GR5. With seemingly the entire hut heading towards Italy, I find the GR5 sign, take a right through the tent city that sprouted here last night, and walk up into the Crête des Gittes. It's one of the best sections I've ever hiked. The narrow but stable trail runs along the top of the ridge. It's a beautifully clear day, with cold wind just cold enough to dry my sweat. It's valleys and mountains as far as the eye can see, and Marmots are frolicking around on the steep slops. It's heaven, and it ends far too soon with a descent into Col de la Sauce. This is where I first say hello to a French couple hiking the trail who I'll befriend this week.
From here it's a descent via a not-very-interesting Alpine meadow, and as I head down, trippers are heading up and I can see the road below us. Just before I reach the road. Just before the road is Le Chalet Du Berger, which was not mentioned in any of the readings I did about this trail. I peak inside, and it looks very inviting, though the price list hanging above the bar place it much above hut prices. I fill my water in their large trough, order a coffee and watch the day trippers and mountain climbers hiking to the Via Feratta above.
Crossing the busy road next to Refuge du Plan de la Lai, I take what is marked on the map as variant #3. Within a few minutes Gîte de Plan Mya is on the right. I've heard good things about it, and it looks inviting. It even has two tents open on their lawn, you can rent them for a night instead of a bed in the dorms. This seems to be getting more popular, and I make a note to try it some day. Dormitories are often stuffy and creaky, and a tent with a mattress looks very appealing.
The trail climbs up onto a plain. This is farming lands, with the cows producing the milk the area is famous for. At La Grande Berge I take a small detour, climbing up the hill for a view of Lac de Roseland below. I could see its large dam from Col de Bonhomme yesterday, and now I have a better view of the lake itself, one of several in this region. A great place for a rest, I take out bread, cheese and an apple and sit down for a picnic. Smarter people leave their backpacks at the bottom of the hill.
Down back to the trail, the effects of the draught are clearer today. The scenery is less green and more brown. Even more drastic, the water troughs are mostly dry, and so are most of the streams around.
The ascent to Refuge de Presset is long and I struggle a bit, particularly in the rocky area just below the Col. Col Bresson overlooks the valley on the other side, and Pierra Menta, a rocky peak on which a ski mountaineering takes place every year (seriously, google it. It's insane).
From the col it’s 15-20 minutes to the hut. These would have been easy if it wasn’t for the narrow and not so well maintained trail. 5 minutes into the trail there’s a rock protruding over the trail. With no metal bars to hold on to, I need to stretch, fingers desperately trying to find perch on the other side of the rock. With the heavy backpack and my short stature, I truly feel this is a near death experience, with a steep fall below me. The other hikers seem to be completely unfazed by this. But I also live to tell the tale, and make it to the hut in one piece.
The hut is just lovely, with great attention to details that make it even more welcoming. An entrance room where you are asked not only to leave your boots, but also your bags. In exchange you get a large blue bin to store your essentials for the night. The 5 dorm rooms open directly to the one long common room, which ends with a large window overlooking the small lake and Col du Grand Fond. I've never seen dorms like this - the 6 beds are arranged in 3 levels, but rather than being simple bunk beds, they are connected to the walls, rather than each other. Further inside the room is a wrap-around bench, to place your blue bin at. It's effective and convenient, and unfortunately I am given the top bed, which I hate. Luckily, they thought of everything, and there is a small window right above me, which I'm asked to keep open. You will not hear me complain about fresh air in a dorm room!
The attention to details continues with a small shower/toilets room that yet again has something I've never seen: cubicles with urinals for women. It's a wide, shallow metal half-pipe at a slight angle. All you need to do is squat and pee. As with Bonhomme, no water for showers here as well.
As with most huts situated on a lake, a herd of Ibex lives here, and they come in for the night. Or maybe they are Chamois? I suddenly realise I don't know the difference.
The cozy atmosphere is enhanced by the cold wind outside, and the small hut being full of people. All French-speaking. I can pick up on some conversations, but struggle to communicate. At dinner I am sat with the couple I've met before, the women welcoming with almost fluent English, the man communicating with me in French only. The others at the table say the speak no English, but in the next few days I will find out they are just embarrassed to speak it. The conversation is a mix of French and a bit of English thrown in for my sake, and yet again I'm frustrated that my French is stuck at beginners' level.
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