Friday 5th September: Overcast then misty then sunny then rain and hail: 5°C to 12°C
Cabane du Plafeuri to Cabane du Mont Fort: 18.5k: 7.30am to 3.30pm: 8 hrs
Accommodation: Cabane du Mont Fort
Barren Landscape looking back
Almost there at Col de Prafleuri
Ibex all over the mountain
A barren misty moonscape
Tiptoeing over a glacial lake
Coffee next to blue flowers
Ian scrambling over rocks
Two cols down one to go - Col Termin here we come
50 people go past us up to the Col de Louvie at 2921 metres
WET PATHS AND TERRAIN ARE DANGEROUS - PAY ATTENTION
I'll be careful in the mist
Whoops - bruised gluteus maximus
Col Termin 2648metres and sign to Mont Fort
Lunch on a Donna sit pad at the Col Termin at 2648 metres.
Villages 1800 metres down in valley
Chamois on the hillside
Mist and rain rolls up the valley
Cabane du Mont Fort
Time for a beer and Mick's Nuts
A mixed day of weather and landscapes plus a 3 col day - Col de Prafleuri at 2965 metres, Col de Louvie at 2921 metres and Col Termin at 2648 metres. Misty, sunny, rain and hail in a moonscape of rocks and boulders. There’s no villages in this area because it's a barren desert, unknown area of Switzerland.
We didn't sleep much with people coming and going and torches flashing as no one wanted to pay for lights. The hut is abuzz with people by 6am as everyone MUST leave by 7.30am. That suits us as it's a long hard day. With 50 people trying to use two loos, there's more queues. We've booked into breakfast at 7am but the tea is cold, the bread is stale, and the cheese is plastic. So much for a privately run refuge.
It's a cold 5°C and overcast. We're the only ones going to Col de Prafleuri as everyone else is off towards Arolla and the ladders. One hour later we're at Col de Prafleuri at 2965 metres. It’s cold and we had to stop to layer up. Down the other side to a barren landscape of boulders and glacial lakes. It takes 3 hours of rock hopping to trek just a few kilometres. Finally we're on our way up to Col de Louvie at 2921 metres . We're famished as breakfast was spartan. We stop just short of the col for coffee and a snack on a rock seat near a pretty bunch of blue alpine flowers. Hot coffee and bread and jam and we're off again.
We reach the Col de Louvie to be greeted by another barren landscape and misty valley. Then we're met by streams of hikers coming towards us. Mountain etiquette dictates the downward trekker gives way to the upward trekker, so we found ourselves stepping aside to let them pass. Most of them managed a fake "Bonjour" that immediately gave them away as English or Americans or Australians. Down the other side, the boulders and light rain make it slippery. I'll be careful, when suddenly I’m rolling down into the boulders. Luckily I escaped with just a bruised bum. The mist thickens as we wind our way around the cliff edge, hanging onto chains. This side of the col, the landscape is greener and there's supposed to be chamois, smaller versions of ibex, on these slopes. Hence this path is called the Sentier de Chamois.
We seem to be gaining height, when all of a sudden, we're at the Col Termin at 2648 metres. It's 1.15pm and we spy a little nook behind a boulder out of the misty breeze and have lunch - 3 day old cheese, ham, tomato, bread and butter. Then down the other side, the mist lifts and we can see the green valley of Bagnes 1800 metres below, where we're going tomorrow. The villages of Lourtier, Versegeres and Le Chable lie scattered on the valley floor, and we can just see Champex where we're going in 2 days time.
It's a pretty walk at about 1500 metres along a balcony path high above the valley with groups of chamois scattered on the hillside like sheep. At last we see signs to Cabane du Mont Fort. Turning a corner, the Cabane can be seen a little higher on a rock perch but then the mist rolls up the valley and it starts to rain, then it hails. We walk faster and arrive at 3.30pm just as the rain pours down. We're in luck. We have a two person room. The warden of the cabane which belongs to the Swiss Alpine Club is just a young guy, easy going but efficient. He seems to be able to check people in, take phone calls, make cheese fondu for drop-in visitors, serve beer to those already here, issue towels and shower tokens to the guests who have just arrived, cook dinner at the same time and be friendly to everyone. Such a change from Prafleuri.
The lounge room is warm and we have a beer and nuts from Mick's Nuts at West End, that Ian has carried for weeks. It's nice to chat to others, a mix of Americans, British and a Swiss couple from Lausanne, and find out who's going where and compare notes. After quick shower we get our room organised. There's a power point in the room. Dinner is at no set time - just whenever. But we know from people days before what the menu is. Vegetable soup, salad, spaghetti bolognaise and a Swiss Cornetto ice cream followed by a glass of grappa. And sure enough, that's what it is. The young Swiss couple are doing a 2 day walk - because you can if you live in Switzerland. The Americans and Britts are doing self guided tours