Day 35: Gryon

Monday 15th June

Over the last 40 years there have been walks which Jill hasn’t fancied doing and which I’ve done on my own: Mount Washington via Tucker’s ravine (which I came down to find Jill had been to hospital because she had cut her thumb wide open with a can opener), West Lion Vancouver (fortunately I met a couple of sports scholars who helped me get to the top), the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand (where I got adopted by 3 young Scandinavian girls) etc. Today was almost up there with them (for the 68 year old version of me). 

So whilst Jill stayed at the chalet, resting and reading I headed for the mountains.

This time I did a cheat start:


I took the gondola up to La Chaux Ronde terminal. From there it’s an easy but steep hike up to the top of La Chaux Ronde, but there the fun begins. 



From the top there is a narrow ridge path which leads up to the next summit. It’s about 2ft wide but at times absolutely sheer on both sides.

Fortunately a Dutch guy caught up with me whilst I was resting and taking photos, just before starting the ridge. After discussing the football - and his sharing of national injustice that England had beaten The Netherlands in the semi-final, we took photos of one another and I asked him to stay close whilst we tackled the ridge.








The Dutch guy took photos whilst walking along the most difficult bits, but I kept my phone firmly in my pocket so I could concentrate on the path. Once we were over the difficult bit he sped on, whilst I lingered at the second summit to take in the stunning views.









After the ridge a leisurely stroll down to the alpine hamlet of Tavayanne followed





where I treated myself to a small refreshment.





From Tavayanne it was just over two hours back to Gryon, through hillside pastures, forests and tracks. I arrived back very tired, but elated and ready for more refreshments!










Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 17, 2024 at 2:01 PM

    Looks like you're getting some good practice for some more walking Ardudwy!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 17, 2024 at 3:28 PM

    I certainly am!
    Neil

    ReplyDelete

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