Dave Byrnes

Via Alpina - 2012

Overview Planned Schedule Map Diary Pictures

Day:	006
Date:	Friday, 18 May 2012
Start:	Roure
Finish:	Roya
Daily Kilometres:	29.4
Total Kilometres:	162.1
Weather:	Overcast with intermittent, fog, rain and snow.
Accommodation:	A tent in Roya.
Nutrition:	Stale bread and cake for breakfast, muesli bars for lunch, muesli bars and chocolate bar for dinner.
Aches:	Exhausted
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	Knowing I had a tough day in prospect, with my first very high Col, I woke up at 5:30am, packed and ate the "breakfast" the girl in the hotel had given me the previous evening. The coffee and cake was OK, but the bread was stale, which was a pity. I had to make a trip back to the hotel to leave the thermos and key to the Gite before I left and it wasn't until shortly before 7am that I started walking. After some initial steep climbing on single trail, the Via Alpina followed a forest road for a number of very pleasant kilometres while gradually climbing to the hamlet of Rougios. Hamlets can be described as a small collection of farm houses in some kind of alpine meadow, in most cases. Most of Rougios seemed deserted, though there was one farmer milking a small herd as I passed through. The trail then became single track and climbed quite steeply up a ravine, with a gushing waterfall, and then ridge before emerging above the tree line into a high alpine valley where I encountered my first snow by the trail. Shortly after I reached the Refuge de Longon, which was still closed for the winter with no-one about. It felt like a bleak and isolated place with bare snowy mountains all around. There was, however, life, with small animals, a bit larger than a domestic cat which I will call marmots dashing back and forth before disappearing down burrows. They were too quick and would not let me get close enough for a photo. For the whole length of the valley, near and far, I was constantly aware of quick movement as these animals dashed to and fro. The trail continued to climb and as I passed through a narrow pass called les Portes de Longon (1941m), the intermittent drizzle became more persistent and it got quite cold. In a short break in the rain, I added a few layers of clothing and got out my thick gloves. The trail passed behind another hamlet, Vignols, and then the rain gradually turned to snow which fell steadily and finally began to settle on the ground. The trail climbed higher and higher and the snow stopped. I was just plodding along, conscious that I still had plenty of height to gain, and glad I had good bad weather gear. About this time I encountered three day hikers descending along my trail, although they were apparently walking a loop. We exchanged greetings and they warned me about the snow ahead. At least one of them was very envious when I said I was hiking the length of the Via Alpina. I continued on with the fresh light mantle of snow on the surrounding peaks which were caught up in swirls of fog and mist making a special vista. I started to encounter long stretches of snow over the trail, but could tell that a couple of people had passed this way wearing boots, and I followed their tracks. Eventually I reached and walked along a very high ridge (~2500m) half covered with snow, being careful where I walked, and then followed the trail across a steep scree slope occasionally covered with snow that was a bit nerve-wracking and I took it very slowly and carefully. Finally I reached Col de Crousette (2480m) and prepared to descend. I felt very isolated at this high point surrounded by bare rocks and snow on all the surrounding peaks. The first part of the descent involved working my way across a large snow field on the side of the mountain. I could have put my snowshoes and crampons on, but it looked like others had just post-holed across the slope so I followed suit. At one point there was evidence of a small avalanche having come down the mountain since my predecessors passed through, but it didn't look big enough to have done anybody any harm, and the slope wasn't that steep. I could see where I needed to go, though the trail was not discernible at all beneath the snow. The French are apparently not into snow poles. My route then necessitated descending more steeply and after I while I decided it was safer to get out of the snow and try to work my way around using some of the bare rocky outcrops. This took me a bit west of where I wanted to be and often required climbing up and down rocks which became very tiring. It took me about 30 minutes at one point to find a safe way down off a craggy cliff to the snowless valley below where I could see I needed to be. I eventually made it there at about 4pm and collapsed exhausted to eat a couple of biscuits and have a drink of water. Then came a long, steep and technical single trail descent, much of it on loose rock, which was very hard on my tired knees feet and legs. I knew by now I would be lucky to get to the Gite in Roya before 7pm, reducing my chances of getting a meal. I also had to cross a number of rushing streams, climaxed by one where a bridge had been washed out. With help from the trekking poles I managed to rock hop across without getting very wet. Then came the final descent, following a gushing waterfall down a steep gorge on a switchback trail. The hamlet of Roya came into sight and after descending to cross the stream again, this time on a bridge, I climbed up to the hamlet which seemed mostly deserted. Sadly, the Gite where I planned to stay was also deserted and patently not open for the season despite saying May 1st on their website. The hamlet was very quiet and I decided that I might as well sleep in the drafty (one wall) shed behind the Gite. I was mostly unpacked when I saw a guy emerge from a nearby old building he was working on. I asked him about somewhere to stay. He suggested a holiday rental about 800m up the road and offered to drive me. I hurriedly stuffed everything back into my pack and drove up with him. Sadly, the guy looking after the place was not there, so I gave up and was driven back to my shed. There was a small tent erected near the Gite and the builder suggested I sleep in it. He thought it belonged to the people owning the Gite. It seemed fair that I could stay in it if it wasn't being used by anybody else and that is what I did. I snacked on a couple of muesli bars and a chocolate block for dinner and went straight to bed wearing long-johns, thermal top and a beanie. It kept me warm, though the ground was hard. It had been a long and, at times, stressful day. Hiking in these mountains out of season definitely adds serious challenges.