Le Refuge Est Complet (No Vacancy)

A complication has arisen in trying to reserve the last few refuges. It's August in France and now everyone is on vacation. Some of the huts are full all week. It's particularly busy around the Refuge des Merveilles, an archaelogically protected area with thousands of petroglyphs (rock carvings) from the Bronze age. Thanks to the multilingual staff of Hotel Le Cavalet in Le Boreon, we were able to get on their PC and rebook a slightly different, longer route. We'll also have a chance to spend the night in a more remote hut next to three alpine lakes (douche froid - cold shower) but that's ok as it's saving the last stage of the hike. So the walking continues!

Actually, a one day layover at this lakeside hotel is a welcome break. Hotels can be a big step up from a refuge and the trick is to enjoy and move on, before getting too comfortable, if that's possible. Yesterday's walk was very pleasant - up thru a col then traversing along a single contour line on a grassy trail for several miles (finally, flat is the new up). Saw chamois, small deer-like with curved horns, in the bouldered plateau down from the col. Overcast skies and threat of rain kept temperatures lower and us moving faster. The hike was preceded early that morning with two efficient bus transfers crossing the complex Tinee Valley to get us on to GR 52, our high level variant.

One more week to go

After three weeks on the dusty trail, we find ourselves in St Etienne de Tinee, finally taking that promised rest day. It's a charming mountain village dating to 14th century with some 5-story buildings. The morning was capped off by thunderstorms, and looking at dark clouds and lightning, we were thankful to be eating a warm chocolate beignet in the doorway of a patisserrie. Yesterday's hike to St Dalmas Le Saveour, while very hot mid-day, was shorter. Spent night at a chambres des hote (bed and breakfast), a 400-year old house with original pine beams and thick walls made of rock and masonry. After another shorter hike to St Etienne the following day, who did we run into but Richard, the British hiker from the first night in Vanoise NP at the start. Richard also has been having a great walk but is finding temperatures further south to be quite hot, especially with his heavier backpack holding camping equipment. Tomorrow we'll push on toward GR52 variant trail to stay high up in mountains over next week until final day's thrilling descent to Menton and Mediterranean.

Kindle e-book is working out great. I've read three books so far and battery is lasting a long time. I downloaded over a dozen books to this 10 oz device before leaving, half of which I paid about $10 each and the other half were free. With the Patagonia cover, it feels like I'm reading a paperback.