Hike to Parc du Mouton, Mont d'Orisan & Grand Roc
Last summer, I went on a hike in the Bauges mountains not far from Pointe de la Sambuy: I walked up Parc du Mouton, Mont d’Orisan and Grand Roc.
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Vidange du Rhône 2021
A few weeks ago, the Vidange du Rhône (or Chasses du Rhône, meaning Flushing of the Rhône) took place between Barrage de Génissiat (Genissiat Dam) in France and Barrage de Verbois (Verbois Dam) in Geneva. Both the CNR (Compagnie Nationale du Rhône), which manage the dams on the French side, and the SIG (Services Industriels de Genève) cooperate on this operation: It is performed every few years in order to purge sediments brought into the Rhône river by the Arve, which accumulate and increase the risk of floods.
For a few days, the dams in the area are opened and their reservoirs emptied, in order to increase the discharge rate with the goal of flushing the sediments from the river bed. The river then turns gray, just like the Arve. Another side effect is that the level of the Rhône is lowered, almost as low as before dams were built along the river so it becomes quite the view. One other, less happy, consequence is that it is a bit of a fish apocalypse, with many of them dying because of the increase in solids suspended in the water.
I went to see this phenomenon in the area around Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, first in Éloise near Pont de Grésin, as part of a hike. Then a few days later, I visited Bellegarde itself just for this purpose and walked along the Rhône. Because of the the Corona restrictions on border crossings, unfortunately, I couldn’t visit the area upstream of the Verbois Dam in Geneva.
Hike to Mont de Corsuet & Pointe de l'Ardre
In winter 2020, I went on a hike to Mont de Corsuet and Pointe de l’Ardre (a cape on Lac du Bourget). I had already been to Mont de Corsuet, coming from Col de la Chambotte. This time, I started from Grésy-sur-Aix on the east side.
Hike to Rocher de Montmélian, Chemin des Vignes, Tours de Chignin & Mont Ronjou
At the beginning of 2020, I went on a hike below the southern tip of the Bauges mountains: Starting in Montmélian, I went up to Rocher de Montélian and visited the Christ d’Arbin nearby then walked on Chemin des Vignes (Vineyard Trail) until Chignin, visited the ruins of the medieval fortifications there and went up to Mont Ronjou at the end of the day.
Snowshoe hike on Plateau du Semnoz
Last winter, I tried snowshoeing and visited a few of the nordic skiing resorts around Annecy. Most of them have prepared tracks (with packed snow) for walking and snowshoes. The first resort I visited was the one closest to Annecy, at Station du Semnoz.
Hike to Trou de l'Enfer, Canyon de Ternèze, le Grand Joueret & Mont Saint-Michel
In the fall of last year, I went on a hike in the Bauges mountains above Chambéry: I passed through Trou de l’Enfer, Canyon de Ternèze and Motte Castrale du Grand Joueret on the way to Chapelle Saint-Michel.
Hike to Col de Tamié: From Faverges to Albertville
In the fall of last year, I went on a hike from Faverges to Albertville through Col de Tamié.
Hike around Tête de la Cicle: Col du Joly, Col de la Cicle & Col de la Fenêtre
Last fall, I went on a walk around Tête de la Cicle, in the Beaufortain mountains near Mont Blanc: I started at Col du Joly and walked through Col de la Cicle and Col de la Fenêtre, two passes on opposite sides of Tête de la Cicle.
Hike to Mont Cornillon: From Ugine to Albertville
Last fall, starting in Ugine, I went on a hike to Mont Cornillon, a smaller mountain in the Beaufortain, then went down towards Albertville.
Hike to L'Arolette, Tête de Balme & Glacier du Tour
Last fall, I went back to Chamonix, in the Balme-Vallorcine area: I walked up L’Arollette and Tête de Balme (which are mountains in Switzerland) then took a trail down along Glacier du Tour.