A snowy beginning to a day which ended at a fort and a castle.
Although I had to add a layer of clothing in the night, on waking this morning I was snuggly warm in my sleeping bag. Therefore I was surprised to find my tent had a covering of snow (I had expected the forecasted rain). Brushing my teeth in the cold was a bit of a shock, however once I added layers of clothes I was quite happy, indeed more than happy seeing the beautiful, snowy scenes in the woods around me. My gloves, which I had thought an unnecessary weight in my rucksack a few days ago, now proved essential to keep my hands a comfortable temperature as I walked through snow flurries on forest paths. A number of clothing adjustments were needed due to the changing temperatures and to stop falling snow sliding down my neck.
My pleasure on seeing the white edged fir trees, and snowy fields continued through the village of Les Allies. Renamed in the First World War, its name had previously been Les Allemands, which implied an allegiance with the enemy. Now the snow lifted it from a dull greyness.
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| Track through snowy forest. |
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| Period of sunshine. |
A kilometre or so beyond the village I reached a finger post which indicated that the GR5 went in a different direction to that indicated by my digital map, gpx track and guidebook. I decided to follow the red and white GR waymarks despite not knowing where they went. They began by crossing a steep sided ridge into Switzerland. From there the waymarks led up a farm track across a sloping field, unfortunately a herd of cows was intent on coming the other way. I walked slowly forward keeping to one side of the track and the cows formed a disorderly single file on the other, in this way we passed, eyeing each other suspiciously.
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| Encounter with cows. |
After returning to the forest, at some point I lost the waymarks. Possibly when I was thinking about the certificate I would apply for should I eventually reach Nice, and complete the E2. I had also assumed it would follow a valley parallel to the ridge I had crossed whereas I later discovered it headed further south to higher ground. Having lost the official route, I planned a way of returning to the old version of the GR5 using my digital maps, in particular one on my OutdoorActive App. I joined it at a group of near vertical rocks called "Les Dames des Entreportes". Continuing on I eventually rejoined the red and white waymarks of the GR5 near the top of a hill.
By now the snow had largely dissipated except on the higher hilltops. The ground had never frozen, there was no ice on the puddles, there was even periods of sunshine although a cold wind made wrapping up necessary. Approaching my destination for the day I encountered Fort Mahler, a 19th century construction. Entry was not permitted, some of the stone walls seemed to be collapsing, however there was an excellent view of Joux Castle on a lower hilltop below.
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| Joux Castle viewed from Fort Mahler. |
Dropping down into the valley I stopped for a coffee and blueberry tartlette at a bakery, before climbing up to Castle Joux. Entry was as part of a tour only at this time of year, and as there were no tours for another hour I decided to check into my Auberge. Here I have a view of the Castle from my bedroom window.
For diner I had a combination of potatoes, saucisson and eggs, a dish the owner's grandmother used to make. Should have gone for a burger...
20.8 kilometres walked today excluding my visit to castle, 520 metres total ascent.
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