A woke on my perch on the side of a mountain and cleaned my teeth at a nearby stream. Clouds filled the valley before me, distant mountain peaks poked above them beneath a blue sky streaked with jet trails. Not a bad view from your "bathroom".
My walk began by following a path around the grassy mountain side. I could hear the bells of sheep grazing higher up the slope. Although not near them a large, grizzly white "patou" sheepdog came rushing down the mountain furiously barking. Signs tell you not to look at or pat these dogs which guard the sheep, instead I continued slowly on my way (later I checked and the signs said I should have stood still). Fortunately the dog stopped just behind me, then followed me for what seemed a long time. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, careful not to make any sudden movements. Finally, I reached a gate in an electric fence, walked through and shut it firmly behind me. That stopped him. I suspect he thought he had done a good job, seeing a hiker off his patch.
Shortly after I passed "Peyra Levrousa", a house which offered spaces for bivouacing that I was unaware off, so I could have camped more officially last night. They also sold food, but it was closed, too early for breakfast. It was in an area of cows and chairlifts which I left to start a circuit of the slopes around two reservoirs. Half way around I stopped at a refuge and asked in my best French if I could buy a breakfast, remembering to say "s'il vous plait". My request seemed to take the staff by surprise (they had just seen off the guests staying at the refuge and were tidying up), however they served me a petit dejeuner, complete with a bowl of coffee.
While I had hoped the path would stay low on the slopes, I knew that would not happen and soon I was on a climb to higher ground. However the views back down to the reservoirs and to the mountains to the south, compensated for the effort. For a while the path contoured among grassland, over streams and rock, before loosing height to enter a forest....until it began another steep climb.
Reaching the Refuge de l'Orgère I awarded myself a goat’s cheese salad for lunch as I had been missing my "greens". It included goat’s cheese samosas! Then it was down hill to Modane. I had booked an apartment in a nearby suburb of Fourneaux for two nights. First job was a shower as I was starting to smell, next job was washing my clothes, my socks were stinky!
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