Saturday 2 October 2010

Last summer trek, in Provence


After weeks of great trekking in the Alps it was nevertheless nice to have a change of scene, with the final trek of the season in Provence - notably the Verdon Gorge area. It had been 4 years since I had hiked down there so it was good to renew my acquaintance with both the walks and the hotel owners that I have known for years.


The weather was perfect, even the day it was supposed to rain. We enjoyed several summits, not seeing a soul all day, then we had a rather more social day hiking through the gorge itself.
The vultures are amazing there - the Griffin Vulture has been reintroduced and is clearly thriving. Evening is the best time to see them and I was trated to a wonderful display at the end of one day.


A finaly day was spent hiking up and around the Baou de St Jeannet - classic coastal views from this impresive limestone summit.
So now it's time to prepare for the winter. I have several snowshoeing trips which have places available - notably in the Mont Blanc Region, the Aosta Valley and the Dauphiné Alps. Time to brush the cobwebs off those raquettes....