Sleeping high in the mountains is special. When I opened my eyes, I went straight outside. To my surprise, the chalet was completely in the clouds. No views at all. It was also pretty chilly, only 9 degrees. I went back inside and got ready for breakfast which was included in the price. The interior of the chalet couldn't be cosier. A Dutch family with two little girls was also eating. The father had problems explaining himself to the owner. Daughter: daddy, why don't you speak Swiss? Father: there is no Swiss. In Switzerland, they speak French, German and Italian. Daughter: why don't you speak these languages? At that moment, I started a conversation with the owner. Daughter: look, he can speak it. Father: that must be a local. I wisely didn't say anything. The kind owner lives in the valley, but stays up here when there are guests. She didn't have a stamp, but she left a kind note in my pilgrims passport. When I got outside ready to go, the clouds had cleared and the impressive dents du midi were visible. Waw, what a way to start the day. The first kilometers, I didn't know where to look first. The scenery was out of this world. It is probably even better under a blue sky, but you have to be happy with what you get. The clouds passed under me in the valley. I felt like a bird. The paths are well signposted here. Wooden chalets are scattered around the mountain sides, all have ridiculously amazing views. Our decision to start a life in the Alps after this adventure was definitely the right one. Suddenly, I saw a chalet with a car next to it. How did he got up here? We are 1000m above the valley and there is only steep gravel road. It was a Toyota, they are such a good cars. Yesterday, I talked about gates I had to pass for cattle. Today, I came across the most crazy one. There were electrical wires all over. There was a handle you could use, but touch the gate at the wrong place and you end up with an electrical shock. Insane! When I thought I saw it all, I came at a bench and a cross. There I could see the whole valley up until Lake Geneva. I sat down and just enjoyed the view for a while. Cow bells were the only thing I could here. The valley was deep though and that was a concern. I had to get all the way down. Easy peasy, no more climbing. Yes and no. Long descents like this one, 1200m down are often as intense as tough climbs. Most accidents also happen downhill. Time to go. At first, it was not too steep. But pretty fast, it became more sliding than walking. Sometimes on a concrete road, sometimes on paths through the forest. The lower I got, less I had views and more I heard noisy cars. Could I go back up? I came out of the forest in the hamlet of Les Neyres. At the first house, there were three chairs outside overlooking the valley. I sat down and the owner of the house approached me. He even offered me a beer. The chairs were meant to be thrown away, but they didn't fit in his car. So he put them outside his house. That was 15 years ago and the chairs are still there. He was proud to be the highest living person of the village but in winter, it was a nightmare. The village didn't clear the snow up to his house. He tried to do it himself for several winters, but the effort and the stress gave him a heart attack. The man also broke a leg while skiing and lost two fingers when he chopped wood. He is married to a woman from Southern Spain and has three children, three boys. There are more than enough woman in the world he said. Fascinating man. We talked for more than half an hour. I love making time for these conversations. He offered to drive me to Aigle, but no no no. I'm here to walk. I continued my way further down. What a shock to be back in civilization. Houses and cars everywhere, so much noise. But it has some advantages as well. Collombey has a shopping center, heaven for a pilgrim: free toilets, free wifi, cold drinks, food and airco. Hard to beat. The temperature had gone up dramatically. It was more than 30 degrees in the valley. After a well deserved break, I started the last 8km to Aigle. Not the nicest walk of the year. First, I followed a highway, than a train track. There was a big traffic jam on the highway, I was actually faster than the cars. The valley is extremely busy. Everything has to happen here, not much is possible on a 2000m high mountain. Factories, residential areas and farms are all together on the valley floor. On a field, I saw several people doing manual labour. So much respect, looked really tough. I crossed the Rhone river over a bridge. This river once shaped the valley. The water had a special light blue colour and was fast flowing. A couple of times, I saw a banner with the message: le king arrive en ville. Fascinating, what king would come? Was Filip on his way to Switzerland? Big disappointment, it was publicity for a new burger king. I was so happy when I reached Aigle. I was a bit disappointed at first, but I also entered the village via the railway station. In the center, there are some very cosy streets with lots of bars and restaurants. Just outside town lays Camping de la piscine, my stop for the night. Yes, I'm going camping for the first time. But before setting up my tent, I went straight for the big swimming pool. What a reward after a long hiking day. The camping was not so big and packed with people. There is an area for small tents and even some benches where I could make dinner. I watched the sun disappear behind the mountains. A man was fascinated by my small tent and started talking. He was from Mechelen and here on holiday with his family. He had been dreaming his whole life of starting a life in the Alps but it never happened. He was really excited about my stories and I hope it will give him the inspiration to start chasing his dream again. That's what life is all about. Dreaming, making it happen and dreaming something else, making it happen again and so on. Tomorrow, I have to walk 18km to Saint-Maurice where I will sleep in an abbey. Two climbs on the menu but the biggest challenge will be the weather. They predict 35 degrees and thunderstorms in the afternoon. I'm ready for it!
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AuthorMy name is Dimitri and I'm turning 40 in 2023. Through the years, I have tried to live my dreams. Everything is possible, the sky is the limit as long as you believe in your dreams and work hard to make them happen. Do what you never did before. Go where you have never been before. It will be scary, but it will also be worth it! Archives
July 2024
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