Col de l'Echelle

On the way down looking at the other side of the Vallee etroite

Today Richard got home early afternoon. In the morning we went shopping for trout (again) and visited the supermarket. The weather is still gorgeous, so we sat outside, drank tea and I even had a cup of coffee which we were invited to partake of by the owner of the B&B by the trout farm.

Nice steps now, instead of the old rickety wooden ladder

The main event, however, was the little hike that Ginny had promised me down and up the "ladder" leading to the Col de l'Echelle, which was the only way to get between Bardonecchia and Nevache in the days before the road was built. It was not very long, our hike, but during it we lost and then regained 115m vertical height.

Pretty little plant by the path

Looking up the Vallee etroite from the bottom of the path

The views were magnificent, although occasionally the big contrasts and the backlit panorama played havoc with photography.  Still, it was delightful and probably the most exciting bit of the Alps for me so far.

Little forest chapel dedicated to travellers

The rock of Barrabas taken with 20x zoom

Another peak beyond the forest

A ski centre a long way across the valley in Bardonecchia

The heart shaped cirque a fair distance away across the valley

The same cirque from a lot further up the rockface

The Fort de l'olive back in France and on the very top of a very tall mountain