Three multi-day walks in the Alps
I originally had these as three separate posts but it seems more sensible to merge into one. We had a couple of weeks holiday in the Alps in 2013 and these are the three main walks we did.
Walk 1: Vallouise – Col de l’Aup Martin, Ecrins
Walk 2: Venosc – Lac de la Muzelle
Walk 3: La Bérarde – Glacier de la Pilatte
Camping at Col de l’Aup Martin, Ecrins
For the first overnight walk we left the car in Vallouise and walked up to and past Reserve Biologique des Deslioures, where we camped in the valley beside the river.
As you can guess from the name, the reserve had plenty of butterflies which I spent ages trying to photograph.
The second day was mostly taken up by the huge climb up to Col de l’Aup Martin at 2761m. It took us past waterfalls coming from hillside ridges and past the last remaining patches of snow.
We camped near the head of Le Fournel river. It was a freezing swim!
On the final day we climbed to the top of the col and then returned to Vallouise back through Vallée du Fournel.
Walk Information:
Basecamp: Vallouise
Start/End Point: Vallouise
Type: Wild Camping
Distance: 32 miles
Time Taken: 3 days/2 nights
Walk 2: Walking up to Lac de la Muzelle
The second overnight hike was up to Lac du Muzelle and back down the following day. One of the best bits of advice I can give for getting comfortable hiking and camping in the mountains is to do a couple of overnight trips up to the top of a valley. Camp as high as you can whilst still having water and then return by the same route the next day. This one was only 8 or so miles and so is an easy one to get started with.
We camped slightly above the lake, away from the refuge and other walkers. The sun set and lit up stone stacks on the mountainside and the peaks the other side of the valley.
The view from Col du Vallon looking towards Lac de Muzelle is one of the best I’ve ever seen. The mountains are jagged against the sky and you can see every contour as the steep mountain sides meander away.
Walk Information:
Basecamp: Venosc
Start/End Point: Venosc
Type: Wild Camping
Distance: 8 miles
Time Taken: 2 days/1 night
Walk 3: Glacier de la Pilatte from La Bérarde
After backpacking for the last few nights and camping at Col de l’Aup Martin and Vignemale we decided to settle down in La Bérarde for a rest day. Of course a rest day doesn’t mean resting, it means hiking to Glacier de la Pilatte, roughly 6 miles up the valley from the village. La Berarde sits at a friendly altitude of 1720m whilst the refuge at Glacier de la Pilatte is a much more unfriendly 2577m.
The valley is beautiful in summer and worth walking just to see the Alpine scenery, even if not planning on going all the way up to the refuge. I would recommend camping at La Berarde and making the most of the local area. As well as La Pilatte there are five or six other adjoining valleys and glaciers to explore. We started the hike early morning at around 9am and made quick process along the gentle valley. The best bit of walking to the glacier is that you start off peering up at the immense peaks with craggy spires and scree slopes as you meander through the valley bottom when suddenly around the next corner the glacier is suddenly glistening before you.
Unfortunately it gets rapidly tougher as you get nearer the glacier. The final climb is 600m of standard steep zig-zagging up the side of the valley. It’s tiresome to look up the mountain and realise that the zig of your current zigzag isn’t that far from the next one, but unfortunately there is no choice but to continue following the path.
Eventually the path flattens out at Refuge Pilatte and the final stop for day walkers. The refuge is a perfect basecamp for mountaineers and climbers looking to tackle Pointe de la Pilatte and the other local peaks.
After enjoying a tasy lunch in the shade of a huge boulder we reluctantly turned our backs on the glacier and started the slightly easier descent back to La Berarde. The glacier isn’t accessible for day waklers and it is not advised anyway as water melting under the ice can cause ice bridges which collapse when under weight. However if you explore the other valleys its possible to find fields of snow on the mountain-side that haven’t melted, even in the peak of summer.
Walk Information:
Basecamp: La Berarde
Start/End Point: La Berarde
Type: Day walk
Distance: 12.4 miles (6.2 miles ascending)
