GR 54 – day 5
17.7.2023 Monday
Camp Les Bouleaux – Valjouffrey
→ 27,65 km ↓ 2100 m ↑ 1998 m
Alarm’s later today, at 6:30am. I texted last night that we’d leave at 7am. I was really tired yesterday. We pack up fairly fast and have breakfast, some protein rice porridge for me and Asian instant noodles for Jozef. I finish writing the blog and pick out photos. Takes me quite a while. Jozef gets restless, bored, and has to wait for me. Just after half past 8am we set off. Every evening I tell myself how much my legs hurt and wonder how I’ll walk the next day, and every morning it’s somehow magically fine once I get moving. We have 4 km to town and it’s already pretty warm.
In town we buy a nonsensical amount of food, but that’s always the case. Outside the shop I have a croissant with banana and Jozef has pizza. Then we get coffee, and just before 11am we start a 1300 m climb to Col de Colombe pass (2423 m).
We had a choice of route, along the river, over one pass, or over two passes. So we choose the middle option. It’s very hot. Halfway up, by a waterfall, we eat to lighten the backpack a bit. Baguette, a slightly moldy Camembert, ketchup, and Jozef adds onion too. It’s nicely cool here.
Then we continue, it’s terribly muggy, we drink liters of water and dip our buffs and caps in water wherever we can. Below the pass we have a nectarine and study the harder route that joins here. It’s genuinely steep, and I’d probably be pretty scared on it. We cross a lot of rock fields, so we move slower.
Once we cross the pass, it’s just a short way to Lac Lautier, where I’d originally planned to sleep. But we covered more ground yesterday, so today we continue further. We stop there for a bit. We filter water and dip our feet.
A group of hikers passes us, probably from some club, since they all wear caps with an extended flap protecting the neck from sun. We soon catch up to them.
We reach the Refuge des Souffles hut and get coffee. The owner’s probably Moroccan, judging by the style of everything there. One more fairly high pass awaits us, Col de la Vaurze (2500 m). Still no sign of rain today either, so we set off before 4pm. First the trail just rolls along a contour line and heads toward some waterfalls. Then it climbs gently up 600 m through switchbacks.
Just below the pass my stomach starts growling, so I pull out a pain au lait and nuts. Jozef says he’ll wait for me somewhere in the shade. I catch up to him, and he’s sitting in the sun instead. He’s watching marmots — today’s first ones. He’d been worried there wouldn’t be any today. We reach the pass, probably the most beautiful trail we’ve walked here.
I thought the way down will be easy, but it’s not. We have a descent of 1300 m over 5 km ahead. For comparison, Kráľova hoľa is 1052 m over 6.2 km. And here we even climb a bit in places. There’s a lot of loose, dusty ground, and the sun keeps shining strong. I don’t think I’ve ever had a worse way downhill.
It takes us an hour and a half going down, and we tried to jog wherever we could. We finally reach the bottom, and in the village the sun’s already hidden behind the tall mountains. We set up right by the water and each drink a liter, Jozef dunks his head in too. We’re both pretty sunburned. In Valjouffrey we go to the Les Écrins bar. We have a beer, and I ask the waitress if we can pitch our tent in their garden, I’d read that in a review. She says yes, once she’s done serving, and then she’ll show us. This village doesn’t feel very French, with half-built houses, overgrown gardens, and about twenty flies on our table.
We want another beer, but they’re out. So we get a glass of prosecco instead. A song from Amélie gives it a French touch. The waitress goes to show us the sleeping spot.
We thought there’d be more people, but we’re on our own. We set up the tent, I inflate the sleeping pads, and Jozef cooks dinner. Might not sound fancy, but it’s the best trail dinner we’ve had. Mashed potato, garlic, onion, dried tomatoes, stock cube and tuna. Really good.
Every day I think we’ve made it through the worst, but something always surprises me. I’m curious what tomorrow brings.
