Almost immediately upon leaving Orsières, the trail begins a relentless 700-meter climb to Bourg-Saint-Pierre. You are rewarded with spectacular views back down the valley, but you have to stop and catch your breath to appreciate them.
As I was stopped beside the trail trying to shoot some video, John, the Australian pilgrim, caught up with me (he had started quite early that morning from Sembrancher), and we continued walking together until he stopped for the day in Liddes, where we had lunch together before I continued on to Orsières.
Shortly after I left John in Liddes, I walked by a beekeeper tending a large number of hives just above the trail. I watched him work for a couple of minutes and then asked if I could get closer since I had kept bees in the U.S. He didn’t speak English, but he understood, and he allowed me to get closer to take a photo. He then brought one of the bee-covered combs to me and scratched the comb with his knife to allow me to taste the honey by dipping my finger into the comb. It was light, golden honey with a wonderful “spring in the Alps” flavor! It was also a beautifully generous thing for him to do.
I was also fascinated by the fact that he was using a small smoker that the held in his mouth like a pipe. They may be common, but I haven’t seen one before.
When you are really happy that Switzerland isn’t Florida…
I carried on to the outskirts of Bourg-Saint-Pierre, where I stopped to check the directions to my hotel for the night, Auberge des Charmettes. Google Maps gave me the directions and I proceeded to the address (double-checking the pin on the aerial), where I found this classic Swiss structure with a sign above the door that said “Les chamois”, which in my weary mind was close enough to “Charmettes” to be my home for the night.
The front door was open, and there were several pairs of boots and hiking shoes stacked by the front door on the floor, so I pulled my shoes off, rearranged the other shoes to allow mine to fit in, and continued on in looking for a reception desk. As I turned the corner into the kitchen/dining room, I startled an older couple sitting on the sofa. I told them my name and that I had a reservation, and the husband proceeded to kindly tell me in French that my hotel was further down the street. I had just committed a home invasion. Thankfully, they didn’t call the police while I recovered my shoes and then sat on their front porch to put them back on.
As it so happened, Margaret, the German pilgrim, and Pierre, my old French walking friend, were in the same hotel that evening, and we shared another great meal together.
Next up: The final assault on the Great St. Bernard Pass (in French: Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard)
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4 Responses
Beauty that cannot be described. Wish I could have seen the faces on that couple when you said you had a reservation. The Swiss seem as gracious, helpful & friendly as the French folks. Get some much needed rest for the St Bernard Pass climb. Take it slow in that thin air country. We will all be thinking about you. If we do not get your next report, we’ll call the Swiss embassy.
Good luck, Hoss.
For someone who had just had a sweaty stranger stumble into his living room, he could not have been any kinder.
Magnificent Charles! Wow, you are really doing it. I loved the sign for Rome! So cool that you’re almost at the St Bernard Pass! Thank you for doing this. You’re hiking for all your friends as well as yourself. As Phil said the other morning at our run, “Charles is the best ambassador for the United States that we could have!” I’ve got to agree.
You are making me blush! Thank you, though, for the very kind compliment. I hope it’s at least 50% true.