The long Easter weekend was pretty windy in the Alps. Some days I got warned when taking the lift over to the other side of the resort: the connection might close later on if the wind picks up. From the other side of the mountain it would be a long and expensive taxi back… One day the winds were so strong that all connections were closed all day. Samoëns was completely closed apart from the beginner area. So my option was to ski Morillon over and over again, or do something different. Something different it was!
At the end of the valley lies Sixt Fer-à-Cheval and a little beyond that is a beautiful walk to the end of the world: Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval. It’s an easy 9,5km loop that goes through a valley with steep rock walls full of waterfalls. But even the drive out there was beautiful. I was surprised to see houses and sheds pretty much all throughout the valley. I was also surprised by how organized it all was at the hiking spot. There were several parking lots and a pretty big restaurant. It lies in a big field with plenty of room for picnics. I guess it must get pretty busy in summer. But even on this warm spring day in March people were out and about.
At an opening with several paths, I saw a closed road and a small hiking trail. Loads of people were heading for the small trail and it quickly started climbing up through the forest. The forest was so cool, still in autumn mode, with leaves forming a cushion on the path. The trees were thin, sometimes covered in moss and there were random boulders to the side of the path. In the distance I heard the thunder of an avalanche coming down. But the path became increasingly unclear and at a certain point all the people just turned around. It was so random. This path must go somewhere right! At the bottom it was very clearly a path. But anyway, the walk I wanted to do was supposed to be easy and this definitely wasn’t as described.
Back at the opening we found the real trail. It started at the road that was closed. There was a sign about avalanche danger. But in France, a closed trail is merely a suggestion. Whole families with small children came from the path. Let’s do it. As if I wasn’t amazed yet, things got even better. I felt tiny compared to the huge rock faces that were surrounding me. The rocks have brown-grey colors and apart from a little green on some trees it felt like I was in an old black and white movie. Well almost… It was a good thing that the path was pretty flat and easy at the start because I was constantly looking around and not paying attention to where I put my feet.
High up there was plenty of snow, but in the valley there were only some patches left in the more shaded areas. A local had told me earlier that this is the place people like to go to in summer. It stays very cool, so in winter the snow stays quickly and disappears last. The trail itself was all clear. My feet only got a little wet in my barefoot shoes, but mostly very muddy. And the water actually came from crossing the river. Because the trail was officially still closed, the bridges weren’t put up yet. So this meant the walk included hopping over stones to reach the end. A little adventure in an otherwise calm stroll. At this particular bridge we had to cross close to a big waterfall. It meant I got to see the waterfall up close from a cool angle.
There were so many waterfalls! Sometimes I didn’t even know if it was one or many. They split and came back together. Some ended in a pile of snow, making me wonder how that snow hadn’t melted yet. The winds today came from the South and brought Sahara sand and temperatures. There were some warm breezes, interchanged with some cold mist that got carried to the path from the waterfalls. Just like in the fancy city terraces where they spray a mist to cool down the crowds. At the end of the valley you normally cross a bridge and return on the other side. But now it was a river crossing on stones again. On the other side the path was damaged by landslides in some places. It made it seems a bit more like a hike. But the way back went super quick. All in all it was an easy walk and a nice change from skiing, especially for my legs. I topped off the day with a pizza without cheese. Oh, I slept so well that night.
Want to do this walk too?
It’s easiest to drive out to the hiking spot. The start is only a short walk from the parking lot and there is a restaurant for refreshments. If you don’t have your own transportation, you can catch a bus. Line Y94 goes from Cluses all the way to Cirque Fer à Cheval, passing both Morillon and Samoëns. It’s not super frequent, so plan ahead.
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