Hike

Yesterday I woke up feeling tired so I questioned whether I should cancel the Gruyère hike but chose not to. I felt more tired than usual and I couldn’t understand why until I checked my activities. I ran five kilometres on Friday, then again on Saturday, and then Sunday I went for a relatively short walk.

Originally my plan had been to rest oon Saturday but for some reason I didn’t listen to that desire. The result is that my calfs felt taut, and when I walked to the train station I felt slow and heavy. Now it’s clear why I felt this way.

Two weeks ago I thought that I would have an issue with this weekend and I was right. I thought that I would want to do a hike with one group, and do a Via Ferrata with a second group. That situation is now a reality.

A Good Hiking Group and a Goal I want to Reach

I have wanted to walk up to the Dent De Vaulion for a few weeks now, and on Saturday I have the opportunity to do this with a group, rather than alone. Not only this, but it’s also a group that I appreciated being with two weeks ago. I want to experience that group again on Saturday. The issue is that it’s a 13km walk with 700m of climbing. In my experience the distance is usually longer than planned, and if it is sunny and warm then heat fatigue is possible.

Hiking from Vallorbe to Orbe is possible by following the foot path that goes along the River Orbe. If the river looks a little slow, and stagnant compared to what you would expect there is a simple reason. There is a hydroelectric dam that is slowing the flow of water. When I walked along it I noticed that there were logs and other debris floating. With the recent storms and rains they will need to remove debris from the water.

On Sunday, after Saturday’s via ferrata I went for a walk along the Areuse river. The hike started in Noiraigue and went along the Areuse river and two gorges. In reality it’s one gorge but there are two parts to the gorge seperated by a long flat bit that is more friendly to people who are slightly, or quite afraid of heights.

This experience wa organised via GoSocial rather than Meetup.com or other sites. Initiaully I was sceptical of such an activity because there are over 50 people signed up, and only 25 spots so I expected not to be able to go. Luckily people signed out and a spot cleared for me the evening before the hike.

It’s good to browse Komoot because sometimes you find nice hikes to enjoy. Today I drove towards Vallorbe and specifically Juraparc. Juraparc is a park with bisons, wolves, alpacas, goats and bears. I saw the goats, the alpacas, the bison and deer. I didn’t look for the bears and wolves.

The hike itself is quite short but it starts with an “alpine” section that almost a scramble. It may feel dangerous to proceed beyond this point but in reality the more challenging part is quite short. Walking sticks and surefootedness are useful for that section.

Yesterday I caught a train from Nyon to Bex without the need to change from one train to another. In the process I had an opportunity to re-acclimate myself to being surrounded by others, indoors, without a mask. Luckily the wagon wasn’t too crowded so I wasn’t overcome with the desire to mask.

When I saw that there was a hike from Bex to Aigle I didn’t expect it to be as nice as it was. I expected it to be a walk along roads from A to B. I was wrong. It was a beautiful walk through the town of Bex, and then through a forest and a huge Erratic rock dropped there by a glacier many centuries ago. The walk through the forest passes by a Parcours Vita but just two or three exercises.

Yesterday I tried an experiment which could have been a silly one. I tried to do the Lavaux hike from Puidoux to Vevey with Trail Glove 7 shoes. They are barefoot minimalist shoes so I could have regretted it. I didn’t but mainly because of the preparation before hand.

The Preparation

I have worn through one pair of Trail Glove 7 shoes before switching to the pair that I am using now. In that time I have walked at least 800 kilometres with one pair and an unknown amount with the second pair. The second pair is starting to show signs of wear. I think the left heel is about to fail.

Today I met with a meetup group to walk through the Lavaux vineyards from Puidoux to Vevey and the experience was good. The logistics of buying a train ticket confused me but other than this the experience was good.

I was able to catch a train from Nyon to Morges, change in Morges for the train to Puidoux before then getting off the train in Puidoux. The advantage of changing in Morges is that I just had to get off one train before getting onto the next.

If you are looking for a sport easy walk with a little scrambling, walk to the rock arches. Two holes have been eroded into the rock providing two natural arches.

You can walk up to both arches but it’s better to go on a quiet day. This place is not a good place for big groups. Children could enjoy the opportunity to see geography in action. Children should be supervised on this walk, especially along two sections of the path, and at the arch itself.

Have you walked by the Mediterranean recently? I walked by it today. It was blue and Green, turquoise and red. The sea was calm and a sailing boat or two set off to sail from one place to another.