{"id":24723,"date":"2018-11-30T08:42:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T07:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peregrinusmundi.com\/arpenter-la-vallee\/"},"modified":"2020-07-05T17:28:40","modified_gmt":"2020-07-05T15:28:40","slug":"adventures-in-the-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peregrinusmundi.com\/en\/adventures-in-the-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in the valley"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The temperatures have dropped since several days and despite the still beautiful autumn weather it is no longer possible for me to go hiking and bivouac. So I just do day hikes to continue exploring the valley before it becomes all white. Fascinated by the impressive shape of the Aiguille Verte massif during my hike at the Lac Blanc<\/strong><\/a>, I go for a hike on its slopes in order to discover and observe the Argenti\u00e8re Glacier up close. The path climbs along a very steep track. A large ravine digs the landscape to my left reminding that the glacier once descended into the valley. At 2067 meters I reach the Lognan military chalet, feet in the snow. The small path is covered with a thin white thickness and some places are all icy. I have to walk carefully. 150 meters higher is a wall of spiky white blocks interspersed, seeming to come out of nowhere. A monster stopped in the middle of a race. I approach the glacier, greatly impressed. Besides me, there is no one. There is something in this immense white mass (as with all glaciers) which commands respect and humility. The glacier creaks and rumbles and a few blocks of ice break off from the walls. The beast is alive and I am fascinated.<\/p>

I descend to the Lognan Cross where the ski resort which caught fire during the summer is undergoing reconstruction. This will not be finished for the opening of the winter season this year. It is buzzing with activity everywhere and I wade in the slush to avoid construction machinery. A large chairlift runs along the mountain to the Aiguille des Grands Montets, at 3,200 meters above sea level. The view of the Pic des Drus and the Aiguille Verte must be impressive. But the seats have been dismantled and it seems that the cable is being repaired. Given the scale of the work, it will probably be necessary to wait several years before hoping to access the Aiguille again.<\/p>

I walk along the plateau alternating between forest and mountain pasture, crossing the various ski slopes still untouched by snow. The Chalets de la Pendant are already in the shade in the falling sunlight. The clearing where they are are so welcoming, with their yellow fir trees and dry sheep’s droppings in the still green grass. I would have spent the night there if I had my tent. I descend quietly along the path of the Grand Balcon Nord watching the sun disappear behind the mountains. The tiny Tines train station appears in the last light of day and I return by train to Chamonix.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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