02 Mar 2014; Amersham to Wendover

Walk descriptor	Practice			Day	00
Date	Sun 02 Mar 2014			Start to end time	04h 31m
Start point	Amersham			End point	Wendover
Miles today	13.81			Cu miles	13.81
Ft today	1,406			Cu ft	1,406
Route miles left	.00			Route ft left
Today’s weather	Dull and overcast; dry at first; heavy drizzle by mid afternoon. Moderate southerly breeze. Temp around 9C. No sun
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

The walk to Wendover via the north-east side of the Misbourne valley is one of my favourites, but this time I decided to modify my usual route by adding a detour through Wendover woods. The interesting thing about the walk is that although the end at Wendover is 100 ft lower than the start in Amersham, about 90% of the walk is actually uphill – pretty much constantly from Chesham to the summit of the walk in Wendover Woods. Tactically, it might be better to do it the other way round next time.

But it was an extremely enjoyable day out, despite the inevitable rain which set in at the end of the walk. Good views across the Misbourne valley, particularly from near Kingsash and near the Hale in Wendover woods. Once again I took the opportunity to carry the full pack that I will be taking on the LE2JOG hike and it proved mainly manageable. But I think there is probably some excess weight I could shed so I’ll have to go through it again and see what gear I could do without.

On the route, red kites were in evidence, especially near the Chesham Model Flying Club site, on the way up towards South Heath. It was wet everywhere, and mud was a nuisance, as usual. Fields and rivers were flooded, and every millimetre of fresh rain seems to result in more waterlogging, as I think the water table is actually above ground level now.   I small herd of roe deer crossed my path in the Halton Wood.   Whenever I see them I do wonder why evolution coloured them exactly to match their surroundings, and make them nearly invisible to predators, then added a huge splodge of white on their backsides which makes them stand out a mile.

The advantage of the detour through Wendover Woods is that the route goes right past an excellent tea-shop, at the highest point in the woods. A great place to carbohydrate-load with tea and cake and to wonder about the sanity of the tree-climbers at the nearby “Go Ape” facility.    And then afterwards it’s just a short downhill walk back to Wendover to catch the Chiltern Line train back to Amersham – though the steep chalk path today was greasy and extremely slippery, bearing more than a passing likeness to the black runs I was attempting last week!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Can’t imagine why this path (by the Queen’s Head in Chesham) is closed	On the Ridgeway path in Wendover woods
Humid, mild conditions over this winter have been ideal for vivid green moss which is growing everywhere. Like living in a rain forest	Yes, I know it is..
Fantastic tea-room in Wendover Woods	Path comprehensively blocked by fallen tree on slippery slope down to Wendover
Bullrushes growing by Chesham Bois Bricky pond.   This formed in the early 1700s when a clay pit was dug, to extract material for brick production.   Now the home of deer and edible dormice

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23 Feb 2014; Amersham to Cholesbury

Walk descriptor	Practice			Day	00
Date	Sun 23 Feb 2014			Start to end time	06h 08m
Start point	Amersham			End point	Cholesbury
Miles today	15.52			Cu miles	15.52
Ft today	1,210			Cu ft	1,210
Route miles left	.00			Route ft left
Today’s weather	Dull and overcast with some drizzle, especially at the start. A bit brighter later. Moderate wind, very mild (about 9 deg C)
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

In an attempt to banish the end-of-holiday blues, we decided to fit in a 15 mile walk from Amersham out to the iron age fort at Cholesbury.

After the last week’s sunshine and snow, the return to grey skies and muddy paths was a salutary return to earth. But the mud was beginning to dry a little and the going wasn’t too bad. I’d only done this walk once before, and then only parts of it, so it was a refreshing new outing. Plenty of interest along the way, too. As well as interesting new vistas, the first highlight was the iron age fort at Cholesbury . The fort was built in the iron age and used on and off from about 400 BC until the mediaeval era. Now it’s mostly farmland with a chapel in the middle and a “holy pond” – so called because allegedly it never dries up. Well it certainly wasn’t dried up today.

Shortly after the camp, we spotted flowering Hazel trees, interesting because they are monoecious. Although the male catkins are conspicuous and have been in evidence since last November, I’d never seen the much smaller and nearly invisible bright pink female styles before.

And finally, passing through the churchyard at Chesham Bois, we saw a wooden seat dedicated to the memory of Miss E. B. Pemberton OBE  who, if my maths is right, must have been 109 when she died. Surely one of Amersham’s oldest ever inhabitants.

OK – batteries are now recharged and I feel just about ready to take on the final 4 weeks of work before starting LE2JOG at last…

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Mud – the defining feature of an English country walk	Looking west up the Pednor Vale on the way out of Chesham
In the moat of Cholesbury fort. Now overgrown with beech woodland	So exactly which way are you supposed to go??
Dimorphic Hazel flowers. Catkin is male, small pink flower is female	Probably Amersham’s oldest ever inhabitant. Possibly something to do with never having married!
Information about the Cholesbury fort. Built about 400 BC

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21 Feb 2014; la Pestaz to la Lanche

Walk descriptor	France cross country			Day	00
Date	Fri 21 Feb 2014			Start to end time	01h 10m
Start point	la Pestaz			End point	la Lanche
Miles today	02.19			Cu miles	2.19
Ft today	826			Cu ft	826
Route miles left	.00			Route ft left
Today’s weather	Snowed all day. No wind. Temperature at Les Carroz about 1C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

We had intended to fit in a morning’s XC skiing at Agy today, but the weather was uninviting – a heavy fall of slushy wet snow which continued all day. So instead, we picked up a “plan de randonees pedestres et raquettes” from the tourist information centre and headed off into the hills

We did a short walk, the “Boucle de la Pestaz“, which started near the telecabine and went up into the woods alongside the blue Alpine run back to le Carroz.

Although it was only a short walk, it was great to be out in the snow in the near-silent forest, and the walk took in the deserted hamlet of la Lanche d’en Bas. Looks like an authentic “alp” village, probably only inhabited in the summer when the cattle are grazing on the alp. If the weather was clear, there would probably be magnificent views to the west over the valley.

So a very relaxing end to a fantastic week – great to see some snow, too, after the first winter in the UK that I can ever remember with none at all.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Heading up into the forest at la Pestaz	Waymark on tree – clearly it has grown since it was painted!
On the track. Well maintained as a winter walk	Party of off piste skiers crossed our path above Praz Roti
Every one is unique..	In the “hidden” village of la Lanche
Panorama looking west from la Lanche

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20 Feb 2014; Col de Pierre Carree to l’Arbaron

Walk descriptor	France cross country			Day	00
Date	Thu 20 Feb 2014			Start to end time	02h 47m
Start point	Col de Pierre Carree			End point	l’Arbaron
Miles today	05.77			Cu miles	5.77
Ft today	1,412			Cu ft	1,412
Route miles left	.00			Route ft left
Today’s weather	Brilliant sunshine all day. No wind, rain or snow. Cold in the shade at the start (minus 7), quite warm in sun later (plus 4)
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

Our last (half) day of ski-ing. Made an early start then drove up to Col de Pierre Carree, above Flaine. At 6,100 ft, the highest point of our ski-ing this week.

It was a stunning morning out. Views were outstanding in all directions – the air was so clear it must have been possible to see a hundred miles or more. Above the col, the Nordic ski area was less well defined but there is a summer-only golf course up there with a hiking trail which we ski-ed. Allowed us to try out our off-piste technique in knee deep powder snow: brilliant fun! Though changing direction and stopping were a bit more challenging.

Mid way round, at the col, outside the headquarters of the 27th Bataillon de chasseurs alpins, a brass band struck up. Quite a surreal experience to be serenaded by Boney M and “Happy Birthday” in such remote surroundings. Presumably an army band practising for a show.

Despite a shorter day, made some progress on technique – I actually managed to get down some of the steeper slopes without wiping out or ending up with burning thigh muscles.

Many thanks to the bionic Tania Noakes for being such an excellent coach and guide. Extremely highly recommended to anyone looking to explore the mountains adventurously, summer or winter.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Icicles hanging from the hut at the start of the Nordic ski area	Val and Tania enjoying a mid-morning break from lessons
With Val mid-morning. I look a lot more confident than I feel	Amazingly, halfway round, a brass band struck up. Unique at 6,000ft
Enjoying a bit of off-piste exploration	Winter scenery. Fantastic
Panorama to the South, over the Flaines valley.

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19 Feb 2014; Savoliere to les Beuloz

Walk descriptor	France cross country			Day	00
Date	Wed 19 Feb 2014			Start to end time	04h 20m
Start point	Savoliere			End point	les Beuloz
Miles today	08.53			Cu miles	8.53
Ft today	1,151			Cu ft	1,151
Route miles left	.00			Route ft left
Today’s weather	Cloudy with occasional mist in the morning. Light snow shower around lunchtime, then cleared up in the afternoon with sun. Occasional light wind. Quite mild – around zero to plus 1 C
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file from the morningclick here to access to access downloadable file from the afternoon)

Commentary

This definitely felt (to me at least) like “the day after the day before”. After yesterday’s exertions, we returned to the Praz de Lys area and spent the day perfecting technique rather than clocking up the miles. Learned about “diagonal stride” “double poling” and “diagonal stride with double poling”. Tania also showed us how to marshall explosive bursts of power. At least that was the theory but in my case that mainly seemed to summon up explosive bursts of lactic acid. Val was learning fast, and by the end of the day was (literally) miles ahead of me.

We avoided the Farto cafe for lunch (though the farto-burger did sound appealing) and then after lunch did a short run to practice downhill techniques. I definitely need to work on this as at the moment most of my descents blur into a red mist of pain and fear. I’m sure it’s something as simple as bending my knees but somehow the theory doesn’t easily translate into the practice in the heat of a complicated life-saving manoeuvre. Practice will make perfect, as they say!

The weather wasn’t quite as nice as previous mornings – a bit dull and overcast – but after a light snowshower at lunchtime (a fall of diet-snow apparently) it cleared up and warm sunshine came out. Becoming quite cold by the end of skiing.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Proper snow-moving equipment in Savoliere – could do with this in the UK!	Perfecting the technique. There is even a art to holding the ski-poles
More forest-skiing. Possibly the most enjoyable aspect of XC ski	Val ready to go. AKA a great excuse for me to stop for a rest under the guise of taking a photo
Yes this café really was serving farto-burgers	Ice rink on return to les Carroz
Looking down the morning’s training piste.   A grey start to the day but brightened up after lunch

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18 Feb 2014; le Praz de Lys to Sommand

Walk descriptor	France cross country			Day	00
Date	Tue 18 Feb 2014			Start to end time	06h 57m
Start point	le Praz de Lys			End point	Sommand
Miles today	19.97			Cu miles	19.97
Ft today	3,776			Cu ft	3,776
Route miles left	.00			Route ft left
Today’s weather	Slightly hazy, but mostly sunny day. No wind, no rain or snowfall. Quite mild – about minus 2C at start much warmer in the sun later
Today’s location (the red cross in a circle shows where I am at the moment)			GPX based track of today’s walk (click here to access to access downloadable file)

Commentary

“A really challenging full day’s cross country skiing from the bigger resort of Praz de Lys – Sommand. With nearly 4000 feet of climbing and 20 miles of skiing, to a talentless amateur like me this was roughly equivalent to running a marathon, climbing Ben Nevis with 7 foot planks of wood strapped your feet, and then coming down again on a racing bike with no brakes. Amazingly I only wiped out once.

Completed 2 black runs; all the rest were either red or blue. The pistes were a bit busier than yesterday, as it was a more popular resort, but still nothing like the crowds in a downhill ski centre. We were expertly guided by Tania Noakes, an excellent professional guide from Chamonix who really stretched us but kept us safe. I feel like I am at the bottom of a very steep, very long learning curve.

The weather wasn’t quite a spectacular as yesterday – there should have been views to Mont Blanc, but it was shrouded in haze. But elsewhere, good panoramas in all directions. The weather was totally calm and in the sun, very warm. Lots of Factor 30 sunscreen required! It was a real joy to be out in the sunshine and snow, after enduring so many months of rain and mud in the UK. Had lunch at a brilliant mountain cafe in Sommand, where the patron gave us schnapps on the house. Certainly helped ease the terror of the black runs in the afternoon!

Now enjoying a glass of red wine back at the chalet and contemplating tomorrow’s adventure!”

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Val receiving her day’s instructions!	Skiing through the forest – serene!
Recent avalanche near col between Praz de lys and Sommand	Heading out of Sommand towards Roche Pallud
Just to prove that I was on the holiday too!	Ghosts of skiers past!
Val and our guide surveying the scene before setting out from Praz de Lys

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