A dramatic dawn over L’Obiou (2789 m.) that you see from the Route Napoléon near Corps. but clear enough to set off. Hiking up a section of the GR94 from the Col du Festre (1430 m.) above Agnières-en-Dévoluy for a couple of hours I found I was facing the final descent of an organised trail run. There’s a vicarious pleasure in seeing others do what I can no longer do, ie trail running and working in pairs “bînomes”, but I still wish I could still run downhill like that, hands flailing.
Meanwhile the clouds were gathering, the berger and his dogs were bringing his flock of sheep down to lower pastures. The first spots of drizzle started as I reached the upper valley which leads to the Col des Aiguilles and it was a full on cold shower for most of the way downwards. It’s an old saying that there are no hot showers in the mountains, neither out on the rock nor in mountain refuges, bunkhouses and Alpine huts. Still true today. Nonetheless a pleasure to hike on the rocks above the tree line for the first time after so long in the thick air down near sea level during the lockdowns. Onwards and upwards!
The Col des Aiguilles (2003 m.) is one of the cols in sunlight to the extreme left of my dawn photo.
