As leaving from the Currière is now impossible… due to unwanted
distances… it’s from the Charmette that we’ll be leaving… like in the good old
days !
From St Pierre de Chartreuse, it’s exactly 30km, though with many twists
and turns as you have to climb the Col de Porte, then go through Sarcenas and
Quaix. Closer to the Grenoblois than to us in effect !
The road is simple, and the climb rapid, so no risk of losing oneself.
At
the oratory, there’s a large zone where you can park. From there, you can also
go to the Charmant Som opposite. Walk along the left path and you’ll reach a
parking at the chalet de la Charmette 300m further. There has been a
restaurant, but all seemed closed this summer.
When we were young, how hard we found this steep start ! and, well,
I confirm, it’s the same, just now, we don’t find is so tiring… well I do
somewhat, which is why I gave the bag to Anton-E on this section. It’s crazy
how you feel so light all of a sudden. Bringing only one bag for two people on
short hikes like this is a good idea as it allows you to spend half of the time
enjoying a light light walk. I’m 100% for this.
From Charmettes, the sign said we had 1h35 before reaching the Col de la
Grande Vache, though it took us… butterfly observation included… one hour.
The path that we ‘share’ with the lumber-tractor with giant wheels is
very clear, no risk of getting lost when you choose to go via the Grande Vache.
On the climb, we follow the yellow streaks on rocks or trees, though there are
many remnants of the past in the shape of large two-coloured arrows. These, at
least, can be very easily seen ☺
It’s also possible to arrive at the Col de
la Sure via the Col de la Petite Vache, though at that junction there was a
cross so I don’t know if they were not recommending that path to Mr or Mrs X. We
also have the choice of doing a loop and going via the Prairie du Vivarais and
the Col d’Hurtière. It’ll have to be for another time, today it’s directly via
the Grande Vache both ways !
It was a hot day, though there were some clouds that veiled Voiron and
its surroundings slightly.
Here we are, another cross ! This one’s at 1920m. We had asked a hiker
to take a photo of us, and at the beginning I had had my doubts as he was so
close. "But you see the cross on the screen ?" Doh ! well
no he didn’t see it. It’s as
if you had asked someone to take a photo of you and they only captured your
legs. Sometimes, I ask myself what these people are thinking. Finally, a big
smile and a correction, and here we are with our cross, happy and proud. Time
announced by the Charmettes sign, 2h25. But we finished it nice and calm in
1h35 – a welcome change to the 4 hours it took us in June to only reach the Col
de la Sure at 1675m☺☺☺
From the peak, there’s a fantastic 360˚ panorama. From the Grande Vache,
if you go to the left, you follow the path that goes all along under the crest
towards Hurtière (left). Not the best
of days for photo clarity seeing as the sky was quite cloudy.
No Jackdaws this time. Actually, we realised that we were up top “too
early”, 11h, and that it wasn’t time for lunch yet, when we saw the squadron
arriving at 11h45 – as we were going back down – and flying towards the peak.
It was the most popular walk, for a weekday, as usually, we only cross paths
with a few hikers. Here, we thought we were in the town centre… well, let’s not
exaggerate !
The gruyere Chartreuse that doesn’t only have sinkholes, but also caves
(left).
Going back down from the peak, the “steps”, created by nature, and helped
along by hikers, formed a rather interesting geometric design similar to the
scales on a crocodile.
And
back to the Col de la Grande Vache we went, 1710 m. As we had taken photos of
the bighorn sheep in June, we had the idea of taking pictures of the scree and
then loading the up at home to zoom in on them. In fact, we met a retired
couple with binoculars and searched with them, and found what we were looking
for.
The first one that I noticed was the one perched on his rock. Actually,
he had been there since our passage in the morning near 10h30 when we had also
taken photos. 1h30 later, it was still on its lookout. (follow the arrows). Even from afar, it amazes us !
Here is a hike that I really want to do more often ☺
13/08/2012 La Grande Sure 1920m, au départ des Charmettes
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