It's true that you should start your day as early as possible in the mountains; not only is the air the freshest (afternoons are too hot to start climbing), but also the weather is at its best. Normally we don't need to worry about the latter one, because the Southern Alps are basically the sunniest part of France (read: almost 300 days of sun), but this time we knew the weather would close in later on. So we kicked off in the early morning while the air was still crisp, there were pretty drops of morning dew on plants, and we got some sunrays through the beautiful mist.

The past winter was generally pretty long in the alpine region and the snow stayed longer on the ground than usually. We’ve been hiking in the Southern Alps many times before in June, and while it's considered a summer month, in the altitude it is often still springtime. It just actually fun not knowing if you’ll come across snow or if you’ll see some pretty flower fields and lush greeneries.

This June we came across all of the above, and I must say it’s quite something to have so many different elements combined in a scenery. Not to mention all the rivers and waterfalls that are running wild and plentiful this time of year! Although we were a bit limited by the snow and couldn’t go as far as planned on some treks, we ended up having great couple of days outdooring and spending time together with our parents. Also, we did a little riverside barbeque on one of the days- it's nice to have some downtime… and just eat, drink, and eat some more…

Swiss Alps: 1 - Us: 0

As our day outdoors in Jura region was such a success, we decided to go for another hike but this time for the Swiss Alps and the Canton of Schwyz. The 1-hour drive itself was pretty cool from Zurich as we passed some pretty picturesque lake areas, such as the Lake Zug and the Lake Lauerz. For our destination we had chosen the little village of Stoos (1300m) that is reachable only by the Stoos Express funicular or a cable car. Shortly after Schwyz we parked the car and hopped on the world’s steepest funicular rail that has almost 80 percent inclination- pretty impressive! The only downside of this rail ride is the rather high price (about 25€ return ticket) for about 7 minutes each way. Nevertheless the experience is quite memorable yet a little freaky as it indeed is steep!

Growing up with four seasons, I’ve always had a soft spot for each season and I’ve always looked forward to the next one. Autumn’s no different. Although it indicates that the warm and sunny summer’s behind us, I find it refreshing to switch my flip-flops finally into real shoes, put up a candle or two as the nights are getting darker, and most of all, enjoy outdoors with all the colours nature is showcasing to us (Note: Denis would definitely want to mention here the opening of the oh-so-delicious Raclette season!). And what about that special moment when you look outside and the first snow starts falling- enchanting!

Meanwhile all this may or may not actually happen in Paris, it certainly does down in the Alps. Last autumn around Halloween we headed down to Briançon to make the best of the long weekend, and get on to those hiking trails. The train from Paris takes us directly to an Italian alpine village called Oulx and from there we need to cross a mountain pass (Col de Montgenèvre) with a car to get to Briançon. Now, we were informed that it would be snowing quite a bit on the pass and thus we took a shuttle bus* instead of someone picking us up (with summer tyres on the car). And good that we did, because as soon as we left Oulx, the road was covered in snow and more kept coming down! Pretty excitement-filled drive, I'd say...

It's always great to be back though, and every time we open the front door we can already smell the dinner that's waiting for us in the kitchen...

Over the next three days we tried picking up hikes that would still be doable without snowshoes or skis, and we ended up having three wonderful days walking on the first fresh snow, getting lost in the quiet nature and simply just breathing the freshest mountain air! 

Over the years we have formed some absolute favorite places around Briançon, and one of them must be the Vallée de la Clarée- a pristine valley about 30km long that has endless outdoor possibilities in both, summer and winter. This time around we first drove all the way till the end of this valley past Nevache (wintertime this is the end of the road) until we reached Laval at about 2000. From there on, we hiked up to the little alpine lake Lac Rond (2446m), and continued still a bit further up to another lake Lac des Muandes (2580m). The view opening down to the lake below was just magnificent! On our way down, we dipped into the Lac Rond and had a very scenic swim: we were the only ones who dared into that cold water- although in that heat the water felt just refreshing! On the way down we treated ourselves for some cold drinks at the refugees that just happened to be conveniently next to our pathway...

Trail to Glacier Blanc