Day 9 The Bovine Trail

Day 9 - 
We continue to enjoy this picturesque area beginning with an hour and a half of easy hiking along the "Bovine Route" that herders once used to guide their stock across the mountains.  At one point we meet a guide with his loaded mule who had tried to make a crossing at a river gulch but found the unsteady granite rocks mixed with the scree was too much of a risk for the mule.  The guide passed the word onto our guides and wished us good luck. He was headed back to Champex to arrange transport for his mule and pack items.  Good luck... I hope he said that in friendship terms and not for safety sake. 

When we arrived at the gulch, the damage from the rain storms from two weeks ago was easy to see.  The gulch was deeply eroded with newly unearthed unstable granite rocks.  We had to pick our way down one side, step across the running stream, and then climb up out of the gulch on the other side.  It was a bit tricky and required you to pay attention to each step.  There have been a few times during our hike so far where Danielle or Eve have done some on the spot safety check guiding.  By this I mean, if the trail was a bit sketchy they came and stood in the sketchy spot to either provide necessary safety instruction or a nice landing spot if one of our group lost their footings.  I think we had a couple people in our group who were comforted by Danielle and Eve standing guard over their safety.  

We continue forward to a nice blueberry patch where Eve tells us to wait while she zips ahead to check out the next gulch crossing.  Our group was going to split into two groups today. One taking a more adventurous route, the other group staying with the regular bovine trail.  Kathi and I were all up for the more adventurous route!  While Eve is gone ahead and Danielle is still helping the last few across the gulch a few of us declare it is cookie chocolate breaktime.  We are such a well trained group we open Eve's backpack and self administer.  Cookies, chocolate and water can solve any problem.  

Eve rejoins us with the news that the second gulch is to dangerous to take us on, so we will all stay in one group.  No problem, we finish the cookies and chocolate and continue the regular way.  We move on to discover plenty of steep adventure on the regular bovine trail.  In fact, the trail was all kinds of steep.  I know my heart rate was racing.  I would stop in the shade to take a picture every once and awhile just to give my heart a break.  The trail is mostly in the sun with temps around the 80°'s.  This bovine trail was a bit more than a "gradual incline". As I was hiking up it, I was wondering if the cows that took the bovine trail were actually more mountain goat than cow?  These must be amazing cows!

We hike up until the last tree grouping and take a lunch break in the shade of some larch trees.  It was a well deserved break.  We are all dripping wet and need to cool down.  After this break we continue up to a Swiss hut surrounded by a herd of black cows looking much like black angus, but shorter and with a set of serious horns!  These are herens cows. The Herens ( Hangus is how you say it in French with a "hard G") is well known for the high aggression of its females. In spring, cows and heifers are made to fight against one another in five weight classes in the local tradition of "cow fighting". The winners are sold for high prices. Today cow fights are a major tourist attraction.  But as we pass right through the center of the herd, they are standing, laying down, or flat on their side laying down, trying to stay cool and shaking their heads due to the flies. The shaking of the head really gives their massive bells a good ringing.  During our time at this hut we witness a head to head tussle between two cows.  It started and ended pretty fast, but was a good reminder of the power of these huge animals.  Those horns are nothing to fool with!

Continuing across the rolling terrain, we enjoyed the views of the rocky Dents du Midi and ascend through the forest to lookouts high over the lovely Rhone Valley and the town of Martigny. We also walked through several Avalanche shoots that were filled with purple flowers, but do not linger and take pictures here as the  ground may or may not be stable.  Views of the Bernese Alps are impressive before beginning a steep descent to the Col de Forclaz (3,900'). It was tough hiking today due to the heat.  Lots of sweating.

As we descended the last mile or so, Caroline unexpectedly appeared on the trail. She had hiked up the trail to set up a birthday surprise to celebrate Jenny's birthday.  We had two types of fruit pie.  What a special moment for Jenny, and a surprise to all.  Happy Birthday from the guides.

Tonight we are staying at a refuge that is located right next to an international road. By that I mean the road is not an interstate like we have here but rather one that goes into the next country.  It is also at the top of the pass.  The traffic is pretty steady and we have to wait for a break in the traffic to get across the road to our lodging.

Tonight at supper we are served a wonderful tasty creamy vegetable soup.  If we wanted two bowls we just need to ask.  Well the soup was so wonderful we ordered a second bowl.  Then came the dinner, roasted chicken, cauliflower, ratatouille, and French fries. Ratatouille has onions so I gave that away.  Kathi received for her chicken piece a scrawny chicken drum stick.  There might have been a table spoon of meat on it. Hmmm, still hungry tonight, so we order a second dinner plate.  Kathi receives her second plate of food and there on the plate was the matching chicken drum to the first one she received!  No worries, I swapped chicken pieces with her. We had dessert also, but it must have just ok, because I can not remember what it was.

Today I will write a bit about Eve, our assistant guide.  Eve is from the Chamonix area and shares the love of guiding with her family.  Eve and her husband are both certified Chamonix guides and their son is studying to become a certified guide.  Eve has a fun bubbly personality and some pretty crazy hair to go along with that personality.  She has a strong desire to never hike in questionable weather.  She considers herself a lightening rod.  She attracts it!  She will tell you a story about how one time she was hiking across a glacier with two other guides.  They were roped together for safety from falling into a crevasse, they had packs on and carrying their ice axe.  A storm was approaching and the electricity in the air was making Eve's hair start to stand on end.  Eve has a lot of hair, so I'm guessing her hiking partners should have seen the electricity. When Eve's ice axe started to hum and vibrate Eve said she panicked.  She told the other two to make a break for it.  Her hiking friends did not want to hurry because they thought falling into a crevasse was more likely than getting struck by lightening.  Eve decided it was the other way around.  She unclipped from the rope, chucked her ice axe and ran for cover.  Eve said she knows a friend who was struck by lightening and has the burn spots to prove it.

Besides for needing a breather, the Bernese Alps are in the far distance.  Seems like ages ago we were there.

Climbing up out of the gulch

Danielle is standing in a sketchy area.  She is wearing a blue shirt.

Bovine Trail marker

I needed a breather

Town down in the valley grows much of the wine grapes for this area of Switzerland.

Herens

Look at that bell and set of horns 

Prayer flags

Another beautiful day!