Awesome views... and cool!
As in, not hot! We hiked up to the 1830m peak of the Montagne de Lure today... a hike I was a little worried about since it was supposed to take eight hours, and if it had been hot it would have been very difficult. But it was not hot! Cool in the morning, high clouds, hike up through shadowy woods, breeze up top with scattered clouds... near perfect hiking weather.
In addition instead of eight hours, it only took seven... not, I hasten to add, because of poor planning, but because Suzi chose (sensibly, since it would probably have been too much for her) to take the shorter (5.5 hours) option, and so I allowed myself to push the others a little faster. For those who are wondering (i.e., Lidia) -- Thomas went with Suzi, so we didn't leave her to hike alone.
The hike up was charming -- through pine and beech woods, along small valleys that opened out further up with broom and other wildflowers and butterflies everywhere, and up top meadows of long grass and views... astoundingly beautiful views. The Montagne de Lure is the highest peak in the region and the day was clear. To the north one could see the snow-covered peaks of the Parc National des Ecrins, which we'll wander through in about a week from now. To the west one could see all the way to Mont Ventoux. To the east, range after range of ever higher mountains, to the southeast the checkerboard fields of the Plateau de Valensoie, and to the southwest the Luberon mountain. Stunning.
And the fact that there were a few moments that I even felt slightly cool made the whole day almost perfect.
Oh, and one more thing: with earplugs I couldn't hear a thing, so Russell survived the night :-).
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