Geoff Jones

Category: GR5

  • A decent walk for a 59 year old.

    Whilst rummaging around my blog’s history, I discovered my walk from Lake Geneva to Nice across the Alps, which I did in my 59th year. At my current age of 76 it would be nice to think I could still do it but alas, looking at the spreadsheet of that walk, I don’t think so!

    Especially since 5 months previous I had walked  431km along The Pennine Way!

    GR5 Data from Memory Map
    Date Place Ascent (m) Descent (m) Distance (km) Time  Av.Gradient
    02/09/06 Saint Gingolph
    03/09/06 La Chapelle 1929 1306 14.9 05:53 22%
    04/09/06 De Chesery 1750 764 17.5 06:04 14%
    05/09/06 Samoen 500 1700 19.8 11%
    06/09/06 Les Gets
    07/09/06 Moéde Anterne 1894 620 18.4 06:28 14%
    08/09/06 Les Houches 1043 2020 14.7 04:23 21%
    09/09/06 Chalet Nant Borrant 1447 962 19.3 05:52 12%
    10/09/06 Chalet de la Balme 2193 1683 23.4 10:40 17%
    11/09/06 Refuge de Rosuel 1369 1801 21.8 09:11 15%
    12/09/06 Val D’Isére 1401 1149 21.3 08:04 12%
    13/09/06 Lanslevillard 1361 1732 29.3 10:26 11%
    14/09/06 Modane 1005 1409 28.5 09:09 8%
    15/09/06 Refuge étroite 1558 830 16.2 06:53 15%
    16/09/06 Montgenévre 1800 1741 27.3 10:48 13%
    17/09/06 Chateau Queyras 2012 2462 33.6 13:30 13%
    18/09/06 Ceillac 1097 821 12.5 05:26 15%
    19/09/06 Fouillouze 1703 1474 21.9 09:13 15%
    20/09/06 Bousieyas 2201 2211 30.9 12:54 14%
    21/09/06 Auron 1652 1915 20.9 09:42 17%
    22/09/06 Roure 2299 2813 32.4 14:21 16%
    23/09/06 Dalmas-Valdeblore 1321 1105 13.8 06:32 18%
    24/09/06 Utelle 1737 2228 23.4 10:48 17%
    25/09/06 Nice 1640 2438 32.9 10:19 12%
    34912 35184 494.7
    Number of Everests 3.9

     

  • 60 year old walks across the Alps on the GR5 trail

    More interesting statistics from my GR5 walk across The Alps last year:-

    GR5 Data from Memory Map
    Date Place Ascent (m) Descent (m) Distance (km) Time Av.Gradient
    02/09/06 Saint Gingolph
    03/09/06 La Chapelle 1929 1306 14.9 05:53 22%
    04/09/06 De Chesery 1750 764 17.5 06:04 14%
    05/09/06 Samoen 500 1700 19.8 11%
    06/09/06 Les Gets
    07/09/06 Moéde Anterne 1894 620 18.4 06:28 14%
    08/09/06 Les Houches 1043 2020 14.7 04:23 21%
    09/09/06 Chalet Nant Borrant 1447 962 19.3 05:52 12%
    10/09/06 Chalet de la Balme 2193 1683 23.4 10:40 17%
    11/09/06 Refuge de Rosuel 1369 1801 21.8 09:11 15%
    12/09/06 Val D’Isére 1401 1149 21.3 08:04 12%
    13/09/06 Lanslevillard 1361 1732 29.3 10:26 11%
    14/09/06 Modane 1005 1409 28.5 09:09 8%
    15/09/06 Refuge étroite 1558 830 16.2 06:53 15%
    16/09/06 Montgenévre 1800 1741 27.3 10:48 13%
    17/09/06 Chateau Queyras 2012 2462 33.6 13:30 13%
    18/09/06 Ceillac 1097 821 12.5 05:26 15%
    19/09/06 Fouillouze 1703 1474 21.9 09:13 15%
    20/09/06 Bousieyas 2201 2211 30.9 12:54 14%
    21/09/06 Auron 1652 1915 20.9 09:42 17%
    22/09/06 Roure 2299 2813 32.4 14:21 16%
    23/09/06 Dalmas-Valdeblore 1321 1105 13.8 06:32 18%
    24/09/06 Utelle 1737 2228 23.4 10:48 17%
    25/09/06 Nice 1640 2438 32.9 10:19 12%
    34912 35184 494.7
    Number of Everests 3.9

    As you can see the walk nearly equals climbing 4 Everests from sea level in 22 walking days. Hoping to make a youtube video of a 3D fly through of the walk….

  • A Nice Day…

    The weather is not at all nice on my Nice day. Its been raining cats and dogs with the odd roll of thunder and flash of lightening since I left Utelle 3.5 hours ago with most of the track converted into a watercourse

    Currently I am holed up in a Rapido cafe in Levens with a cheese sandwich, still over 6 hours of walking before i get to see and feel the sea.
    My RAB event jacket must have a leak as I get a little river down the inside of each arm. Otherwise as dry as can be expected. Maybe it will brighten up soon……..

    Sent from Geoff’s Treo650

  • Day 22 St. Dalmas-Valdemore to Utelle

    Interesting 8 hour day covering the 16 miles and just under 3000ft of elevation in around 6 hours of walking.
    Spent most of the day with my head (and body) in thick cloud with visibility only at 5 metres or so, great for vertigo sufferers as most of morning was walking along a ridge.
    I met by first party of VTT (mountain bikers) also in the morning, fortunately on their way up. One of my little fears is meeting up with them when they are bombing down.
    At Les Granges it turned into a lovely forest stroll complete with mushroom pickers.
    Imagine my surprise on turning a corner to be confronted with Bréche du Brec an impressive lump of limestone with a 500ft climb along ledges with those vertical drops I so hate. The path twists and turns across flimsy bridges etc eventually dropping 2200ft into Utelle. Utelle had a full blown street party complete with accordion and choir happening. Eventually I found someone who took me to the Gíte’s guardian to extract the key. However, no food tonight I weasled a baguette and fromage from the bar but it looks like the grand opening of the sardine tin later.
    Tomorrow is about 2000ft of climbing and then toes in the med 🙂

    Changed my flight so that will be in Stansted on Wed lunchtime.

    Sent from Geoff’s Treo650

  • Days 20&21 Auron – Roure – St. Dalmas-Valdeblore

    Yesterday was another long day, 23miles with over 5500ft of ascent due to me being told that one refuge was closed and the other full.

    I started with another piste, going up the hard way, to Col du Blainon then a lovely descent to Roya (whose gíte apparently has the best chef on the GR5) it then turned into a hard slog upto the Col de Crousette where you then have to continue climbing upto Stele Valette at 2590m (the last time over 2000m!), couldnt see The Med as it was to hazy, after which a further 5 hours of walking bought me to Roure, where Karen had booked me into the delightful Auberge Le Robur (003393020357) which literally clings to the hillside overlooking the 2000ft drop to St. Saveur- sur-Tinée. The chef rustled up a masterpiece veggie meal for me. A good ending to a hard day.

    Today was lets take it easy day with a mere 10miles and ‘only’ 2600 feet of ascent mainly on tracks with several bar stops on the way.

    Only two more days left now tomorrow should be Utelle and the then its Nice on Monday. Each day having around 2000 feet of ascent.

    Sent from Geoff’s Treo650

  • GR5 Days 18&19 Fouillouze-Bousi?yas-Auron

    My grand tour of Alpine ski resorts continues with a stay tonight in Auron 1600.
    Yesterday was an epic day of 7.5 hours walking in a day out on the road of 10.5hours. I covered 21 miles with ascents totalling 6200ft or so. Chris, I did arrive knackered at 7.15 but actually very exhilarated too. Standing alone on the Pas de La Cavale (8763ft) surrounded by 1500ft feet drops on both sides and the most incredible views, total silence and failing light was magical in the extreme. It was my lucky day as well, the guardian at Bousiéyas was serving veggie food, even though the refuge guide said no food was available. I was contemplating having to break into my sardines!
    Peter, not sure wether it was brave or foolhardy. Never contemplated any experience as bravery, I guess it was a word missing from the West St. Vocabulary but in hindsight it was a good decision and lets face it probably safer than nipping over Hills Road to the Co-Op. (btw great news about the new hip walking 14miles in a dayand no more Docs for 4years.)

    Todays walk from Bousiéyas to Auron via St. Etienne-de-Tinée was epic for a different reason. Its the first time I walked back on my self after going wrong and restarting the trip!
    I covered about 15miles with 3500ft of ascent in totally glorious conditions. I just want to stay wandering these southern alps. The flatlands of Cambridge are going to be really hard – 1000ft climbs are mere pimples now.

    Todays thought for the day was why the Alps I’m crossing are made of such rubbish materials?. My Creswellian days of walking on pit tips and slag heaps is the best training for over here. Not a decent bit of millstone grit or granite in sight. Its all crumbly shale and small rocks. Which is why the path keeps on disappearing into landslips – which adds to the scare factor if you happen to be day dreaming 🙂 I bet this is the first time The Alps have been compared to pit tips – Interestingly it also contrasts mans puny efforts to the forces involved in pushing up a few hundred miles of shale to heights of a couple of miles or so.

    Sent from Geoff’s Treo650

  • Larche or beyond

    Arrived in Larche recreated in 1944 after the village was dynamited by the retreating forces. Now who is against the EU? Personally I don’t understand the anti EU brigade at all! If it means that we can live peacefully without frontiers (and it is VERY noticeable all the abandoned frontier posts, castles etc along the GR5) then I’m all for the EU. Here’s hoping that the EU does expand to fill the whole of Europe without any borders or controls on population movement. Remember passports were only invented in the last 100 to 200 years.

    The really big questionhowever is . It is now 1.45pm, by the new church clock (yes the church was flattened to) and according to the guide its 6.5 hours to Bousiéyas (and yes I have checked the Refuge is open!) Continue or not? Its the most glorious walking day….

    David S sorry I didnt include you previously 🙂 past emails are all on my blog newsite.geoffjones.com/blogger.html

    Anthony will try your instructions although I suspect Ibrofen etc are 98% due to the placebo effect anyway.

    Jacqui and George thanks for your nags its good to know that the Bleaklow day with Fred still resonates with George and to think we ‘only’ did 15 miles and 2500ft in our youth.

    Sent from Geoff’s Treo650

  • Day 17 Ceillac to Fouillouze

    The perfect day, the day you only dream about, walking across landscapes that Doc Searls gets to photo out of aeroplane windows. Incredible weather blue skys low 20’s doesnt get any better than this.

    Great 3500ft climb first through forests then around the vivid turquoise Lac Sainte-Anne in blissful silence (even the Marmots were quite today) followed by a zig zag ascent to Col Giradin (where my pet hornet – who buzzes me whenever I stop proceeded to buzz me). The way down was total scary, I’m really going to miss these adrelanin rushes, back in Cambridge, ( no nanny state here – you live or die by each footfall) on virtually vetical descents on soft shale.

    Eventually through the village of La Barge ( a real old original dilapidated french hamlet in the Ubaye valley) then over the Pont du Chatelet – google it – the most amazing bridge with a 107 metre vertical dropinto the gorge and only 2 foot high side walls with nice gaps at each end for the kids to disappear through!

    The gite in Fouillouze www.gitelesgranges.com is an interesting old building, beautifully restored and adorned with potted plants. Looking forward to dinner as the dining room has a vaulted ceiling. It took ages to get the guardian to understand my pronuciation of vegetarian :-(.

    Whilst walking now I can smell the gorgeous scents from all the wild herbs etc also the bushes are more prickly.

    Will be on the final FFRP guide tomorrow and the GPS is showing only 70 or so miles left..

    Flight booked for next Thursday from Niceat 10am (thanks Nick) so I can be at Ems first sixth form parents evening. Will try and arrange an evening out in Cambridge on Friday at The Pig.
    Cheers

    Sent from Geoff’s Treo650

  • Day 16 GR5 Aiguilles to Ceillac

    I (or more precisely the hotel owner) arranged for a taxi to pick me up at 8.30 and to drop me up off at Cháteau Queyras to resume my perambulations on the GR5.

    My left knee still had twinges of pain so I breakfasted on Nurofen super strength pills and vowed to take it easy and stick to the track!

    The cheese mountain (Col Fromage) starts of steep but is well marked and soon turns into a nice easy ascent of just over 3000ft the knee behaved itself and the weather was kind too (although I must get another hat if it starts getting sunny – lost the last one somewhere). Looking back across the valley I could see the full extent of yesterdays disasters – I must have been mad. Check out Googleearth to see the crags and slopes i was trying to turn into a shortcut!

    The Cheese Col has a false top so I thought I was on my way down when I met a party of walkers, on their way up. They recgonised me from last night at the hotel (they were doing bits of the GR58 which apparently takes in 8 countries of the Alps from Slovenia to France see www.via-alpina.org) they dutifully informed me the Col was still to come!

    I made it to Ceillac in fine form at 1.15pm AND DECIDED to stay 🙂 .

    I’m now a couple of days ahead of myself so hopefully will get a flight a week on Thursday 28 Sept. and be back in time for the CRUFC lunch on Saturday and maybe a drink at The Pig on Friday night.

    Sent from Geoff’s Treo650

  • Day 15 GR5 Montgen?vre to Ch?teau Queyras

    This was a very long day. I ended up walking over 23 miles and 4000ft of ascent in over 10 hours out on the trail.

    Started off with the descent into Briançon making me thankful I hadnt attempted it the previous night as it took nearly 2 hours and i guess it would have taken ages to find a hotel. Its quite a fascinating place with heavy fortifications and impressive citadels perched high on the mountains. I stocked up with cheese, fruit, bread and the essential mars bars at Shopi, who dont seem to be doing free plastic bags anymore.

    Proceeded to make the mistake of trying to walk up the Ayes gorge along a path which petered out to nothing, once I had scrambled around a couple of car wrecks I reliazed there must be a road up there! Crawled up the mossy gorge side to find the track was more of a racetrack for proud dads and there kids in 4x4s on their way to Chalets des Ayes (so many I thought it must be a town). At 4pm I eventually arrived at Brunissard where I should have stayed! But I continued on to Cháteau Queyras compounding my stupidty by trying to contour around the mountain through thick woods and the most horrendous scree slope ever (a good thousand feet drop – and perfectly smooth). My left knee then decided it was time to pack up….

    I arrived at Queyras at 6.30pm to find a ghost village. Eventually I discovered a returning family who told me the nearest hotel was at Aiguilles. The look of horror on my face when I was told it was over 10km away, must have won the day as she offered to drive me there. So full marks to Sophies mum and the Hotel Bellevue for saving the day….

    Sent from Geoff’s Treo650