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 Dwight
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Mont
Sâla
Another
pretty big bump on the Jura ridgeline
Mont
Sâla sits smugly on top of the Swiss Jura ridgeline between Marchairuz and
Givrine, barely 1500m above sea level but nonetheless, at least in bad weather,
with a certain "attitude".
There's a decorative cross on the summit, visible
in the TIFF version of this photo but lost in the JPG alas. This
is seen from the Swiss side, near Le Bassine at 1250m, at the top of the road
up from the village of Bassins. The normal hiking trail wanders up through a break
in the cliffs off to the right into the Combe de Begnines, past the farm of Le
Couchant, and up the back side of the ridge. It's also possible, with suitable
care, to go up the front. 
Late
in the day on a blustery 21 January 2007, that looks like snow but it's not really,
just a frosty sort of excrescence all around the decorative
cross -- it's been springtime here in Switzerland so far, that's all down
to Mr Bush's Global Warming, but we've still maintained our profound faith in
January snow on the heights, and a week later we were vindicated at least in some
small measure.
Mont
Sala (not so much a "Mont" as a high point on the ridge) towers proudly
at 1512m and frowns down upon Lake Geneva when the sky lowers like this.
That's
the view southwestward from Mont Sâla, over the bare unnamed knob at 1515m
to Mont Pelé with trees on top. 
That's
the unnamed 1515m knob in the middle there -- down to the right is the nasty Cimetière
aux Bourguignons, the "Cemetery of the Burgundians", where Charles the
Bold's mercenaries, fleeing their catastrophic invasion attempt on Switzerland
in 1476, got stuck in the limestone cliffs and holes and perished miserably. Just
as we frequently almost do when we wander off the trail. Mont Pelé squats
up there just a bit higher (1532m) with only a little break in the trees. The
area between them is as treacherous a porous limestone mess as you'll find anywhere.
From
Mont Sâla looking northeast up the Combe des Begnines, one of the almost-undiscovered
wonders of the world, a hidden valley at about 1450m accessible only at three
or four points. That's the farm of Le Couchant
down on the left.
Looking
SE towards Lake Geneva, that's the farm of Les Pralets, 1271m. Les Pralets lies
about halfway along the cross-country ski-du-fond trail from Marchairuz to Givrine,
and hearty souls often pause along the 18km track to sample the bonne fondue or
big ham sandwich before continuing on their way, or going back. Not yet, though
-- no snow so far this year.
Gazing
farther out from Mont Sâla, we're looking past Les Pralets at the Mondion
farm (1270m) and Lake Geneva (Lac Léman, 380m) in the background.
Mere
moments later, 21 January 2007, we've popped up on the 1515m unnamed knob and
we're viewing Mont Sâla right through the tree, and wondering how we're
going to get down out of here before dark.
Mont
Sâla from the 1515m knob just to the southwest. 21 January 2007. 
Mont
Sâla from the 1515m knob just to the southwest. 1 January 2007 on a grey
day.
Mont
Sâla autrefois 
That's
the decorative cross (right), and Dr Alison Peck
(left) eating snow, in April 2001. 
And
here's the decorative cross again, with Marlowe Peck
in the foreground, late September 1999. 
And
here are Marlowe and Kristin on Mont Sâla in October 1995. [Camping
on Mont Sâla.] 
Kristin
on Mont Sâla, October 1995, La Dôle on the horizon. 
Marlowe
Tyson Peck crawling round near the Mont Sâla summit, September 1999. 
Mr
D. Peck, not too far from the decorative cross, September
1999. 
Dr. J.
J. Pirri striving towards the decorative cross of
Mont Sâla, not surprisingly approaching it from the worst possible direction,
straight up through the cliffs on the southeast side. 
Dr Pirri,
about 3/4 of the way up, wonders why it should be so hard to find a decorative
cross in this age of robust, resurgent christianity, but Dr Pirri is not
easily discouraged, especially when . . . 
his
hiking companion signifies that the decorative cross
is in sight (November 2001). Dr
Pirri, encouraged by this news, wraps up against the chill and perseveres. 
Surmounting
the shrubberly rockbands on the front side of Mont Sâla, Dr Pirri is blessed
with a vision of the decorative cross, which, like
many other things, affects him deeply. 
Here's
the view from Mr Pirri's stance in the photo above: the wonderful hidden valley
of the Combe des Begnines on the left, the Grand Cunay on the horizon in the center,
and the least recommended route to the top, just completed by Dr Pirri and unwitting
hiking companion, dipping precipitously away to the right. 
From
the Carte National de la Suisse, 25,000 scale: 1241, Marchairuz.
(Some
views of Le Couchant farm here.)
(Some
views of Marlowe T. Peck camping on Mont Sâla, 1995 and 1999, here.)
 Feedback
and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative,  .
All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 1 September 2002, revised 4 April
2008.
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