Here's
a view of our old party venue, Les Dents du Midi at the far end of Lake Geneva,
seen from the Pré d'Aubonne near the Col du Marchairuz. It's 8 January
2006 and we're planning to go stomping around in the forest in the region of Mont
de Bière. Who knows what we'll find? Chamois, maybe?
We
won't find anything that hasn't been seen before, evidently -- it's been a while
since the last snow and there are snowshoe tracks everywhere.
Now,
from the vantage of an experienced observer lower down the slope, Dr Pirri's plan
for getting down this porous ridge is clearly a bad one. But Dr Pirri has never
been one to take evidence simply for granted, on unsubstantiated reports however
passionately shouted at him, so . . .
.
. . his independent case study can be added to the pool of resources on this issue.
Grand
Cunay from somewhere along the east side of Mont de Bière, 8 January 2006
The
shed on the meadow of Mont de Bière
Dr
Pirri seeking illumination in the forest
Disturbed
by hikers sneaking up on him with cameras, this forest denizen calmly leads us
on and then crosses over to the next ridge . . .
.
. . with his friends, eight of them in all, and they stare up at us as we stand
on what has just now become the wrong ridge.
A
chamois scout sneaks around behind us
The
little troupe marches off up the adjacent ridge, and then crosses back over onto
our ridge up behind us, thus having completed a circle around us and got back
to where they began before they were so rudely interrupted.
Bye
boys, we're coming back to see you again next week.
Hello,
Chamois friends?!? We're back.
It's
15 January 2006 and Dr Pirri is tracking chamois in the same forest not far eastward
from the Col du Marchairuz.
Recent
chamois tracks in this limestone hole in the ground! But they're not here now.
Apparently they've been tipped off.
Prof
Durham, who's been promised good chamois sightings today, is disappointed but
still eager to march on up through the forest on the trail of those distinctive
little hoof marks in the snow.
Mont
de Bière and still no chamois in any direction. Plenty of human tracks,
but the chamois are being cagey, and toying with us.
The
shed at Mont de Bière, 15 February 2006, from the south.
Dr Pirri
stands on a ridge between the two Monts de Bière amid a profusion of chamois
tracks in the snow. It's very frustrating. They're probably watching us right
now, from somewhere up there, smiling.
Dr
Durham is recalling that certain promises were made about chamois sightings on
this cruise, but the chamois don't seem to be cooperating. As any whale-sighting
tour operator can tell you, the nature tourism industry is built upon fairly fickle
assumptions.
We're
recovering from a little snowshoe mishap. We were concentrating too hard on peering
through the darkening forest for beady little chamois eyes mocking us and exulting
in our twilight departure from the vicinity.
Prof.
Durham persisting
Here's
a little tourist attraction in the middle of the forest leading down onto the
Pré d'Aubonne.
"Hallo?
Is anyone there? We don't want to intrude!"
Tell-tale
chamois tracks at the mouth of the cave.
"They've
been here recently, but they're gone now. They may have been tipped off."
There
is a certain common feeling welling up among the party that we've been beaten,
the chamois brutes have proved much smarter than we gave them credit for, and
it's time now to give them back their snowy forest.
A
word to the wise: when you're thrashing about in the forest near the Pré
d'Aubonne, keep your eye out for this thing lest you stumble upon it unawares.
Dwight
Peck's personal Web site
Feedback
and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, 
.
All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 15 February 2006, revised 19 July 2008.
