It's
a warm and sunny Sunday, a lovely Sunday afternoon in June, but it's the 10th
of February 2008, and all of Geneva and France voisin is up here to get in some
unseasonal sunbathing with 40+ suncream on. This carpark at the forest of Grande
Rolat between the Col du Marchairuz and Le Brassus in the Vallée du Joux
has normally been, over the years, either 1) empty or 2) almost empty. These days
we're lucky to snug Hans the VW into a tiny berth on the far end of it.
Even
the trail out into the forest looks like it's been well trod by Hannibal and the
Elephants. Snowshoes clumping along on this boulevard are pretty much, well, supererogatory.
Farther
into the forest along the 'road more traveled'.
If
you're following us on your map (Carte nationale de la Suisse
1241 Marchairuz 1:25,000), this is where the track bursts forth out of
the forest of Grande Rolat onto the meadows of the Sèche des Amburnex.
Just
up to the right, that's the Couvert de la Sèche de Gimel. I used to live
in Gimel for a few years, so this was probably partially my meadow at one time.
We're
striding briskly down the Sèche des Amburnex, with the super-multiple-protected
nature area down in the depression on the right.
That's
a quick look back, whilst catching one's breath, at the Couvert de la Sèche
de Gimel across the protected area.
The
farm at Sèche des Amburnex. The chief reason we're here today, quite apart
from working on our tan, is to improve our lame and rainy old photos of this farm
on our Farms of the Jura series, and if the weather
holds, this should be an easy game.
A
vigorous leap forward to the farm!
Not really, just a press on the zoom button,
in fact, but we'll be there soon anyway.
The
snow today, old crust, warm sun, no new snow in the past three weeks, is absolute
crap, and we've been reduced to trying to stay in other people's tracks just to
find some consistency. Winters were never meant to be like this, anywhere, let
alone in Switzerland.
There's
the farm. It's putatively a "P5".
As
dedicated Jura farm photo collectors, we're circling round the building now, looking
for just the right angles and sunlight.
Is
that it? There's a P5 on the end of the building.
So
this really is a P5, after all.
I
have not the slightest notion what "P5" on a farm building might mean,
but we'll file this one under "P5" anyway, to be safe.
Enough
P5s for the moment, it's still mid-afternoon, so we'll wander up into the hole
country for a while.
That's the Grand Cunay on the right horizon.
Wherever
we may wander today . . . we won't be the first.
The
far end of the Sèche des Amburnex, as we take a breath and dart up into
the holey forest.
Limestone
seams threading through the forest -- we'll stay on the path for now.
Snowshoeing
gingerly.
Old
snow formations in the forest
Ample
holes everywhere
And
erratics with trees on
Now
we're circling back round out of the forest again to traverse the Sèche
des Amburnex back to the northeast, as shadows lengthen, and we do, too.
A
very beautiful part of the forest, where paths converge
The
farm at Sèche des Amburnex again, from the other side
For
those who haven't had the opportunity to snowshoe around here yet, let me encourage
you to ink this into your snowshoeing book now.
The
farm again, with a trail like the Rotarians and Kiwanis held their annual conventions
here just the other day.
We're
passing the farm, hurrying a bit now, since one of the necessary knees seems to
be ready to quit for the day before we are.
A
well-trod track through the protected area
An
elongated photographer recording his progress along his own track from earlier
in the day.
As
a brilliant day draws towards an end
Last
sunlight as we plod chillily up the forest track back to the carpark
Back
to the car -- the sunbathers are long gone.
But
they'll be back.
Dwight
Peck's personal Web site
Feedback
and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, 
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All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 26 February 2008.
