Easter services
It's Easter day today, hosanna! Or yesterday. Anyway, it's a long weekend, and we're stepping out to get some fresh air for a while.
We've got the playground to ourselves these days; perhaps everyone else is in church. We've set out from the Col du Marchairuz in the Swiss Jura mountains, 12 April 2009, and now we're coming up on the farm of Monts de Bière Derrière.
What a difference a few days make. Two weeks ago this place was over the rafters in snow -- mouseover the photo to see it.
And mouseover the trailsign, too, to see the thing on 29 March 2009.
We're leaving Monts de Bière Derrière now and heading up towards a first stop at Grand Cunay. The concept, or business plan, is to make a sort of Grand Tour today -- or rather a sort of Petit Tour -- and end up, if all goes to plan, back at the car.
Wonders of nature
Nearing the top of Grand Cunay
The farm at Grand Cunay
Similarly, mouseover this to see the place a mere two weeks ago.
That's the second part of Grand Cunay, 30 meters higher, and we'll go on up there now to get the views.
A little grey today for great views, but, anyway, there's the Grand Cunay farm just below. Mont de Bière is on the left.
Down into the forest now, with a wave and a smile for Grand Cunay as we depart.
Down into the forest, as mentioned above -- we're looking for the right way into the Creux d'Enfer to the south; that's not something you want to get wrong.
A lone skier has preceded us a few days ago, and his or her track follows flawlessly the narrow track between the cliffs up on the left and the Creux d'Enfer down to the right.
Limestone anomalies and marvels all round us
We're trudging along firmly on our skier's track and won't be enticed to leave it. (What was the skier doing up here alone, anyway? Isn't that unwise?)
Track or no track, we'll step wide around this one.
Hallooo? No reply.
A roadblock.
Another roadblock. We'll go around it.
Another roadblock. We'll go around this one, too, and hope we're still going in the right direction.
Here's the dirt road that comes up from the village of Bière to the farm at Monts de Bière Derrière, and we'll borrow it for a few hundred meters. Our next stop is that hill up ahead and then over to the right to Mont de Bière Devant.
Moments later, we're approaching the top of Mont de Bière Devant.
Latter parts of the approach
There's the flagpole at Mont de Bière Devant -- the farm building is over on the far side, through the gap.
That's our second high point for today, so it's all downhill from here. More or less downhill from here.
We'll pretend that it's all downhill from here. (Hi, Mom.)
Here's some of the downhill.
But here's some of the uphill.
An exceptional hike, as always in the Jura -- they're all exceptional -- and now we need to rush home and catch up on The Guardian on-line whilst our dinner fries up nicely.
Feedback
and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, 
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All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 18 April 2009.
