Dwight Peck's personal website

Winter 2005-2006

Short breaks from poring over the newspapers as the Bushies implode

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Supplementary chamois hunts in the Monts de Bière region

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? Maybe chamois?

It's been a while since the last snow and there are snowshoe tracks everywhere.

Dr Pirri's plan for getting down this porous ridge is clearly a bad one.

Now we can agree on that.

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 crosses over to the next ridge . . .

. . . with his friends, eight of them in all, and they stare at us as we stand on what has 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 interrupted.

Bye boys, we're coming back to see you again next week.

Back to the car

Hello, Chamois friends. We're back.

It's 15 January 2006 and Dr Pirri is tracking chamois in the same forest just east of the Col du Marchairuz.

Recent chamois tracks. But they're not here now.
Apparently they've been tipped off.

Prof Durham, who's been promised good chamois sightings today, is disappointed.

Mont de Bière and still no chamois. Plenty of human tracks, but the chamois are being cagey, and toying with us.

The shed at Mont de Bière, 15 January 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. They're probably watching us right now, from somewhere, smiling.

Dr Durham is recalling that certain promises were made about chamois sightings on this cruise.

We're recovering from a little snowshoe mishap. We were concentrating too hard on peering through the forest for beady little chamois eyes mocking us.

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.

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.

When you're thrashing about in the forest near the Pré d'Aubonne, keep your eye out for this thing.

Dr Pirri blows the Twilight Horn

Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 15 February 2006, revised 19 July 2008, 18 August 2014.

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