Dwight Peck's personal website

Summer 2017

A photographic record of whatever leapt out at us



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.

Bushwhacking mostly unsuccessfully near the Combe des Begnines

The Combe des Begnines runs between about 1410 and 1480m altitude for about 5km southwest-to-northeast, overlooking Lake Geneva to the south and parallel to the road from La Bassine towards Marchairuz at about 1300m. [from Google Maps]

There are two signposted paths from the Bassine road up into the Combe des Begnines, and one overgrown old break in the steep forest hillside, known only to the cognoscenti. Our fanciful goal for today (4 June 2017) is to bushwhack ourselves up the hill by some random alternative.

This is a little forestry road, starting from the Bassine-Marchairuz road at 1271m and winding up through the Bois de la Bassine.

Pursuing our ground-rule of randomness, we've wandered off into the Bois des Leipes towards the bottom of the hillside.

The wood ants are having a good year.

The little fellers have been busy -- it's only early June.

All the seasonal repairs completed, and serious new building underway

Our guide seems to know where we are going but doesn't.

Starting uphill

Wet leaves, yuck.

Wet leaf-sliding so far, but no bushwhacking yet

Bushes

Bushes to be whacked, and rows of rock outcrops behind

Bushgrabbing

Too many bushes to whack

Scrambling about near the top of the hillside

We're topping out in the woods at about 1400m -- this more or less level balcony of rough ground runs along parallel to the Combe des Begnines about 50m below the ridge line.

More industrious wood ants

It looks like a chaotic frenzy, but each little guy has his own job to do. Like us.

After a brief peek out onto the Combe des Begnines, we're back into the forest to find the known but well-disguised way back down the hill.

Memory functions are not always what they once were, but we're sure it's here somewhere.

That's our landmark; we're back in business.

Our path should be just through here -- and it is.

Here we are. Jump!

-- 'Jump'! Not 'Fall'!

Obstacles, of course

Through an ancient stone wall halfway down the hill

Wet leaves

Nearly to the bottom -- a little more bushwhacking and we're away.


Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 21 August 2017.


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