From Switzerland to France hiking over the “Mount of Gold" -Part 1
Nature, autumn colors, a sea of clouds, and the snow-covered Alps
You know these places which are so close to you, that you never visit them? Perhaps because you always think you can go next time — resulting in an endless loophole.
A mount called Mont d’Or sits just off the town of Vallorbe, a 40-min train ride from home, and forms a natural frontier between Switzerland and France. I’ve wanted to hike it for years, and this cold-but-sunny, late-wake-up Sunday finally gave me the chance.
(The second part of the story, with photos shot at the summit, is here)
The morning was foggy around Lac Leman, but the forecast was sure it was going to be a bright sunny day. When we arrived in Vallorbe the low clouds were just breaking free, as the sun vaporized them away slowly unveiling the promised blue sky. (BTW: Is the sky truly blue? I will talk about this in a future science story.)
Here’s our view from the train station as soon as we arrived:
By the way, this station is quite big for such a small town, due to its location at the border between the two countries. In fact, a TGV train running between Lausanne and Paris stops right here before crossing the border through the Mont d’Or tunnel:
The ride begins right behind the train station and already from the beginning shows you what the average slope will be. Not too hard, but you need to constantly push up. The views and “presences” of the forest are rewarding though, and after the first breaths you forget you are exercising:
“Presences” of the forest. What do you mean? Well, fungi like this long one:
…and like these purple ones:
Also autumn flowers like these:
And even local fauna like this Chamois:
We keep climbing until we get to the frontier between the two countries. Each country has its own format for posts:
To move forward with this story and see the photos I took from the summit, go here:
I am a nature, science, technology, programming, and DIY enthusiast. Biotechnologist and chemist, in the wet lab and in computers. I write about everything that lies within my broad sphere of interests. Check out my lists for more stories. Become a Medium member to access all stories by me and other writers, and subscribe to get my new stories by email (original affiliate links of the platform).