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High mountain treking refuges

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Hidden mountain refuges by Felicity Fallon
details where/why/how to trek/stay in the French high country.

Mountain Hütte or Alms in Switzerland and Austria are similar. Love them! In high summer season one usually needs reservations as many are quite popular with mountain hikers and are not cheap!
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Amazing. Certainly adding to my 'bucket list'.
Robo,
I have only stayed in a few usually at a trail-head such as this in 1988 the day Président Mitterand was re-elected. The keeper had gone to vote so my huband and I were alone with the stars above. ...What splendor

 
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Hidden mountain refuges by Felicity Fallon
details where/why/how to trek/stay in the French high country.
Hi mspath

thank you for this link,if really enjoyed reading it and it brought back so many memories of those wonderful refuges in France
we’ve been walking in France for the past 30 years ..in most of the national parks....
The Queyras , the Ecrins, the Vanoise the Mercantou, the Gr10, and a few more besides
we always got a warm welcome and we were usually the only 2 Irish/English visitors.
I can’t ever remember having a problem booking even though the “phones” were of a “walky-talky“ type And bookings often had to be made at “ground level”in nearby villages where they had phone reception

The refuges can be expensive as the food has often to be brought in by helicopter as there are no roads for delivery , but without these refuges, how could people visit and experience the beautiful scenery and walking routes in the mountains
i could open a shop with all the IGN maps we’ve accumulate and who knows, they may just come in handy again!!
Best wishes
annette
 
Hi mspath

thank you for this link,if really enjoyed reading it and it brought back so many memories of those wonderful refuges in France
we’ve been walking in France for the past 30 years ..in most of the national parks....
The Queyras , the Ecrins, the Vanoise the Mercantou, the Gr10, and a few more besides
we always got a warm welcome and we were usually the only 2 Irish/English visitors.
I can’t ever remember having a problem booking even though the “phones” were of a “walky-talky“ type And bookings often had to be made at “ground level”in nearby villages where they had phone reception

The refuges can be expensive as the food has often to be brought in by helicopter as there are no roads for delivery , but without these refuges, how could people visit and experience the beautiful scenery and walking routes in the mountains
i could open a shop with all the IGN maps we’ve accumulate and who knows, they may just come in handy again!!
Best wishes
annette
Annette, You brought a smile to my face when you mentioned The IGN maps as I have a chest full of them...the equivalent, that is, for Austria and Switzerland.
 
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Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Annette, You brought a smile to my face when you mentioned The IGN maps as I have a chest full of them...the equivalent, that is, for Austria and Switzerland.
Thanks Marbe2
i have those as well!!
beautiful places as are the Dolomites in Italy....now they are something else with great refuges as well...
As our daughter now lives in Tuscan,Italy we’re just waiting,waiting, waiting to take off!
 
Thanks Marbe2
i have those as well!!
beautiful places as are the Dolomites in Italy....now they are something else with great refuges as well...
As our daughter now lives in Tuscan,Italy we’re just waiting,waiting, waiting to take off!
Soon...hopefully! There is self guided hut Tour one can make a loop around the Stubaital in Tirol South of Innsbruck off the BrennerPass. Probably won’t open till late June. About 30 minutes from Italian border. The Dolomites can get hot in the summer months...this is a bit more temperate and really lovely. If Spain does not open up and Austria does ( not likely) that is where I will go!

 
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...


Hidden mountain refuges by Felicity Fallon
details where/why/how to trek/stay in the French high country.
Thanks for this! I will be in France (already have tickets) for mid month July staying 3 months in the Normandy region and will venture out and will try to do some hiking but depends on my feet. Had 2 surgeries under right root last year and just had another procedure on Friday last. At the moment in a boot so not sure how much I can do. Unlikely physically to do a Camino until next year so will do shorter hikes and learn more French. I will be checking out some French Camino’s

I did some hut hiking in Switzerland after my June 2019 end of the Camino Norte staying in a basic Shepard’s hut above Mex and St Maurice (off the via Francengina ) Switzerland. Best time Ever...definitely will do this again..It was a very very steep climb off trail going up on the sheep route and I travelled with the Sheppard Normally takes him 1 hr it took me 3 hrs.As you know I have very bad knees wearing a metal brace on the left knee and I had the heel spur and plantar faciaiitis is on the right foot but the trek it was well worth it.

Views were amazing, air was fresh and no services, everything you will use you must bring in your back pack and then take the trash back down with you. I left some of my Camino gear in St Maurice and took Muesli, bananas, shelf milk, some with me. The Shepard had butter, sausage, (father is a butcher) garlic,onions pasta and some other supplies. He hikes like a mountain sheep (he has 850😉)and I felt like one. I stayed 5 days could have stayed longer but too steep (knees) for me to help the Shepard prepare fencing for the grazing sheep in late june. This one is defiantly not five star, it is basic basic But was lovely and peaceful. I saw maybe 5 total day hikers from a hotel over the next mountain going down trail. I took the regular the trail down to Mex (1 hr straight down) and then the bus to St Maurice.. it was the perfect end to the Camino and the bounds was discovering the abbey of St Maurice which is on the Via Francengina.. Unbelievable gem. I took a tour and discovered the vault with the treasures and the catacombs including the tomb of St. Maurice beneath . Here are some photos . By the the way seems he has a rental house close to the Italian border town name Tocino...seems to be good mountain hiking in this area too. If I go there I will let you know. D59AC96F-ABEC-4D44-A267-D33D013FF057.jpeg55215891-8102-4C5E-8E81-479E2EAE7E08.jpeg7942E1DB-026B-4710-A274-DC98C1C8618E.jpeg90B74B4C-57A3-43BB-8144-272BCEF22A8E.jpeg7C6F7FA3-1994-4F93-BBB1-1E08CF46362E.jpeg69749155-9EF3-4BE0-81DD-98C6F12A902B.jpeg0DBC7E0E-804D-4820-9BE8-2EC1F8037CFA.jpeg05A10D75-F97B-4C10-B366-64E616D1B1C8.jpeg7A72A947-8F08-4C29-8070-62AE6E6EB5AB.jpeg4E58BC4B-36D1-458F-82B9-8B74B2BE8F8E.jpeg
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Thanks for this! I will be in France (already have tickets) for mid month July staying 3 months in the Normandy region and will venture out and will try to do some hiking but depends on my feet. Had 2 surgeries under right root last year and just had another procedure on Friday last. At the moment in a boot so not sure how much I can do. Unlikely physically to do a Camino until next year so will do shorter hikes and learn more French. I will be checking out some French Camino’s

I did some hut hiking in Switzerland after my June 2019 end of the Camino Norte staying in a basic Shepard’s hut above Mex and St Maurice (off the via Francengina ) Switzerland. Best time Ever...definitely will do this again..It was a very very steep climb off trail going up on the sheep route and I travelled with the Sheppard Normally takes him 1 hr it took me 3 hrs.As you know I have very bad knees wearing a metal brace on the left knee and I had the heel spur and plantar faciaiitis is on the right foot but the trek it was well worth it.

Views were amazing, air was fresh and no services, everything you will use you must bring in your back pack and then take the trash back down with you. I left some of my Camino gear in St Maurice and took Muesli, bananas, shelf milk, some with me. The Shepard had butter, sausage, (father is a butcher) garlic,onions pasta and some other supplies. He hikes like a mountain sheep (he has 850😉)and I felt like one. I stayed 5 days could have stayed longer but too steep (knees) for me to help the Shepard prepare fencing for the grazing sheep in late june. This one is defiantly not five star, it is basic basic But was lovely and peaceful. I saw maybe 5 total day hikers from a hotel over the next mountain going down trail. I took the regular the trail down to Mex (1 hr straight down) and then the bus to St Maurice.. it was the perfect end to the Camino and the bounds was discovering the abbey of St Maurice which is on the Via Francengina.. Unbelievable gem. I took a tour and discovered the vault with the treasures and the catacombs including the tomb of St. Maurice beneath . Here are some photos . By the the way seems he has a rental house close to the Italian border town name Tochino...seems to be good mountain hiking in this area too. If I go there I will let you know. View attachment 100329View attachment 100332View attachment 100351View attachment 100390View attachment 100381View attachment 100384View attachment 100385View attachment 100388View attachment 100389View attachment 100394
Thanks for sharing your memories and photos. Good luck with your recuperation. Carpe diem.
MM
 
Thanks for sharing your memories and photos. Good luck with your recuperation. Carpe diem.
MM
Wonderful mountain routes if we know where to look . Merci Beaucoup (Thank you )for helping me remember and providing a link for a place I can explore this summer.

I planned to Walk the Lepuy to St Jean or Geneva to Le Puy this year but plans changed with the foot issues. The Caminos I plan to check out are the Chemin du Mont Saint-Michel and La Voie Litorale. here is a link to info:
Not trying to hijack your thread but the the foot is eye roll 🙄...going....after the plantar Faciaiiotomy (release) in Jan 2020 they did the calcaneal ostectomy (large bone spur removal under heal) in June then more injection in November (2) . I spent most of 2020 on crutches so pandemic did not affect me much I was on surgical lockdown. After numerous rounds of physical Therapy and rehab this past Friday they did 2cc of amniotic flow, very expensive procedure had to have pre insurance approval . This my final chance before open and invasive surgery

By the way that’s Anna one of the sheep dogs in the pictures she was my constant companion one of 2 dogs. She even slept at my feet 😃 the other Loquito was a very large male equally lovable ! You can see Anna waiting for me on the trail in one of the pictures above. Here are some of the church of St Maurice if you are interested 😃2DD945E6-13B2-4A83-9364-71707E19C3B1.jpeg5385851F-4B0E-4977-8CC2-2065ADBD2856.jpeg06B1117F-B2DB-483E-AAA4-8D62FEFC1EC4.jpeg2DF96690-C04B-4383-BF98-D46E141E208B.jpeg
 

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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

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