Holidays Among Mountain Lakes and Marmots, hiking stories from Vanoise National Park

Crossing the Little St. Bernard Pass, we left Italy behind and continued into France, heading for Pralognan in the heart of Vanoise National Park. We spent the night in a paid parking area near the cable car, which happened to be closed during our visit.

Čez prelaz Mali Sveti Bernard sva nadaljevala pot v Francijo, natančneje v kraj Pralognan v narodnem parku Vanoise. Prespala sva na plačljivem parkirišču pri žičnici, ki med najinim obiskom ni obratovala.

The following day turned out to be one of the highlights of our entire trip. We set off on a circular hike, leaving the parking area and following the trail to the right. Our first destination was Refuge du Col de la Vanoise. From there, the trail took us down past Lac Long and towards Lac des Vaches, before looping back to the parking area. It was another full day in the mountains, with plenty of elevation gain and more marmots than we could count.

Naslednji dan pa naju je čakal eden najlepših pohodov celotnega potovanja. Odpravila sva se na krožno turo, pri kateri sva se s parkirišča usmerila desno in se najprej povzpela do koče Refuge du Col de la Vanoise. Od tam sva se spustila mimo Lac Long do Lac des Vaches in se nato vrnila na parkirišče. Tudi tokrat sva hodila praktično ves dan, naredila ogromno višinskih metrov in videla nešteto svizcev.

After the morning climb, just before reaching Refuge du Col de la Vanoise, we met one of the cutest little locals we could have hoped for. A marmot appeared and quickly became very interested in our food — more specifically, in our apples. He was so unbelievably cute that I started seriously considering taking him home with us. I even promised him unlimited carrots from our garden. Unfortunately, marmots hibernate through the winter, and with that incredibly thick fur, he would probably be far too warm at home anyway. So, in the end, we had to say goodbye. But spending nearly an hour with him was definitely one of those little travel moments we'll remember for a long time.

Po jutranjem vzponu, malo pred kočo Refuge du Col de la Vanoise, sva spoznala novega malega prijatelja, ki nama je brez zadržkov pojedel jabolka. Bil je tako prisrčen, da sem ga kar vabila, naj gre z nama domov, in mu obljubljala vso zalogo korenja z vrta. Svizci sicer zimo prespijo, poleg tega pa bi mu bilo pri nas v njegovem debelem kožuhu verjetno mnogo prevroče. Je bilo pa zato še toliko lepše kakšno uro preživeti v njegovi družbi.

After a break at the refuge, we continued towards Lac des Vaches. The trail crosses the lake on a series of large stone slabs, making the whole place feel almost unreal. Lac des Vaches is one of the signature landscapes around Pralognan and one of the most recognisable spots in Vanoise National Park. We spent another entire day on the trail, climbing around 900 metres, but the views made every step worthwhile.

Po postanku pri koči sva nadaljevala mimo Lac des Vaches. Do jezera vodi zanimiva pot, sestavljena iz velikih kamnitih plošč, po katerih lahko praktično prehodite jezero. Lac des Vaches leži v narodnem parku Vanoise in je eden izmed najbolj prepoznavnih motivov območja okoli Pralognana. Tudi ta dan sva prehodila precejšen del dneva in naredila približno 900 metrov vzpona.

Still completely captivated by the mountains, we continued on to the famous ski resort of Val Thorens. In early September, however, it looked nothing like the busy winter resort we'd imagined. Various maintenance works were underway, the lifts were closed, and the streets were almost completely empty. We spent two nights in a parking area near the cable car, enjoying a beautiful view over the resort.

Navdušena nad pokrajino sva pot nadaljevala do znamenitega smučarskega središča Val Thorens, ki je bilo med najinim obiskom skoraj povsem zapuščeno. V kraju so potekala različna vzdrževalna dela, turistov pa skoraj ni bilo. Dve noči sva prespala na parkirišču pri žičnici, s pogledom na mesto.

With the lifts closed, we explored the mountains on foot. We climbed up the ski slopes towards Lac Blanc and then continued higher, towards the lakes surrounding the Péclet Glacier. We followed a beautiful circular trail past several alpine lakes before eventually making our way back down to our van.

V začetku septembra žičnice niso več obratovale, saj so takrat potekala različna vzdrževalna dela. Midva sva se zato po smučišču povzpela do Lac Blanc in nato nadaljevala še do jezer pri ledeniku Peclet. Po krožni poti mimo več jezer sva se nato vrnila nazaj do najinega kombija.

After several days of wandering through the French Alps, it was finally time to slowly start making our way home. Less than an hour into the drive, we stopped in Les Menuires, where we found the starting point for another hike, this time towards Lac du Lou. The hike took us around two hours, and when the lake finally came into view, we were surprised by how large and beautiful it was. Lac du Lou sits peacefully among the surrounding mountains and seems to be a popular spot for fishing. There were quite a few fishermen along the shore and around the nearby streams.

Ker sva se že nekaj dni potepala po Franciji, je napočil čas, da se počasi usmeriva proti domu. Ustavila sva se že po manj kot uri vožnje v Les Menuires, kjer je bilo izhodišče za pohod do Lac du Lou. Vzpon do jezera traja približno dve uri. Lac du Lou naju je presenetil s svojo velikostjo in mirno lego med okoliškimi gorami. Jezero je očitno tudi precej bogato z ribami, saj je bilo ob njem in bližnjih pritokih kar precej ribičev.

Rather than turning back, we decided to extend our hike and continue towards another lake. On the way to Lac de Pierre Blanche, we passed a flock of sheep heading out for their morning grazing. The whole scene was incredibly peaceful. And somehow, Lac de Pierre Blanche impressed us even more than the much larger Lac du Lou. Maybe it was the quiet surroundings, or simply the fact that there was hardly anyone around. It felt like we had discovered our own little corner of the Alps.

Midva sva se pri koči odločila, da pohod še nekoliko podaljšava in nadaljujeva do naslednjega jezera. Na poti do Lac de Pierre Blanche sva opazovala ovce, ki so se odpravljale na jutranjo pašo. Samo v gorah je lahko jutro tako mirno. Lac de Pierre Blanche naju je predvsem zaradi svoje mirne in umirjene okolice navdušil še bolj kot precej večji Lac du Lou.

For the final part of our journey back to Slovenia, we crossed the spectacular Col de l'Iseran. At 2,764 metres, it is the highest paved mountain pass in the Alps and one of the most famous passes in the French mountains. The drive itself is an experience, with the landscape becoming more rugged and dramatic with every bend. The pass was quite busy when we arrived, with plenty of tourists stopping by the famous sign for a photo or selfie.

Za konec sva se proti Sloveniji vračala čez prelaz Col de l'Iseran, ki je s 2764 metri najvišji asfaltirani prelaz v Alpah in eden najbolj znanih gorskih prelazov v Franciji. Že sama vožnja nanj je posebno doživetje, saj se pokrajina z vsakim ovinkom spreminja, na vrhu pa te pričaka pravi visokogorski svet. Prelaz je bil med najinim obiskom precej natrpan s turisti, ki so pred znamenitim znakom izkoristili priložnost za fotografiranje in selfije.

We decided to climb a little higher instead. Behind the small church, a trail leads towards Pointe des Lessières, reaching 3,043 metres above sea level. The climb is quite steep in places and requires a little caution, but the views from the top are absolutely breathtaking. Looking out across the surrounding mountains was the perfect way to finish our adventure through the French Alps.

Zelo lep pogled na celotno okolico se odpre z vzpetine za cerkvico Pointe des Lessières na 3043 metrih nadmorske višine. Vzpon je sicer na nekaterih mestih precej strm in zahteva nekaj previdnosti, vendar je razgled na okoliške gore čudovit in je vsekakor vreden truda. Za konec tega dne še pogled na francoske Alpe.