Hike to Vogealle – At last!

In terms of local refuge walks then the hike up to the Refuge de la Vogealle (1901m) was the last on our list. Starting from the stunningly beautiful Cirque de Fer a Cheval (955m) there are 2 route options to reach the upper alpine pastures; Either the longer more gradual climb via the Fond de la Combe which takes you along the river valley or, the far more direct route up the cliff face which, whilst exhilarating isn’t so good for those suffering from vertigo!

We decided on the direct route (which tested Rob’s nerve), but were consoled with a coffee stop at the lovely Buvette du Boret (1290m) which gave us time to take in the views across to the rock face of Tenneverge as well as the glaciers of Mont Ruan and Prazon.

From the Buvette the track climbs-up through the upper pastures before turning rocky as the track zig-zags across the remains of old rock falls. Approaching an altitude of 1900m the track flattened out into a grassy bowl, the home of the Refuge de la Vogealle (1901m).

Despite being a little peckish we pushed on the extra 20 minutes and 100m of ascent to reach the shores of the Lac de la Vogealle (2001m) for our lunch stop. Whilst the lake can often be empty by early August we found the water level still pretty high but with a chill breeze whipping around we refrained from testing the depth!

Relaxing in a deck-chair at the refuge on the return leg we sampled one of the all time great myrtille tarts (blueberry) which disappeared so quick I only managed to get a photo of the remnants! Yum!

Having ascended via the direct route, from the Buvette we took the longer (and less heart-attack inducing) route back to the valley. The views of the glacial valley from Le Bout du Monde at 1250m (The End of the World) are well worth the longer hike down as you pass by the multiple waterfalls stemming from the glaciers above.

Total trip time around 7 hours with about 6 hours of great hiking; Just wondering why we’d taken so long to get around to making the trip and already thinking about linking the route up with the longer hike that takes you beyond the lake, over the Col de Chambres (2338m) and down to the Refuge de Folly . . . just one problem . . . there is a tricky bit getting over the Col that might not sit well with Rob’s vertigo!!

Days Out

June 5, 2015

Days Out

October 5, 2022

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