Week 5/2022

“Snow outside, warm inside”

I am really quite late on my weekly roundups, but I am trying to catch up.

One more Sunday in the snow, this time with friends, for a walk in the mountains to the west of Lac Léman region. We ditched the snowshoes this time, because when the snow is packed we end up carrying them. There was a lot of sun, a nice picnic, lots of white to walk through and chat.

The hike was from La Givrine to la Cure. We left the car at La Cure and took the train to the starting point of the hike (obviously, Toddler’s favourite part).

It looks like we spend much time outdoors, playing and walking around in the snow, but in my posts there is a lot of focus on these oxygen bubbles that have been making us survive the challenging weeks we’ve been having, and they are only 1/7th of these. However, in our real life, there a lot of work, a significant amount of extra work which is done in the evenings, laundry to wash and fold, menus to plan and cook, kitchens to clean. Recently, the week has gone by so fast that I barely think about taking pictures of our daily life.

But it is in our daily life that we must strive to notice the beauty, no?

A few weeks ago, I went into a sports shop and without much thought, bought the most comfortable pair of waterproof, everyday walking shoes that I could find. It struck me, in the first times I wore them, that they looked a little bit like my grandmother’s walking shoes. But my old lady shoes have kept my feet comfortable and dry during my recently adopted uphill walking commute, which takes me through life in the city centre at different moments of the day. In the above picture, it’s Wednesday and the farmers and local producers are setting up the market stalls for the morning.

That particular week saw a lot of baking. I made an excessive amount of sourdough for pancakes and, refusing to through it away, I employed all of it. It yielded: sourdough pancakes for Saturday morning, bread for the week, tresse au beurre and pizza dough. It was a productive baking spree and the cool thing about sourdough breads is that they keep a long time, so we had bread for the whole week.

I also managed to finish Olive, Again.

Snowshoeing: Les Pleiades

Being fans of skiing means that we lived in this country for a few years without trying snowshoeing… until we had a baby and skiing became harder to conciliate with our family activities. But, as with many things and situations that come with a baby, we adapted, and by adapting we get to discover many new things that we wouldn’t have been quite interested in before. Snowshoeing is very good example of one of those things. Short hikes also.

After too many weekends staying put at home for all kinds of reasons, it was simply impossible to miss out on the first sunny weekend that came up. We headed out to Les Pléiades, a small mountain location just above Montreux, not very far from home. This is one of the first things that comes with adapting: because we cannot afford to spend hours in traffic or in trains on a Sunday in which we like to wake up relaxed and need to come home early enough for dinner and toddler bedtime, we are discovering more sites near home.

With snowshoes, you can walk in the snow or ice without slipping, even if you are carrying a 15kg backpack. They were very helpful in the first parts of the hike, where it sometimes gets a little steep and icy. Once we started climbing, we were gifted with views of the Pays d’En-Haut region. We crossed some of the ski slopes and might have felt a little pang of jealousy with some skiers swooshing down, but made a mental note to come and visit this station when we will be able to ski as a family in a few years. If it still exists, with the increasing lack of snow at lower altitudes.

After crossing the slopes, we headed into the forest, with its dancing light through the trees, and very icy patches for which the snowshoes were valuable. Out of the forest, we were rewarded with a view over a Lac Léman covered in clouds, with Mont Pèlerin hill peeking out.

After a last and slightly strenuous climb to the summit of Les Pléiades, it was time for lunch, playing in the swings and catching some much needed sun. On the summit there is a little playground, a slight slope for training the first ski moves and a little trail on which you can learn about the planets and the solar system. It’s a very sought out spot for families, both in Summer and Winter.

Heading down, Toddler wanted to walk by herself and to carry one of the walking poles in her own way. This is another thing about adapting to walking with Toddlers: you need to plan for longer timings on the hike. They will want to play, walk by themselves, stray a little from the path, observe the surroundings, interact with the animals and people they cross, pick up little sticks and leaves… the list is endless. This means that a hike that would probably take us around one or two hours to do at our own pace, will now take us four or even five. But that’s OK, because with all these discoveries, we see how much Toddler enjoys herself while doing an activity that we also love dearly.

And back down the hill, with a view over Tours d’Aï et de Mayens (those two little peaks sticking out of the mountain in the foreground) and the Dents du Midi in the background, and the stratus covering the whole Lac Léman.

It was a beautiful and very much needed day out, in one of the nicest family-friendly outdoor spots in the region, to which we will surely be coming back over several (and varied!) seasons.

The hike was called Lally-Les Pléiades snowshoe trail and all the technical details can be found on the website.

Trou à l’Ours

Hello, Alps!

This week we took a day off from work, left The Toddler in the crèche, and headed off to the mountains for a short, but gorgeous hike. We had decided to go and discover the Vallon de Nant, which is not very far from where we live, but was one of our blind spots. It was worth it, because it is absolutely beautiful.

We had two hiking options: the first one was the Trou à l’Ours hike. The second option would be to extend the ascent and go up to Pointe des Savolaires, both hikes taking us down to Vallon de Nant and back. With the morning routines, drive, and Z’s heels still healing from last week’s trail, and the time-limit for crèche pick-up, there was no doubt that we only had time to do the shorter hike… meaning that the hike would not be challenging like in the old days, but we did have time to enjoy our fondue and a little wine after the short climb. We did not complain.

The descent to Vallon de Nant took us through the Trou à l’Ours (English translation: bear’s hole), a hole in the rocks through which we had to climb.

In the end, what really made my day was not just the hike, the fondue, the time to talk with Z without being interrupted or constantly distracted by Toddler attention requests and needs, but especially the impact of the Grand Muveran, when we were walking parallel to it. I cannot explain the profound impact these mountain dimensions have on me. The Tour des Muverans is definitely up on my wishlist.

Mont Pélerin

Sunday’s outing took us to Mont Pélerin, just above Vevey. We went by train, bus and then the funiculaire that takes you up to the starting point of the hike. This was definitely the best part for the three toddlers who were tagging along.

Mont Pélerin is supposed to be an easy family hike. From Easter onwards, you can go up to the TV tower, which apparently has a lift, and from there you can see some incredible views. But it’s not Easter. It’s supposedly Spring, but here… not quite.

After a small walk up the road, we headed off into the forest, which was still full of snow. With three toddlers in backpacks, this turned into a very slow walk up, trying not to slip on ice and trying to manage the cold.

It is easy to forget, when you are walking and begin to warm up, that the toddler in your backpack is not walking and will eventually get colder faster than you do. So, we loose a lot of time during our walks being vigilant that this is not happening. And, when we got to a part near the summit of Mont Pélerin where the bise lifted and it felt like we were in Apúlia, but in a below zero °C version, where it’s the icy bits of snow that prick your face instead of the sand, the babies started screaming and we turned around.

We headed back down into the forest.

And back to the top of the funiculaire, where there is a playground with a magnificent view, where the kids could play and we could all picnic.

Playgrounds are a key element when organising outings with toddlers. And if there is a view, it’s definitely going in my list of favourites!

The hike can be found here.

Snowshoeing: Rathvel

January and the most part of February were long, grey and as dreary as endless, cold winter days can get. When some sunny days came up as a surprise on the weather forecast, we headed for the mountains. In the weekend, some gentle hikes with the not-so-baby-anymore in the backpack, letting her walk and explore the snow. But one day, during the week, I took the day off from work and headed to the mountains for a real hike, with some other friends who are also parents and know how precious a day like this is.

I’m almost ashamed to admit that, having lived in Switzerland for five years, this was my first time snowshoeing. Getting used to the snowshoes is very easy and it’s very pleasant to walk on the snow and especially to make your way up the hills without slipping.

We chose a nice, slightly challenging, but not too long hike in a place not far from home – les Paccots, in the Prealps. We started off climbing, coming down again and crossing the road to head off into the forest and then across some ski pistes. After this, there was a sustained climb until the top of the Niremont, from where we could see the Moléson and the Alps in the background.

Here, we settled for lunch.

A very nice fondue, with some wine from the region and a good conversation, while stocking up on much missed sunshine.

After that, a quickly paced walk down the mountain, heading back just in time for a quick shower and picking up our not-so-babies-anymore from the crèche.

Perfect day!

Hike: Snowshoe path Rathvel (nr. 7) at Les Paccots. My walk on Strava.

Les Diablerets – Villars-sur-Ollon

Hiking. Saying that it is one of the things I most like to do makes it seem bland. It’s something I need, something I crave. This year seems to be the year that I have hiked less than in many years, and probably needed it more. There was a pandemic, and out of respect for the whole situation, we avoided activities that put us at risk of being injured. There was a baby, who we did hike with, but who has needs that don’t fit with the kind of leg-stretching, head-clearing, high-sights hikes that I love to do. I have happily adjusted my expectations because a baby is only a small baby once in a lifetime. But still, I was craving a hiking day without nappy changes, regular feedings and baby-amusing stops.

So I took a day off. I took the train from Lausanne to Les Diablerets, which in itself is a very beautiful experience, with Autumn colours settling into the hundreds of thousands of trees that weave into the background and make it seem like a tapestry. I started walking from Les Diablerets and the first kilometres are just hiking up through the woods. It was pretty, but I avoided spending too much time on pictures, knowing that I would want to spend more time soaking in the view at the top. My legs were heavy. My physical condition is weaker than it has been for a few years. Hiking up, I needed to concentrate on my breathing. Silence follows you when you walk alone. I heard, and then saw a woodpecker.

Getting to the top, near Col de la Croix, I was rewarded with this view. It’s a classical Swiss Alp experience when you hike up, get near the top, and the view slaps you in the face with a dramatic mountain covered in snow. Sometimes, it’s even irritating, as when something is so perfect it almost tickles your nerves. Sometimes, it even makes me miss the rough, crude patches of granite from back home even more. But it always leaves me speechless and I might even swear a little.

These Alps provide very classy lunchspots.

Hiking up some more, the view is even more astounding. You can see Alps for miles. I have fun trying to name the peaks, and I know quite a few without having to look at PeakFinder. Knowing my peaks is comforting. I am not sure I can explain it, it just is. In the picture above, you can see the Mont Blanc in the background, and the Dents du Midi just in the centre. Then I crossed over to the other side of the mountain, and there was snow and a lot of slippery mud. I fell on my backside because I was trying to save the time I had been gawking at the mountains by running a little. People were watching and I felt goofy, of course.

The hike led me to Lac des Chavonnes. On this side of the hike there were many families, making the most of a beautiful Autumn day. I hastened my step so I could catch the train home in time for baby O.’s bedtime.

Back into the woods with the Scex Rouge (if I’m not mistaken) and Sommet des Diablerets peaking at me.

This hike is one of the stages of the Tour des Alpes Vaudoises.

Distance: 18km, 1100m up, 1000m down and here it is on Strava.

Chemin des Narcisses

Even though in Switzerland lockdown was quite soft and we were still allowed to do many things such as outdoor activities, we definitely didn’t take our privileges for granted and tried to be as respectful of the situation as we possibly could. This meant we didn’t take any risks that could land us in hospital when it was under pressure, such as driving unless it was strictly necessary, among many other things.

When the confinement measures began to lift, it was May. The weather was glorious and we were itching to finally go on a hike somewhere beyond our neighbourhood. We’d just bought a baby carrier and we were eager to take baby O. on her first hike.

Before baby, when we chose our hikes, we looked for challenging hikes that would take us deep into the mountain landscapes. With a baby, I didn’t really know what to expect and my fitness level is not the same as before. Also, I would be the one carrying the baby, because dad couldn’t come with us, so we chose a very easy hike to start off.

Chemin des Narcisses is a very popular hike for families. It is quite short, there aren’t many steep uphill climbs (just a small one in the beginning, which you can replace with a funicular ride – but we didn’t think it was necessary), and very beautiful views of Lac Léman and the Dents du Midi.

On our way down from Belvédère du Cubly, there are several fields covered in white narcissi. They are beautiful to look at, but with a baby on my back, I couldn’t bend over so much to take pictures I could of them.

Our first hike with a baby was very leisurely. My sister was with us, so I didn’t have to carry all the material.

Some things I figured out on this first hike:

• It is nice to try to leave the house during the baby’s morning nap, so she can sleep in the car;
• It’s important to remember that the baby has a feeding schedule and you have to plan the hike around that;
• Having a rug in the car or in your backpack is practical for some stops in which the baby can move around a little (crawl, stand up, stretch the legs). After 1 or 2h sitting in the same position, they can become restless;
• Bring warmer clothes than you have for yourself. You’re hiking, but the baby is always sitting, so they will surely feel colder than you, especially in the shade.

All in all, it was a lovely first hike. Baby O. was really happy to be out and about. She seems to like the babycarrier and the view from up above our heads. She smiles and chats a lot, and appears to be really comfortable napping with her head on the pillow in the baby carrier.

I am really happy to live in this beautiful country, in which we can find hiking paths and scenery matching whichever periods of our lives we’re at.