When I am on holidays, I like to forget about the alarm-clock for a couple of days. Within a few days, I feel refreshed and I can go for a morning sport activity. Then, I like to wake up super early to start off for a little adventure like going to a new spot, especially a new climb when I am in the mountains.
So here I am at 6:45 at the beginning of Nantaux climb after a short warm-up. I have choosen to take the shortest but steepest way. It’s the course fo the « Nantaux KV » which is a mountain running race with the characteristic of doing one kilometer of elevation in a 2ish kilometer course. The horses in the meadow seem afraid of this strange human snoring and sweating in the little morning. The cow were more flegmatic.
Short after the start, a trail path goes do the right with a panel indicating that the climb is steep and not safe. But the KV path is not this one, it straight in front of me, it’s like huge steps carved in the mountain. Here we go ! I am on a hight, steady pace, and I just look at my feet. But suddenly I hear some kind of groaning : I am staring a boar family just a few meter above me on the path. Oups. Sorry to bother you. The fly away in the forest and I go easier from this point. I look back and snap a pic of the valley :
Eventually I escape the forest in a rocky path and find myself on top of a first « bump ».
Then the path will a be a serie of a roller-coaster like journey, jumping from a hump to another wondering each time whether the summit was behind.
It’s becoming chilly, I try to never let the discomfort take energy out of me when I am in the mountains so I put my jacket as soon as I feel the wind chill. Soon after, I am entering the clouds with mysterious animals in the vicinity.
In a am on the ridge. In the fog, so I can assure you that it’s not the moment to be über cocky and go super fast to the top. Slipping on a goat shit and falling off the cliff would not be the epitath of my dreams.
Eventually, I reached the top with this blissful moment of the sun tearing the clouds.
The downhill part was a giant toboggan with a fun part chasing the goats.
Running after them made me go a on the wrong path so I crossed the pastures in a straight line to find my way back home. It was a good test for the ankles ! Since I was doing my way downhill quite fast I missed again the good crossing point and followed the hiking path instead of the KV path. It was a good point because it was the opportunity to know how it looked like and was much more « runnable » than the giant steps of the KV path. Time passed super fast. I like the way all the body is aimed at ONE task going downhill, you are in the zone. Even it was fast it took me one hour to go back to my starting point !
Then I headed toward Morzine to have a coffee with my friends from Buzz Triathlon in one of my favorite spot in Morzine : Satellite coffee. They are currently setting up a short distance triathlon at Montriond lake and it’s gonna be great for sure !
I like building memories for my old days at the retirement home. Here was a good morning for it ! (strava activity recorded on my edge hidden in my pocket so it’s not super accurate)
Good bye Morzine !