Day 6 - Hérémence to Arolla
We started the morning with a steep walk up to the dam, where we took a quick break to enjoy the view and watch a helicoptor go back and forth to various cabins to restock their supplies.
The next part of the hike was a flat, enjoyable trek around the lake, where we got to go through a few long tunnels.
We ran across some cows and had a bit of an encounter. One walked towards Grant, and while I thought he would walk on by, he started going straight towards him.
I started to get really nervous, and Grant held his poles in front of him for a buffer. The cow continued approaching him, and ended up licking his poles and then his arm, probably looking for salt?
I was honestly pretty nervous in the moment, but I think he was more curious than anything, and it was definitely funny in hindsight.
I had started a video because I thought the cow would just walk by, but once it started approaching I got nervous and stopped recording.
As we were walking we saw something moving, and it ended up being a ferret! You can see it here if you look closely.
Zoomed in, how cute!
A little further long the trail we saw marmots!
And more alpine ibex!
The view of the lake never got old as we climbed.
As we climbed higher we got into much more rocky terrain.
It was a bit of a slog, but we finally made it to the summit, where there were chains to help ascend the very steepest part.
The descent was rocky and then turned into a hilly area with ski lifts that were shut down for the summer.
We made it to the Hôtel du Pigne, where we had a lovely, spacious room with a view. We did laundry, as usual, and the Australian couple we had met at Cabane de Louvie arrived and ended up joining us for dinner.
