Walking Trails of Europe: Chartreuse

Which came first? The name of the color or the name of the region. I have a feeling it was the place. The colors are brilliant in the valleys tucked in between the spectacular uplifted mountains of the Chartreuse region.

We stayed at our friends house in Besson, in the heart of the Chartruese, that made it easy for us to take a few long day hikes.

Our first day hike we passed by this 25,000 year old cave that had been home to cave bears. There is a great museum in a nearby village, Entrement-le-Vieux, that tells the story of how the bones were discovered and what these fierce creatures were like. They were humongous and probably had a ferocious appetite.

This was at the top of Mont Granier looking out over more of the mountains in the Chartruese.

Here is another shot of the mountains in this area. They look inaccessible, but there are usually trails tucked in through the slots between the mountains that allowed us to get up on top.

Here is a great view looking back up at where we had been.

This is looking out from our window at our friends house where they keep the cows. It was an idyllic, peaceful place.

Another day hike and we went up and over a pass following a trail used by the monks from the Chartreuse Monastery. There were places along the way like this where the monks would stop to pray. The monks have a vow of silence, but they can make a few exceptions and one is when they are on the trail. We didn't encounter any along the route.

Eventually the trail leads up to this beautiful valley.

At the top of the pass is a shepherd's hut. See the white blobs in front? They aren't all rocks. Two of them are the dogs that protect the sheep from wolves. They can be quite fierce, so you really don't want to get too close to pet them. They are borderline wild and have only one job -- protect the sheep.

We did toss all the cheese rind from lunch to this guy which he happily inhaled and then took a nap. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, take a look at that collar. No way will his neck be a lunch for a hungry wolf.

Looking out into the valley. I didn't want to leave this place.

After dropping down we came upon this very old, uninhabited monastery. It was the original location for the Chartreuse monks before moving down the road to the big house. This place had such an ancient atmosphere, hiding in behind the vegetation. There was very old rock drains running down from a stream that looked as if they easily could have been Roman.

The water was very clean and refreshing from this spring. It was nice to fill up the bottles after the long hike down the mountain.

Our first glimpse of the Chartreuse Monastery.

The building and the mountains behind it were in perfect symmetry. I have rarely seen a building so suited for its environment. We took a tour that was so interesting. It told the history of the region and of the monks. And of course, I had to purchase a bottle or two of the delicious Chartreuse liquor made from herbs found in this region.

Another day's hike found us passing by this old shepherd's hut.

And on yet another peak.

I was beginning to sense that the way down might not be just an easy trail. Especially when I heard one of my companions look over the edge and say "uh-oh" and then look back at me.

And sure enough, that was the way down. Hard to point out here, but it was a scramble right down through the rock. For most normal people, it was fine. For me, it was one of those "no way" moments that I eventually overcame and was quite pleased to find myself still alive when I was back on flat ground.