August 8, 2024

Ceillac, 1.639m

Departure from the campsite at 7:45 am. I skirt the river, then turn right to go up into the twisting forest.

I pass close to the torrent and then reach the ruisseau de la Pisse at 2,165m, 15 minutes before the Lac Miroir (ideal for washing and stocking up on water before the lake).

Mirror Lake, 2,214m

Ideal for bivouacs

I arrive at the lake a little after 9 a.m. The light is magnificent and I soon realize that the lake lives up to its name: the landscape is perfectly reflected on the lake.

I’m the first to arrive at the lake, there are only 2 fishermen who have spent the night there. It’s completely magical. All you can hear is the horses neighing. I sit down for about twenty minutes to admire the spectacle and enjoy the sun at my back.

I then resume the climb to the next lake.

Lac Saint-Anne, 2.450m

Wow, that turquoise color, and the mountain still a little snowy above. Another setting for this high-altitude lake.

Col Girardin, 2699m

A little more effort to climb up to Col Girardin in a dry, lunar-like setting approaching 2,700m altitude.

I head back down towards La Barge, and as I pass through the combe, the path disappears and becomes very exposed for about 50 metres (really dangerous in bad weather, I’d say). The path continues all the way back to La Barge.

La Barge, 1.877m

I come to a road which I follow for a while before descending to the river.

I stop for a swim before taking the road to Pont du Châtelet. On the way, I meet a couple of hikers I’d met a few days before, and we walk the rest of the way together.

A final climb through the forest before reaching Fouillouse.

Fouillouse, 1.900m

Bivouac possible, water point, river access (just after Fouillouse)

We sit down on the refuge terrace to drink a chilled Coke, the kind we’ve been dreaming of all the way up the last climb in the heat.

I stop to buy a banana, a tomato and a homemade cookie in a mini grocery store further on, then pass Fouillouse to find my bivouac spot by the river.