August 15, 2024

Utelle, 821m

I was awakened in the night by my tent that had unhooked on the side and was banging on the tent in the wind. I hadn’t really been able to sink the sardine into this terrain. It must be 4am, and I can see the lightning and storm brewing in the distance. I go out to replant my sardine and try to get back to sleep, but I can’t really. At around 5am, I decide to start packing up, as it’s always good to leave early to avoid the rain that’s forecast from 8am onwards.
I leave by headlamp at 6am, as most of the other tents are already dismantled nearby, everyone having decided to leave early with the bad weather on the way.

The storm is already rumbling a little further on, but it’s not raining yet. After twenty minutes or so, it starts to get light.

Just before I passed the chapel where I wanted to sleep, a light rain began to fall. It’s not even 7 a.m., she’s early. I pick up the pace, I don’t like walking in the rain, and I can probably find shelter in the village of Cros d’Utelle further on. The rain intensifies and so do the storms, so when I arrive at Les Cros d’Utelle at around 8am, it’s just a few houses and a church, but there’s a sheltered bench so I sit there and make myself a coffee. On the weather forecast, heavy rain is expected around 9am. I decide to wait before setting off again. I end up getting cold, and set off again for Levens at around 9am, today I don’t really have the option of walking in the dry.
I walk down to the river, then back up into the forest towards Levens at a brisk pace. The storm is really close, and as I reach the top, I can hear the thunder rumbling along with the lightning just next door, so I pick up the pace again to get to Levens quickly.

Levens, 580m

I meet up with Isabelle and Laurent, whom I’ve met several times over the last few days, and sit down with them for coffee and pastries, to warm up and dry off. After a while, the rain stops and we should spend the rest of the day in the dry.
The 3 of us set off again in the direction of Asprémont. We thought the day wouldn’t be too steep, but in the end it’s up and down all day. We stop for a picnic before reaching Asprémont.

Asprémont, 500m

Bivouac possible (spot 20/30mn after Asprémont, on the ascent to Mont Chauve, no water, refuel in Asprémont at the children’s park).

I have a drink with other hikers at the café, then with Isabelle and Laurent we set off to find a watering hole to wash and refuel before looking for a bivouac spot a little further on for the night. We start climbing Mont Chauve and find a perfect spot about 20/30mn after Asprémont. It’s only a 3-hour walk to Nice the next day.