Where to go in the cold rain?

This summer has been unusually cold in the Alps, so hikes have to be chosen with care so as not to be caught up high in the snow, or in the torrential rains which dislodge rocks and create mudslides! The solution to this in the Valais is to walk along the ancient irrigation ways which were set-up in the 1400s!!

 There would not be much growing on the right side of the Rhône River without these irrigation ditches. And certainly the famous white wines, such as Fendant of the Valais would not be around!

In French they are called 'bisses' and in German 'suonen'. The locals built them with their bare hands, wearing leather boots that might have had 3 nails in them, often hanging off sheer cliff walls to dig a passage for the water from the glaciers to the fields that needed the precious meltwater drops.

 Some are easier to walk on than others, you just have to check the maps. Overall none are steep, but sometimes you do have to walk up to get to them or back down to get off them, as they do generally start at the base of a torrent emerging from a glacier above 2500 meters.

As you can see they pass through hot and dry spots. The vegetation is really fun to walk through.

Passerelle Panossière

A new addition to the hiking world in the val de Bagnes this summer is the hanging bridge between the Cabane Panossière & Cabane Brunet. You can cross it while doing the tour of the Bec de Serry, and go have a coffee or fondue at one of the cabanes while you are at it. 

The glacier has retreated so much, and so fast, that the crossing between the two cabanes was becoming a bit of an issue. The moraine is crumbling while the glacier is leaving behind a steeeeeeep uphill. So the passerelle is there now to link the areas. It helps in making hikes on the left side of the Dranse de Bagnes alot more accessible for everyone.

When you get to the bridge from the Cabane Brunet side, the rock formations that were created by the passing of the glaciers look like petrified waves - definitely worth going to see!

Lys martagon - martagon lilly

A rare & protected plant, it was bursting all over!

Alpine trolls don't need roofs! But they seem to like monk's rhubarb. 

Yep, this plant, Rumex alpinus, is wild rhubarb!

We even got to walk in the snow!! héhéhé!

Just hangin' out!

Vertigo?

Eatin' wild stuff!

All of you who have been on a walk with me to have : wild flower pesto, eat weeds, tapenade sauvage, munch a bunch of wild flowers, etc... knows I could have a separate post for each foto that could go on longer than any of us have time for! So here are just some pretty photos of a recent walk in La Tzouma where we prepared a wild omelette and made some wild teas!

 The bountiful hunt!

 Wild yarrow, rose, geranium, daisy, veronica & thyme in this cup of happiness!

Wild spinach, sooo yummie!

Yarrow, good to stop bleeding, and good in salads & teas & pestos!

Phyteuma betonicifolium - Betony-leaved rampion

Thymus - wild thyme

Trifolium pratense - red clover

Wild geraniums 

Pretty as decorations, am not sure they really have any taste...?

Alchemilla vulgaris, common lady's mantle

Heracleum sphondylium - common hogweed (what an unfortunate name!!)

Larche tree & norwegian spruce new growths 

(they add a lemony taste to things, like an extra natural ziiiing!)

Dandilions

Wild roses

Silene dioica - Red campion

Veronica - spedwell

Forget me not!

Acinos alpinus / Calamintha alpina - Calamint or spring savory  

(I am not 100% sure of the name in English, or in Latin, but in French it is called Serpolet)

This is definitely one you want to pick and smell and eat in everything you make! I try to dry it, but it tends to be eaten up so quickly that it is pointless!

The final omlette! 

Oh yeah, forgot to mention we caught a wild alpine chicken and she gave us a dozen eggs! ;) 

Bagnes Valley

A valley full of history and beauty since the begining of time. The meeting of the African & European continental plates is actually visible here in the rocks!

Thus is a place everyone can enjoy. There are tons of flowers, even the mysterious eidelweiss is present. The wild animals are abundant, you just need to know where to go. The 60 year old dam is history in the making. And I could go on....!

Soupe d'ortie - urtica dioica

Well I dont know about where you live, but the fields here are full of stinging nettles just stinging to be picked to be made into a yummie healthy soup!

Let me know if you want the recipe & tips on how to pick it. It is so easy & delicious!

Did you know it contains lots of protein (40% of dry weight)? That is more than soya has! What a great choice for vegetarians. It is free and probably somewhere near your toes everytime you step outside!

Dandillion honey jelly

Cooked up a bunch of dandillion flower heads with some sugar & lemons and voila! A yummie addition to pancakes, vanilla ice cream, hot lemon juice drinks, and anything you like.

Definitely has a naturally unique flavor. Hopefully I will be able to save some for winter to remind me of beautiful spring moments spent in the garden!

Animal horns vs. Antlers

Little quiz!

Can you recognize the animals these belong to?

Can you tell which are horns & which are antlers?

Each foto has a domesticated animal in it - do you know which one it is?

There are some tricky non-swissies here!

Have a fun day!

Snowshoeing in the Verbier forests

Breathtaking views, crazy lichens, winter survivor plants, Norwegian spruces & larches with wildly textured barks, mosses, last autumns dead flowers heads & seed pods, perhaps even some trolls or fairies - what is there not to like about this?

 

 Stunning views of the Chamonix massif range, peeking over the top of Bruson - the Aiguille d'Argentière. We really are just a hop, skip & a snowshoe from Italy & France.

The quantity of lichens hanging here make one wonder if we are not walking through a mystical swampland like the Florida Everglades - just don't snowshoe on a hibernating crocodile!!

Magical Snowshoeing in Verbier

What a super spot to adventure out in! Definitely need snowshoes as it is snowing every other night. The forest is covered in snow! And the best is that we can wander around where the bushes in the summer don't let us go - unless you like to get your pants ripped off by junipers & rasberries! 

 Everyone can enjoy taking the time to breath and feel how good it is out here. If all you have is a morning it is still worth it. The feeling is so re-generating!

Sunny snowshoe in Champéry!

A beautiful day by the Vièze river with a loop around the fields of the Grand Paradis. With a name like that how can one go wrong?!

Bruson summit

What a sunny day! Just the perfect place to go to get that much needed bowl of fresh air! The fun thing about Bruson is the amount of options : you can use lifts, or not; skis, tellemarks, touring gear, snowshoes, or just boots.

The views are so beautiful and surprising. The forest is magical and full of suspense. The locals are friendly & their cheese delicious. In short it is a place to discover!