The Bottom of the Top (Hiking Belledonne)

I am writing this post from my warm bed for two reasons: because it's raining so there isn't much of a reason to get up; and because I'm not sure I'll be able to stand. Yesterday I gave my legs the toughest workout of my entire life: I climbed Mount Belledonne.

As you know, Grenoble is nestled in a valley between the Alpine mountains and I have wanted to climb one of the larger summits since I arrived. Yesterday the opportunity presented itself when a fellow API student and two other friends invited me to hike Belledonne with them. The tickets for the bus were less than 6 euro each way and the ride to the mountain was just over an hour, so of course my answer was yes!

We started our adventure at 6:45 am (ugh) but weren't on our way to the mountain until about 8. Figuring out the bus schedules for inter city travel can get a little complicated. Our group ended up tumbling out of the bus at 9 am onto a little four way intersection in the middle of nowhere. Although there were two hotels and a bar, everything in the mountains is closed right now for the in-between seasons lull. It's not quite warm enough for most hikers but it isn't ski season yet. Luckily my API friend had the hike well planned and he led us for a 30-minute walk alongside the road into a one street village where we would begin the climb after a quick stop at the tourism office.

Our first view of Belledonne

Tourism offices here are great for information. Every city I have been to has one, and the workers there are extremely helpful. Anything you might need to plan a trip can be found: maps, transportation passes, brochures, schedules, and more! Originally we had planned to hike to the summit of Belledonne to see the lake. We explained this to the woman at the office and, unfortunately, were met with some bad news. The trip to the beginning of our hike usually takes 20 minutes by car, and the hike to the lake can be two or three hours after that. Not to mention the snow at the lake is already waist high. Ouch. Although she did have some alternative hikes for us, she said that the best option might be to hike to beginning of our original hike because the trip offered some lovely sites all on it's own.

A church in the village

Although we were a little disappointed, it didn't dampen our spirits too much. Off we went up the road at the beginning of the mountain. Winding through the village was so much fun and absolutely beautiful. I have always preferred the countryside in France, and this trip absolutely confirmed it. All of the houses were small and old with wooden accents, gardens with cabbages bigger than my head, and smelled like burning wood stove. My heart swelled with adoration for this tiny ramshackle village in ways I can't describe. It just felt like home. Every turn brought another view of the massive snow-topped mountains and the rolling clouds drifting between them. Even though the day was overcast and a little rainy, the sights were breathtaking.

Left: Valley and river
Top right: Mountain view
Bottom right: A little village

We rambled up the road and even went a little bit off the beaten path to try and gain altitude a little faster. All of us wanted to get as high as we could to see the view from as close to the top as possible. The trees were colorful and the forest floor was carpeted in orange and brown November hues. For the duration of our hike we followed a little waterfall up the mountain and the rushing water was the perfect soundtrack to the adventure.  After roughly 3 and a half hours of climbing, we sat down to eat our lunch in the rain. We discovered shortly thereafter that we were less than a half hour away from our starting point and it was only just reaching 12:00! Spirits renewed and bellies full, we eagerly marched to our destination.

Left: Wooden bridge over a stream
Right: Waterfall

Our group decided to climb the beginning of the trails even if we couldn't make it to the lake. We needed to turn around no later that 2:30 to make it to the bus station on time for the last bus of the day, so we had plenty of time to do a little exploring. We discovered that there was a mountain refuge a little under two miles away and it seemed like an excellent goal. That is, until I discovered what two miles feels like on a very very steep incline. Up until we hit the trails our path had been an easy slope. I hadn't ever climbed mountain trails quite like this and my leg muscles were not at all prepared for the challenge. I wanted to quit so many times! But my group was encouraging and determined so I kept on, taking breaks every few feet to stretch my poor legs.

The forests were dark and almost mythical to me. Moss hung in long strings off the trees and it seemed like a whole new world existed underneath the canopy of pine needles. In my hometown, forests tend to become overgrown close to the ground. Here however, the trees are absolutely massive and the branches often don't begin until several feet above my head. I felt like I had shrunken to the size of a mouse!

Just when I was getting too tired and too sore to continue, I caught sight of something white on the ground. Snow. We all rejoiced and raced towards the little piles of crusty half-melted snow and threw snowballs at one another. We had climbed high enough to actually see mountain snow! It was one of the biggest feelings of accomplishment to know I had actually made it so far. Somehow I never thought I would actually be on a summit tall enough to be throwing snowballs while it was still fall down below.

The snow gave us just enough encouragement to push forward for another ten minutes in hopes of reaching the refuge. Suddenly beams of sunlight began to burst through the trees, and I just knew we had made it. I found the last bits of strength in my legs and pushed myself up the final incline and through the trees. I was greeted with the most beautiful the view I have ever seen.

A large field covered in snow glittered before us, a small shack resting a little bit ahead. The summit of Mount Belledonne was right in our faces and it shimmered in the sunlight. What once was an entire mountain, was now only the tip of it. I turned around and there before me lay the snowy peaks of all the other mountains, and the clouds were below us. It was only the bottom of the top, really, but it felt like the top of the world. Our time enjoying the view was cut too short and it hurt to leave so soon. I wanted to live in that little refuge and stay forever in that beautiful sky-kingdom.

We drank some fresh spring water out of a water pump and refilled our bottles, prepping for the journey down. Going down was much quicker than going up, of course. The weather had cleared and we were able to enjoy the views in the sun. We went down the mountain a different way than we came up, because it was a lot shorter and we needed to make good time. Unfortunately we had to cross a few rivers and I was very grateful I brought a change of shoes! Our crew entered the village just as the sun was beginning to set and took a short rest before heading back to the intersection for the bus.

Watching the stars come out and seeing the silhouettes of the mountains illuminated by the moon was just as beautiful as watching the sun reflect off of the snow caps. I will forever have in my mind the image of the steep black mountain face against a twilight blue sky, the half-moon and north star glittering just above it. All the lights in the little villages turned on and even though we were back on the ground again, it still felt like I was walking through the stars.

I hope the reading wasn't too cumbersome for you. This post is undoubtedly the longest I have on the blog, and I am glad. I will be able to look back on this and remember how it felt to be in the most beautiful place on earth. .

***A special shout out to my friend for letting me share his camera on this trip when I forgot the memory card to my own.***