Day 4 - Samoens to Refuge de Moede-Anterne - A Long, Lovely Day

After breakfast we trudged back into Samoens to stock up on lunch and rejoin the hike. We had a long day ahead of us. First, we spent a couple of hours walking along the valley bottom (an unusual event on the GR5) livened up by climbing some ladders in a gorge. Then, a long, dull climb in the forest, brightened up by a couple of big waterfalls. But then we cleared the forest at the Collet d'Anterne and the day came alive, with views in all directions.

Lac and Col d'Anterne

We were heading south with a long line of high cliffs on our right - the Rochers des Fiz. Below the cliffs, the soil was clay and - apart from various grasses - there was very little vegetation. It was all very austere. After lunch we reached the first refuge (Refuge Authur Wills) as a group but then split up as everyone followed their own pace for the last stretch to our hut. The austerity continued past the Lac d'Anterne to the Col d'Anterne (everything around here is d'Anterne); at that point there were teasing views of the big mountains above Chamonix.

Aiguille du Midi and Glacier des Bossons

A short descent lead to our hut (the Refuge de Moede-Anterne), a shower, beer and a nice meal (polenta and sausage - we'll eat that again several times on the hike).

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