My first experience of backpacking

Imagine setting off into the wilderness, with peaks as far as the eye can see, dotted with streams, waterfalls and mountain lakes. I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I've decided to go for it! Accompanied by a friend, we set off on an itinerant hike in Val Cenis, in the heart of the Vanoise National Park. 4 days of walking and 3 nights in a refuge on easy trails accessible to all. An experience that allows you to recharge your batteries, enjoy the great outdoors and observe exceptional flora and numerous animals: marmots, ibexes, bearded vultures...

To do this, we organized two months in advance. You can't improvise a trek: you have to think about a lot of details, like choosing an itinerary suited to your physical abilities (finding the right balance between fun and a sporting challenge), booking the refuges online (for one night's accommodation, dinner, breakfast, picnic and shower, and remember: in July and August places are limited, so book well in advance!), buying our train tickets, and checking the shuttle bus timetable for the journey between the station and the start of the hike.

Book your huts

The bus dropped us off in front of the town hall. From there we could take a free shuttle to Bellecombe, in the heart of the Vanoise National Park, and save ourselves a long climb. But we're ultra-motivated and take another option: to set off immediately to reach the Arpont refuge. It's an easy start from the village, on a relatively flat route that follows a small stream, the Doron. Perfect for warming up! Once you've reached the Châtel parking lot, things get serious! We have to get to a balcony trail much higher up the mountain, with an almost direct ascent! This first day of the trek will be the most challenging of our adventure, with a 1,000-meter vertical drop over 6 km!

The climb is quite steep, but still very pleasant, as we progress mainly through the forest.

What's more, we pass magnificent waterfalls, offering welcome moments of coolness in the middle of summer.

After admiring the stars and the Milky Way, we have breakfast, pack our bags and head for the Entre deux Eaux refuge.

Leaving early once again proves to be an excellent decision, as it allows us to meet many wild animals: marmots, a small family of ibexes, and even birds that trot quietly in front of us before taking off. We learn from the refuge wardens that they are probably rock ptarmigan.

Enchanting moments created by the early morning light, the presence of animals and the gentle mountain scenery.

Once we arrived at the refuge, we decided to have a snack (I hear it's good for the legs 😉 my city girl knees were also in serious need of a break after that long descent). The homemade blueberry tart is excellent! We chat with the refuge wardens, who tell us the origin of the refuge's name: it's situated between two rivers that join to form the Torrent de la Rocheure.

We settle into the dormitory, then take a look around before returning to share a meal in the common room. Once again, the atmosphere is warm and friendly, and we chat with other hikers about our respective adventures! We won't be waking up at night for this second night in the refuge, as the weather has changed and a few thunderstorms are forecast for the night.

Useful info: a shuttle bus stops near the Entre Deux Eaux refuge. So you can take it directly to Val Cenis-Termignon and enjoy a slightly shorter or less intense trek.

After breakfast in the early morning light, we set off for our last hut, the Femma. This day's trek promises to be relatively straightforward, as the route is not long and the difference in altitude is fairly small.

The first 30 minutes' walk to the refuge are not the most pleasant, as we're on the edge of a small road reserved for wardens, alpacists and the shuttle bus. However, we soon reach a path in the middle of nowhere.

The Femma refuge is located at the bottom of a valley where a torrent gushes down. We're surrounded by peaks over 3,000 meters high, and the setting is wild and sumptuous! Along the way, we come across an infinite number of marmots and groundhogs, who seem to be having a field day!

After a hot shower, an outdoor siesta and a well-deserved aperitif, dinner time arrives and we join the other hikers in the common room. Here, all products are local and "refuge" made (even the bread! ).

As the day progresses, the weather clears and the sun reappears. On the way, we pass the Plan du Lac refuge, where we decide to stop for a few hours to enjoy a picnic and one last time the scenery and peace of the Vanoise National Park. Once our break is over, it's just a few minutes' walk to the Bellecombe parking lot.

My favorites :

- Meals and evenings in the refuge with the other hikers were very rewarding moments of sharing (we even got in touch with some of them!).
- We ate very well in the refuge!
- In the high mountains, there's not much of a network, and disconnecting from the world feels really GOOD!

Things to work on:

- My knees are a bit fragile... A few muscle-strengthening exercises are necessary before another trek.
- Next time, we're leaving for 1 week of roaming! 4 days is great, but all we want to do is keep going.