Above the clouds on Crêt de la Goutte

Yesterday R and I worked on the driveway again in the morning. As the forecast predicted a beautiful day...we decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather with a hike up the mountains nearby. A quick drive led us to a little parking area at 1400m. R normally parks the car at 1100m and does a longer walk, but yesterday, my thighs/hamstrings were already sore after squatting for hours weeding the driveway. Thus we parked at 1400m and took a small forest trail that led us to a large clearing which opened into a field of pretty cows grazing on the mountainside. There must have been 50 cows up there. Minutes after our arrival, R and I spot an old fox high up who tears down the mountain, dashing into the field of cows and quickly disappearing into them. By the time we make it to the cows, the fox is long gone.

We planned to hike up to the highest point, Grand Crêt d'Eau, a summit which promised a spectacular 360 degree panoramic view of L'Ain and Haute Savoie. We started up 2 peaks, and did not find our peak. In the end, we ascended the highest point we found, Le Crêt de la Goutte. Huffing and puffing up the steep part of the hike, I stopped to take pictures and make the following observations. 

• This hike is breathtakingly beautiful. It is a place where blue sky meets green covered mountain tops and on a clear day like today, one can see the Swiss Alps and the Mont Blanc  
• Le Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps at 4,810.45 metres (15,782 ft) looks so close. It is lovely and huge
• I felt a little like Heidi the Swiss miss hiking up the mountainside with cows all around
• I saw my first wild orchids; they are purple and much tinier than the domesticated ones
• There was still ice up in one of the man-made drinking areas for the cows
• High above the clouds, we can watch planes circle, queue, and descend into Geneva
• This is a good hike for kids so we should bring my nephews here when they visit
• I am a little afraid of heights!
• Next time, we'll park at 1100m and hike up from there to Le Grand Crêt d'Eau. Note made on Feb 21, 2011: It's funny because now I know that we were already on the Le Grand Crêt d'Eau. Cret de la Goutte is actually the highest peak of the Le Grand Crêt d'Eau. We just didn't know it at the time