A hike up Le Parmelan

Back on May 18, yes that was nearly 3 months ago, R and I spent a spectacular day hiking up Le Parmelan, near Annecy in the Haute-Savoie. From a distance it's easy to pick out Le Parmelan from the other mountains in the area—it is massive and cliff-like. You can see its gray rock face for miles and miles away.

The summit, or la tete, of the Parmelan is 1,832m, which is over 6,000 ft. We parked at the lot near Le Petite Montoir path which we decided to take up—it's longer but not as steep as Le Grand Montoir. In total we ascended 660m which is about 2,165 ft! On a clear day the panorama from the top is impressive. Lucky for us, R and I picked a clear day with steel blue skies.

On the way down, we decided to take Le Grand Montoir—faster and much much steeper. For someone who's afraid of heights, I did pretty well, thank you very much. I also thank Le Parmelan's caretakers who put up some chains and handrails so hikers have something to hold onto to as you make your way down the steep steps and narrow ledges. Oh, we also had to climb over a few huge fallen trees that blocked the path down. In the end it was 100% worth it for the 360 degree views of the Alps, Lac Annecy, and even Mont Blanc!

The Parmelan is classified as difficile but I found it much harder to descend than to ascend. Both R and I were happy to reach the parking lot and even happier when we got home and took a nice long shower. Despite being completely sore for two days afterwards, our randonnée up Le Parmelan was easily one of my favorite days in France. Have you seen anything more ridiculously beautiful?