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| View south from Baisse de Valmasque looking down Vallee des Merveilles |
Friday 30th August 2013
A relatively short and easy walk today from
Refuge de Valmasque (2233m) to
Refuge des Merveilles.(2130m) via Baisse de Valmasque (2549m)
We set off about 8.00am and took our time, retracing our steps from Wednesday past the three lakes heading south west to Baisse de Valmasque (2549m).
We had some good close sightings of young male chamoix between lac du Basto and Baisse de Valmasque. The ascent up to the pass was gentle and easy underfoot and gave us a good view north to lac de Basto.
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| The famous rock carving, Le Christ, in Vallee des Merveilles |
We hardly noticed the climbing and were soon dropping down into
Vallee des Merveilles, a beautiful valley with a path meandering between little lakes and folling the connecting stream.
The valley narrows to a tight gorge at one point betweenle Chef de Tribe and le Christ; rock carvings that date back to the Bronze Age. The carvings are closely guarded, with only a few easily accesible without paying for a local guide.
After the gorge the valley opens out and the path turn to the south of Le lac Long Superior, where Refuge Merveilles stands close to the barrage.
Ascent 467m
Descent 576m
In France we used:
3841OT Vallee de la Roya, Vallee des Merveilles
There are two Cicerone guides that provide useful information on the area.
