Sunday June 21 - Today dawned with clear skies that almost immediately became overcast. We had planned a hike to the Vallee de la Claret, which is the next valley to the east of Serre Che. The temperature was in the mid-60s with a fair breeze blowing and we weren't sure how much time we would have before rain began.
We drove to Pamplinet and started walking up the fairly steep rocky road toward Chalets des Acles - a hike of about 4km each way. We had discovered this road last year. It becomes a track at the top of the pass and leads toward Italy and is very much worth the effort. As we climbed, the skies cleared and the day became a lovely one. Near the top of the pass the road leveled out a bit and we had a clear view across the valley to the Fort de l'Olive, one of the fortifications that pepper the heights in this region. Whereas many of the forts are reachable without too much effort, this one is perched such that the way to it is either very long, very steep or very rocky. Joe has gotten there once, leaving me perched precariously on a rock somewhere along the trail.

Tuesday June 23 – We tried another new (to us) trail today – one above Villiard St. Pancrace, which is just south of Briancon and on the opposite side of the Serre Che that we see from Chantemerle. This area is a bit lower and not good for hiking in warmer weather but yesterday’s high was about 68F. In general the weather has been much cooler than usual and we’ve lived in sweatshirts and polaires. The climb was easy at first and then really got steep but it was through trees and smelled of pine and the sky was blue and the views over Briancon made it worth the effort. As usual, we brought a baguette, slices of meat, a jar of Amora mustard, and a bottle of San Pellegrino and that, after a good climb and eaten while perched on a stump, was a veritable feast in a delightful dining room.

Our food prep and consumption is simple here: we are addicted to French bread and have bread for breakfast and/or lunch most days. Eggs & lardons (a kind of chopped bacon) or cereal constitute non-bread breakfasts. On non-hiking days we usually have soup and bread (yeh, again…) with cheeses or fruit. We don’t go out for dinner very often but enjoy meal prep at home. It’s a bit of a challenge because the apartment is very simply furnished and counter space is a 2’x2’ square with a 2-burner cooktop on one side and a sink on the other. The kitchen itself is just over 3 feet in length, the fridge sits below the counter, and it’s normal to see one of us crawling around on our hands and knees trying to find something in it!