Three weeks into the third lockdown, and we have hiked probably in all river valleys on the Western slopes of the Belledonne range that are within about 10 kilometers from us. Yesterday’s hike (8.4km in 2h 43mins, D+/D- 450m) took us from the village of St-Mury-Monteymond to Le Croix De Révollat, and back.  The walls of these valleys are quite steep, so it is not difficult to find challenging hikes even without going to the higher altitudes.

Some sections of the hike traveled deep in the forest under tall spruce trees. The shade was very welcome since it was a hot day — maybe the first one this Spring that really felt like Summer. We also crossed a pasture when we could not find the right trail. For our luck, the cows also preferred shade and did not bother us,  but just looked on as we stumbled down the bumpy slope. Sometimes I can’t help wondering how those large and bulky animals can manage such unsteady terrains and steep inclines.

Unfortunately no historical trivia to offer this time. The old church in St-Mury-Monteymond was clearly not in use anymore. In most of the places we have visited, there has been a small info board outlining the history of the building, especially if it has been a church, but we found nothing this time. However, there were a couple of benches in front of it for us to have a lunch and enjoy the view down to the river valley.