Yesterday (5.12.) there was no place within 20 kilometers where we could expect to see the sun above the clouds, but today was different. This morning the fog was so dense that we could barely see Tour Vercors only 100 meters away. So, we checked the area webcams to find out that we only needed to climb to La Bastille (467m) to get above the clouds. So, we headed out for a two-hour hike to Mont Jalla (634m) — two hours because we wanted to be back for the day’s biathlon world cup races (10.43km in 2h 26mins, D+/D- 676m).

Obviously, we were not the only ones on that hill. There were a lot of runners, hikers, walkers, even a couple of mountain bikers sliding down the icy and slushy hill, and families making snowpeople. We saw one man on flip-flops carrying a child in a baby carrier on his back, and another man running up the stairs barefoot. It was a lot warmer higher up in the sun, compared to the town, and the difference was quite marked when coming down.

It was a fun hike, although a bit tedious in icy and muddy conditions, but at least it felt and looked like a real winter! And happy independence day to my Finnish readers!