When we left Grenoble at 8am. (on Wed Nov. 11) the town was completely covered in thick clouds. When we reached Sappey-en-Chartreuse at about 1000 meters we started to see the surrounding peaks, and then the clouds were behind and below us and we enjoyed sun shine for the rest of the day.

We parked at the The Museum of the Grande-Chartreuse Monastery (860m). The air was chilly, but the five-kilometer gentle climb on “Tour de Chartreuse” warmed us up. Thereafter we had a steeper ascent to Habert-de-Bovinant (1635m), and via Col-de-Léchaud to le Petit Som (1772m).

Above: views from le Petit Som to North-west, to Mont Blanc, and the groups of people lounging on the summit.
We took a less steep route to Col de la Ruchère, but found the descent a bit challenging, especially with the hiking poles, since we needed to use hands to get down safely. From the pass we took a more or less direct path down to the valley, passing some unknown ruins with round stone columns (not pictured) and the chapel Saint-Bruno.
When we were back deep in the valley, and the sun had set behind the slopes, we passed the Grande Chartreuse monastery. The monastery is known for the liqueur it makes.		The total distance we covered was 16.8K, and it took 6 hours 44 minutes.