I can’t tell you how excited I feel after so many weeks of flat terrain. Honestly, it has been a huge test for me to find the beauty in the fields and forests and empty villages. There is no denying that “my heart’s in the highlands!”
Day 40 Besançon to Foucherans
After so long without hills, looking up to the Citadel felt a bit daunting.
Public Art
My first day in the Jura Mountains started in the heat and humidity above Besançon where I reached the Monument de la Libération at the summit.
During WWII the Archbishop of Besançon promised to build a chapel if the city was not ravaged by bombing. True to his word when the city was spared, in 1949 this crypt chapel and monumental statue of the Virgin and child were dedicated on the site of 19th-century battlements.
– Sandy Brown, Walking the Via Francigena Pilgrim Route
Back over the city, to the northwest, I looked down upon the Citadel that had earlier towered above me, as well as the land I had transited over the past couple of days.
In the opposite direction, I could see more hills in the distance that will soon lead me into Switzerland.
Rain started to fall at noon which took away the sunlight and the beautiful views, but dropped the temperature and delivered familiar muddy trails and slow traveling friends through the forest.
Day 40 AllTrails Stats
Distance: 22.0 km / 13.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 811 m / 2,661 feet
Steps: 29,490
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/vDqgrnmz7G6
Accommodation: Gîte d’Etape de Foucherans, Foucherans
Day 41 Foucherans to Mouthier-Haute-Pierre
Could this have been my best day yet on the Via? Quite possibly!
The mountain magic continued today. First came the tease of a few kilometers of very familiar-looking terrain, but then I suddenly descended a muddy track into the top end of the beautiful Loue Valley, and I yelped for joy. Cliffs! I saw cliffs above me, and cliffs below me, and cliffs across the canyon from me, and an old railroad tunnel through solid rock and even safety fences to keep crazy cyclists from falling off the cliffs (Surely, they can’t be there for the walkers!). The canyon I was descending was even deep enough to suck away my cell signal for more than an hour. That has never happened to me before in France!
My reward for the long descent was the wonderful mountain town of Ornans, seated amidst limestone formations above and nurtured by the Loue River. The weekend tourists ensured a place open for lunch on Sunday yet they were all soon left behind as I continued my walk up the valley to smaller but no less charming mountain towns.
I fall asleep tonight knowing I am in the Jura Mountains, just a prequel to the mighty Alps that loom ahead. At the moment, the hiking trail over the Great Saint Bernard Pass is still closed due to snow, and I will soon need to check the conditions there every day.
Hmmm… storm clouds. Here we go again.
Public Art
I’m heading up that valley.
Day 41 AllTrails Stats
Distance: 27.2 km / 16.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 624 m / 2,047 feet
Steps: 38,136
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/v8qV32P8W7v
Accommodation: Private apartment, Mouthier-Haute-Pierre
Day 42 Mouthier-Haute-Pierre to Pontarlier
Hmm… be careful what you ask for, right? I like mountains. I wanted mountains. I asked for mountains. I sure got them today.
Also… be careful what you agree to…
This morning was the most unique section of trail I’ve seen yet on the VF. Steep uphill, single-track, over roots and loose rocks, alongside severe falloffs down to the Loue River below, with mossy rocks and slippery mud from the constant moisture. I loved it! It’s a lot like some of my favorite trails in the San Francisco Bay Area, so my comfort and confidence were high. Except…
I met Pilgrim Irene, from the Netherlands, on yesterday’s last uphill climb. She messaged me early this morning to ask if I’d accompany her on today’s walk. She was anxious because her host had told her about the trail’s damage from landslides last year and was scared about the warning signs at the trailhead. I said “yes, definitely – we can walk together.” I had already received personal reports from Pilgrims Giulio and Dirk who walked this same stage two days ago and yesterday respectively. Young and fit Giulio had trusted the warning signs but found the alternate route overgrown and confusing – he got lost a couple of times. Dirk, from flat Belgium (and who readily admits “I don’t like to climb…”), said he ignored the warnings and had a challenging hike but uneventful. I shared this information with Irene and told her I planned to walk the standard route rather than the detour. She agreed.
It wasn’t long before I realized what I had done: taken responsibility for guiding someone whose capabilities I didn’t know up a route I knew even less. Not my smartest decision. But how could I have said no?
In the lower section of the trail, I learned that Irene’s boots are just two days old, having replaced her previous pair that had fallen apart on her walk from Holland. She also told me that she no longer had hiking poles since snapping one of them a couple of weeks ago, and leaving them both in a hostel the next day. I started to wonder if I should be concerned about her experience and her ability to walk this section. But she wasn’t at all hesitant, so we made our way along the cascading Loue River, aiming to reach its “source,” aptly named La Source, in 7 kms (I guessed it would take less than 2 hours). After her first fall, I lent Irene one of my poles (“One is better than none!” I insisted). She was cautious (good!) and indecisive (not so good), so it was slow going. She had two more slips and falls, but thankfully not on any dangerous parts of the trail. I spent a lot of my time visualizing the emergency responses to numerous possibilities. It was stressful.
We arrived at La Source in about 4 hours and marveled at the cave in the mountain that spewed forth a full-throated river 24/7/365. “Where does all the water come from?” It is spectacular!
At the halfway point in the day, Irene agreed that she could handle herself fine on the ordinary tracks through the upcoming forests and fields and into our destination town. She sent me on my way with her thanks. She also promised to read ahead about conditions to expect as we enter Switzerland soon and make our way over the alps. It’s snow covered now!
This old hydroelectric plant is still working. The cave above the large pipe is the bottom end of a 2,000-meter tunnel dug in 1921 to bring river water more quickly from upstream.
La Source de la Loue
The Loue River comes from within this mountain. In time, this water will run into the Rhône and spill into the Mediterranean Sea near Arles.
Once the climbing was done for the day, I loved the high mountain plains.
Day 42 AllTrails Stats
Distance: 22.2 km / 13.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 996 m / 3,268 feet
Steps: 34,755
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/v1vjdwAL4Y6
Accommodation: Ibis Budget, Pontarlier
Day 43 Pontarlier to Jougne
Another magical day in the Jura Mountains, a good portion of which gave me drone-like aerial views of the Doubs Valley with all its treasures.
In medieval times, these large rocky peaks meant fortresses to defend lands and wealth. And the deep gorges meant bottlenecks to enforce the collection of tolls on the transport of salt and iron from the north, and spices, rice, and silk from the south. In more modern times, the next ridges on my path provided slopes for the skiers and snowboarders.
You might see the public art of Pontarlier here, or the architecture. I could only see the first of the day’s climbs out of town.
Doubs Valley
Fort Malher
Some of you have asked… Yes, I walked again today with Irene.
Even without snow, the cross country skiers get their training in…
Day 43 AllTrails Stats
Distance: 26.1 km / 16.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 864 m / 2,835 feet
Steps: 36,094
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/v26MjBoZ13q
Accommodation: Hotel Restaurant la Couronne, Jougne
Days 1-43 AllTrails Cumulative Stats
Distance: 969.1 km / 602.2 miles
Average Daily Distance: 22.5 km / 14.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 19,266 m / 63,209 feet
Steps: 1,501,189
