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Saturday, August 22, the alarm rings, it is 7:30. Outside it was still dark, but the dawn shows its face. I wake Nico who sleeps just above me, we dress and go into the dining room having breakfast. We fill our water bottles to tap the backpack back and forth! The sun is rising, while the valley is still in shadow.
And we begin the climb. Tacho crisis of yesterday is completely gone I feel not tired or anything.

We start to climb towards the start of the ski slope, descending deep shade of the valley against the grain of ourselves.

Bypassing the pylon of the ski-lift, we take a kind of wide trail, filled with rocks like a river bed. This is actually the location of the ski slope when there is snow! In one place, there is a large amount of volcanic stones (a dimpled rock like pumice) and, like yesterday, I harvest. (The bag will quickly weigh heavy ...)

We were in the sun, here we are in the shadow of the mountain. Rock blocks pave the bottom of the valley and one of the sides, with the passage in the shadows, and configuration, we quickly feel the cold befall us. Fortunately that walking keeps us warm.

Continuing to the bottom of the valley, towards the passage of the peaks, we meet several people, slightly harnessed, running around: the Trail runners. Some set themselves the goal of making the ascent and descent of the current Sancy. Some even manage to do it in under 30 minutes!

Continue to rise, from darkness to light and vice versa, we are approaching the bottom of the valley. And when I turned around I see all the way we have already path and I think that 45 minutes is not bad. We must be back before noon and I realize that we're still not half way, heat from will not help to make the climb easier, but you should be fine at the time.

And you go, and ... my climbs the slope is becoming increasingly important and the way now described laces along the mountain. Several people we cross current, rolling stones in their shoes, looking like surfing on the bed of rocks. We also crossed the Salers cows grazing quietly, we pay attention to them, given the size of the cattle and their horns, we will avoid taking charge of their hand. So we decide to make a break just above it, near a small water source.

We continue to mount, pieces of rocks often way under our shoes, making the climb, already complicated, difficult. The walking pace is diminished and we slow down again, I stop occasionally take pictures (like the flower just before or a photo in 3D (anaglyph out your glasses!))

Again and again the rise ... the path is much narrower and the slope has further increased. Arriving to the first ridge path (a kind of small plateau at the top of the bottom of the mountain), the trail widened by dint of seeing passing walkers.

9:45, finally! Here we are at small tray and finally a view of the other side and the valley behind this mountain. We take this opportunity to pause. I ask Nico where we are relative to the top of Sancy... We are between half and two-thirds ... Okay ... well, well we will have a break pictures and starts again ! I also want to take pictures of Cairns (the famous little piles of stones), and even a panoramic photo Nico and another of me (it was long!).






After drinking (and finish one of the two bottles and many entammés second), we resumed road, a thin trail as a path to follow ibex sunlight. Luckily the slope is less important, and despite the fatigue begins to be felt, we move more easily ... until the trail begins again to take the angle!

The path goes toward the Donkey's step, our next step 'to continue or whether we go back down?'. The view is really beautiful, deep in the valley to our left, we can see the way that we borrowed earlier this morning, and the town of Mont-Dore in the background.

Finally arrived at the Donkey's step ! Many people pass us, fresh as roach, while we, we're sweaty and tired. A little further explanation appears to us: the cable car! In fact, people ride on the cable cars are the few steps to the summit and descend to feet. That's cheating ! Especially when they say after that they rised the Sancy...
We decide on our part to continue even until the next plateau, but the time starts to squeeze. The steps are a little hard, the sun already heats well, we feel the slight lack of oxygen due to the altitude and there are a few people (thank you the cable car !). Time to arrive, it is already a little more than the maximum time that had given to reach the top. We are in the plateau a few meters from the summit of Sancy. But the time we caught up and surpassed. I take a few photos, the water bottle is completed and we are preparing to descend after a little taken advantage of the beautiful view.
We are 1'880m in altitude, one can imagine the view curvature of the earth (the seen-really?) and here we have about 25% less oxygen than at of the sea !

It is time (and long overdue) down, there are quite a way to go, but there is more water and so we are a little lighter. Besides this time, we're going down, which is obviously faster, thank you to the force of gravity! Indeed, much faster one goes down on the edge of the race. But our knees do not like the pace of descent. We meet a few people who have decided to sleep in and go later, but already quite exhausted and sweaty because of the heat.
Gone at 8 am and arrived at 11am at the top of Sancy (or almost ... ahem ...), we finally got back to the cottage at 11:50!
Arriving at the cottage, tired but happy to have been able to make the rise of Sancy, we file our business and leadership dinner, the hike was largely open our appetites! After devouring the chicken curry and rice / beans, we make the bags, say goodbye to the owners of the inn and hop in the car, we pass through the town of Mont Dore towards Lake Chauvet.

The Chauvet Lake is a lake formed in a crater from the explosion between groundwater and magma ascent. Circular in shape with a gentle slope at the start, it has a depth of 73m in the center for an area of 53 hectares.

There is not much to see at the Lac Chauvet, apart from its particular shape and low slope. Back on the road to Lake Pavin. Bypassing the Sancy, we see the giant cottages Super-Besse :

We find a place high in the parking lot of Lake Pavin crater. And descend through the forest at the edge.
The Pavin lake lies in a crater, born 6,900 years ago by the encounter between a water table and magma ascent when part of the Puy de Montchal was sprayed, thus becoming a Maar and filling with water . Covering an area of 44 hectares, depth reaches 92m in the middle. Water has a beautiful blue color and fish (Arctic char, trout ...) live there, allowing enthusiasts to fish (sparingly).

We go around, taking advantage of the undergrowth and good weather. There are a lot of people walking around like us. Once arrived at the restaurant level, we take the car and it's time to go to Brive.
On the way, dark clouds have formed on the Sancy, in the morning it was so beautiful, it looks good now raining. But clouds do not stay and we quickly under a heavy rain. Who took her by the back roads to see some of the landscape, we drive slowly because of the rain but also from all corners. Fortunately, after a while, the rain goes away and the sun returns to warm us. Since it is on the road, we take a little break at the dam of Bort-les-Orgues. This is one of the largest selected (unnatural) water in France with a volume of 477 million m3 of water. 21km long and 120m deep about it occupies an area of ​​1,070 hectares.


The end of the trip to Brive will happen quietly, accompanied by the sun. I feel that tomorrow I will have a few aches and pains in the knees levels compared to the downhill this morning!
In any case, warmly the next hike like that, I missed it!