On foot · Val d'Hérens, Valais · October 2019
Col de Torrent and Col de Tsaté, the big loop
From La Forclaz above Les Haudères: Col de Torrent, the Moiry dam, Col de Tsaté and back. 25 kilometres, 1,900 metres of climbing, a loop Emmanuelle had long dreamed of, finished by headlamp.
- Date
- October 2019
- Distance
- 25 km
- Elevation gain
- 1,900 m
- Passes
- Torrent 2919 m · Tsaté 2868 m
The route · indicative
To the Col de Torrent
A long-dreamed loop
A first attempt had stopped after the first pass. This time it worked. In early October, the path climbs between larches turning red, facing the peaks of the Val d'Hérens.
On the pastures, Hérens cows graze the dry grass. Higher up, the first snow of autumn dusts the slopes around the Col de Torrent, at 2,919 metres.
Moiry and Tsaté
The turquoise lake
On the other side, small lakes under fresh snow, then Lac de Moiry, an unbelievable turquoise, with its glacier at the head of the valley.
There is still the Col de Tsaté, at 2,868 metres, and the long way down. The sun sets over the small lakes, night falls: we finish by headlamp, singing at the top of our voices so as not to be mistaken for game.
