Col de Susanfe, between the Dents du Midi and the Tour Sallière

Late September

The hanging valley

The Susanfe valley is a world apart, enclosed between two great walls. The grass is already russet, the summits have had their first snow, and a stone post set in a cairn looks out at the glaciers.

Near the pass, at almost 2,500 metres, a flock of sheep files across the black slabs and patches of snow. In the evening, on the way down, the cliff turns gold in the last sun.