Day 9 - Monday 31st August 2015 - La Sage to Cabane de Moiry

Total distance walked:	10.00 km	6.21 miles
Total hours walked including stops	7 hrs 44 mins
Total hours walked excluding stops	5 hrs 45 mins
Height at start	1667 metres	5469 feet
Height at finish	2825 metres	9268 feet
Total Height Gain	1711 metres	5614 feet
Total Height Loss	581 metres	1906 feet
Maximum Height	2874 metres	9429 feet
Average speed excluding stops	1.43 km/hr	0.89 miles/hr

I was up at 6.00 am, washed, shaved and dressed and down to breakfast at 6.30 am.  Cornflakes, fruit yoghurt, orange juice, bread, butter and jam with café au lait.  I was away at 7.10 am with the GPS working properly.  I had emailed to Viewranger and had some suggestions as to what might have been causing the problem.  Probably improved by switching on the Google assistance on and also Wifi and/or mobile networks. 

I climbed for an hour through the forest and had a ten minute rest before leaving the forest.  I met Patrick and Veronique just short of Motau after which there was a steady climb across grassy slopes before a steep climb to the Col du Tsaté (2868m) which I reached just before 11 o’clock.  I didn’t stop long on the col and descended fairly quickly and stopped to eat the sandwich which I had bought from the gite (CHF 4.00) beside the Lac de la Bayenne at midday.  Then down to the Lac de Moiry where Patrick and Veronique stopped to eat their lunch.  I continued up towards the Cabane de Moiry (2825m) which I reached just before 3 o’clock.  I checked in and had a cold peach tea and a large beer and then another large beer with Patrick and Veronique who had arrived about 30 minutes after me.  I sat in the sun watching the glacier for a while and managed to photograph a small avalanche – but only just!

I then went and had shower shortly before 5.00 pm after which I sat in the sun writing up my diary and taking the odd photograph before dinner at 6.30 pm.  Dinner of carrot soup, couscous with a beef and vegetable stew followed by yoghurt with cinnamon all with a 50 cl bottle of red wine.  After dinner, saw and photographed a Bouquetin (ibex) below the veranda of the refuge.  Then to bed, read for a short while and slept very well.  The total bill was CHF 121.00 which included CHF 5.00 for the shower and CHF 25.00 for the wine which was extortionate.