A Warm-Up That Got Out of Hand
On our first full day in Feissons-sur-Salins, we decided to do a warm-up hike before our two-day, one-night trekking trip two days later. The plan was to explore the mountains just behind our chalet, heading up towards Refuge du Mont Jovet. That way, we would not have to drive to a trailhead.
We planned a short, easy hike that would lead us towards Mont Jovet (altitude 2558 m), 10 km away from our chalet. We were supposed to turn back before reaching the peak, totalling 10 km to 15 km of hiking, depending on how we felt. The main objectives were to stretch our legs and to give Silviu a chance to try out his new Salomon hiking shoes.
150 Metres of Reality Check
The route included a stop at La Croix de Feissons (the Cross of Feissons), a panoramic viewpoint over the surrounding mountains, one kilometre from the chalet. That first stretch was deceptively easy — the 150 m of elevation gain in a single kilometre already had my heart racing by the time we reached the viewpoint. The spot seemed to be a favourite haunt for families. In the few minutes we spent there, we saw several families with young children gathering at the viewpoint.
We hardly met anyone over the next five kilometres as we steadily climbed another 600 m on well-maintained footpaths. We passed through a couple of forests along the way, but for most of the climb we were out in the open, with uninterrupted views of the mountain ranges.
One Cereal Bar, Then a Push for Refuge du Mont Jovet
Our initial plan was to snack on a cereal bar each and return to the chalet by another route. However, we were moving faster than expected and felt energised enough after the quick snack, so we decided to push a little further towards Mont Jovet.
Time passed, and we soon realised that we were quite near Refuge du Mont Jovet, just 30 minutes below the peak of Mont Jovet. We could either turn back and finish the remaining cereal bars (one each) or carry on and hope that the refuge restaurant was open. With only a couple of kilometres to go, we decided to carry on. The rest of the way was not difficult, but a normally simple hike becomes laborious on a half-empty stomach. We held off on the last cereal bars because we were looking forward to a more substantial meal at Refuge du Mont Jovet.
Parked Cars Meant Food
Luck was on our side. From less than a kilometre away, we spotted a handful of cars parked around the refuge. Parked cars meant there had to be food! As we drew nearer, we saw four or five groups of guests dining on the terrace. Everyone looked carefree — savouring their meals, chatting merrily with friends and family, and enjoying the great outdoors and the fine summer weather.
Lunch at Refuge du Mont Jovet, Cash Only
Our delight at finding the restaurant still open was slightly dampened by one detail: it accepted cash only. With €35 between the two of us, we had to put our heads together to satisfy two objectives at once — pamper our palates and maximise our calorie intake.
After some serious accounting, we settled on our lunch menu: two cans of Coca-Cola (€3 each), a main dish of “Repas de Jovet” made up of an omelette, some lettuce, one big boiled potato, two slices of ham and a wedge of Tome de Savoie (€18), and a blueberry tart (€6.50) for dessert. That came to €30.50, with €4.50 to spare. We would have topped up the meal with two espressos (€2 each) if we had been certain that our sums were right.
After a strenuous workout, the simple local fare — a tad expensive — tasted scrumptious. Refreshing mountain air, great views, pleasant weather, a holiday mood and, of course, the slight adrenaline rush from the tiniest possibility of not being able to pay all sharpened our appetite.
Twenty-Four Kilometres Later
It was fortunate that we did not have to fall back on the cereal bars, which we certainly would have had to do if the restaurant had been closed. The return route we chose from Refuge du Mont Jovet turned out to be longer than the way we had come, and slightly more technical. It took us three hours to hike back to the chalet. One cereal bar each would never have carried us all the way home.
A simple, short warm-up hike to Refuge du Mont Jovet had turned into a 24 km, six-and-a-half-hour outing — and that was without counting lunch.
