A rainy morning in Argentière (just as forecasted), we left the house and drove to Le Buet. We walked to the Cascades de Bérard with the plan for Mike and me to do the Via Ferrata—a first for Mike!
On the way to the VF, I realized I’d forgotten my harness, so I dashed back to the van to grab it. When I returned to the meeting point, Mum and Mike were nowhere in sight. I looked around but couldn’t find them, so I headed up the valley, thinking they might have missed the café. After a few hundred meters, I turned around and arrived back at the café to find them waiting for me. They’d been standing just out of sight…
The weather had cleared slightly, so Mike and I headed down to the Via Ferrata. Mike seemed excited (for him). We started across a wire bridge, with Mike nervously inching his way across step by step—it’s about 25 meters long, so quite a stretch!
At the far end, he began to climb, cautiously but steadily making progress. The part he liked least was a wooden beam wedged into a gap to form a ‘bridge.’
The final section was a cable bridge that crosses under the cascade—exciting for anyone, but especially for Mike, who’s not used to this kind of exposure. He was nervous about the whole thing, but I was really impressed with how he tackled each section… “Don’t look down” became his mantra for the morning.
We finished, grabbed a quick bite, and then headed up the valley to give Doug a good walk for the day. The valley is truly beautiful. We hiked until the path leveled out and enjoyed some coffee from the flask. The descent was surprisingly quick, and the heavens opened just as we neared the end. We drove back to Argentière for a relaxing evening, though I did manage a 9km run around Argetier during the evening —another great day showing Mum and Mike around the Alps!
Sump To Summit 
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