To start the year, I wanted to have a walk in the snow. I had been surprised to find myself walking snow in November, but in January there was bound to be some snow in the Jura mountains. I would avail of that, I thought, and at the same time do a reconnaissance on at least one of my 2024 objectives.
Thus it was that early one morning in the middle of January, I took the train to Delémont and started walking. The route that I was following was actually part of the Via Jura, though I did not really consider this walk to be part of my objectives for the year. This was just for fun and to enjoy a snow walk.
It was that strange kind of pre-dawn when I left Delémont. There were patches of snow on the ground, and the streetlights were still necessary and on. The true dawn came as I headed out of the town towards the countryside. It was a grey dawn, but that is normal even when the forecast is for a good day. Leaving the main road, I was soon into the snow. Just as much as there was snow, there was also frost, outlining trees in pure white.
This first part of the walk was relatively flat, and even in the snow, I made good time, soon coming to the village of Courroux. I did not delay, but went on through a landscape of pure white, soon reaching Courcelon. Again, I did not stop. There is a slight rise in the ground after Courcelon. I guess you might call it undulating. I went over a small hill before descending to Vicques.
After Vicques, the route went uphill. It goes southward into the forest. With the rising ground the snow was deeper, but still easy enough to walk in with just my boots. I went on through the forest. The gradient was not a huge challenge, and I was doing fine. Even though I had not walked in Switzerland since mid-December, and I had not been on the mountains since Christmas, I was going well. I kept going onwards and upwards until I came to the tiny village of Rebeuvelier.
There is not much in Rebeuvelier, no reason to stop, and I kept on going. After that, the route keeps going on upwards, more steeply than before. Leaving the village, the route follows a well-defined track. Perhaps it is even a road under the snow. That made the going easier. But at 860m, the route leaves that track. The track goes off to the east, while the walking trail goes on towards the south. The snow was deeper now, and I decided that it was time to put on the snowshoes. Another walker passed me as I was doing that. I was not the only person out to enjoy the snow.
I continued on upwards through the forest. The gradient was a lot steeper now. In the snow, the trail was not clear on the ground, but between the markers on the trees, and the footsteps of previous walkers, it was easy to find my way. I emerged out of the forest, onto high ground near the 1000m contour. There was a slight dip before going up again.
This final part of the ascent can be described in three sections. There was an ascending traverse of relatively gentle gradient in the open through the snow. Along this way, there were great views of the countryside to the north, with even the Vosges visible off to the northeast. Then came a short steeper ascent through the forest, with the trees cutting off any views. And finally, there was an easy bit as I came to the crest of the ridge at Mont Ramieux.
The crest of the ridge is at 1302m, and just below that, at 1287m on the southern side is a cluster of winter chalets. I would not call it even a village, though it might become one sometime in the future. It was all downhill now. I went on down, first along the snow-covered road, then into the forest and the trail wound its way down between two cwms. This side of the ridge is rocky, with several cliffs, and the route picks a delicate path between them all. It was a steep descent through the snow, but eventually, I came to the edge of the forest. The trail follows that edge of the forest for a short distance before turning south towards Grandval.
Grandval is a tiny place, but it does have a railway station. It is so small that the train only stops if requested to do so. As I waited, I was joined by other walkers. The train picked us all up, and I was on the way back to Basel.
My step count for the day was 43,456.
Walkingman 