La Croix du Nivolet

Chambery is situated in a small valley right in the midst of the Alps and lately the snow has been falling, clinging to their summits. The closest ones aren't really high enough to be called mountains but they surround the city like immovable, stone-faced guards and as their white winter coats grow they become more and more ominous. Atop the highest of the nearby peaks sits a huge cross. From the valley floor below it appears to be no larger than a toothpick yet it is actually over fifty feet tall! There is something deeply resonant about a cross on a hill. Of course it hearkens to the death of Christ on Golgotha but there is something so profound and so bold that is inherent in the sight that it is nearly abrasive. A cross on a hill is not solely a religious symbol, but a declaration, a sign of territorial claim, like a flag but with more power, more weight. In any case every time I look up and see this cross I feel challenged to climb to it and though it has issued this challenge for the last two and a half months I have yet to answer it.

As it approaches winter here my chances for climbing to the cross have been growing slimmer and slimmer. So this was the backdrop for my hike to "La Croix du Nivolet" Saturday 11/7. I had been planning on getting up early and hiking in the early part of the day but since it was raining pretty hard when I woke up I all but gave up on going. By noon the rain had subsided and the weather cleared up and though there were some very ominous clouds looming over the valley I went against what probably was my better judgment and decided to give it a shot. I got to the trailhead at around 1:15 pm and began the hike. I had talked with a man just minutes before who had told me that the trail was too slippery and that I would never make it to the top but I decided to ignore him and try anyway. Ten steps up the trail and I was already slipping on the wet blanket of leaves that covered the rocky path and so I grabbed a brach to use as a walking stick and continued on my way. After about twenty minutes my legs warmed up and I was able to power through the hike. Halfway up and about an hour or so into the hike it started raining and so I put on a poncho and continued walking. The path opened up into a big grassy alpine meadow which brought me to the real climb. As I hiked my way through the muddy switchbacks I was able to get some amazing views of the valley below with the autumn colors of the trees unfolding before me in waves of yellow and red and orange. Finally I could see the cross. I came out into another small glade at the foot of the butte that the cross commands. There was no way to get up to this butte from the backside, the only way was to climb up it with the help of steel footrests and bars wedged right into the stone. At this elevation the temperature was very cold and the steel bit into my hands. It started to snow, a rather ominous sign at this point but I had come this far and so I would not turn back now. I finally reached the top and found an inch of snow waiting for me. Getting to the top I was able to get an amazing view of the valley below and the huge mountain ranges in the distance. Even in spite of the fog and clouds the panorama was incredible. I was only able to enjoy this scene for a few minutes however because a storm began to break right over the bluff and snow started coming down hard. Carefully I made my way down butte and down through the switchbacks. The snow turned into a steady rain and needless to say by the time I got back to the bus stop I was soaking wet. But it had been an amazing hike and it was good to get alone and revel in the beauty of wild natural creation, something that I had been missing for quite awhile. I was blessed to see such amazing views and experience the tempest of a storm as it screamed over the top of the mountains. There was a cloud hovering over the mountain and the cross for the next two days after that and when it dissipated I could see that it had left quite alot of snow behind it so I was blessed to make it up there when I did. here is a video of the panorama.