Trekking in the Alps. Kev Reynolds

ruins of one or two old farms are being reclaimed by the land from which they were built. There are small meadows and the remains of a rockfall to cross. Slips of old winter snow hug north-facing gullies, and as you progress towards the heart of the region, long slender cascades come pouring down the left-hand slopes, draining the unseen Glaciers de la Vanoise. And there’s a glimpse of the snow-draped 3855m La Grande Casse, the highest of the Vanoise summits, at the head of the valley as you approach the PNV-owned Refuge de l’Arpont.