In Annecy, day 3: Semnoz

May 6, 2022

The rain moved on, but it’s still cool and overcast today, with the clouds hanging low on the hills this morning as we plan how to spend our last two days here over our morning coffee. I have two rides in mind - a climb up to Semnoz, the pile towering above this side of the lake, and a loop through the lower passes on the opposite side. Rachael wants to take a hike one of the two days, and with a sunnier outlook for tomorrow today seems like the obvious one for us to split and go our own way. I’ll tackle Semnoz alone, and she’ll walk above the lake along its lower slopes on a hike she found on Kormoot - a 12 mile out and back along a trail that features a series of three prominently placed wooden crosses.

Looking at the gallery she came back with, I’m not sure she didn’t make the best use of the day. She came back raving about the radiant greens of the woods and the views of the lake, but it was nice of her to say later that it was a bit of a scramble and probably a hike I might have had problems with.

Rachael left for her hike about eleven but l wait around for another hour before starting out. The summit of Semnoz is a ski area, topping out at 5,400’. I want to give the day some time to warm up and for the clouds to hopefully lift or break up, hoping to hit the sweet spot that gives the best weather available and gets me home before the dinner bell.

It’s still gray when I bike south along the lake. The mountains are hidden today but it’s still beautiful in a whole different way.

A different sort of day today than on our first outing here.

Four miles from Annecy I come to the small lakeside town of Sevrier, leave the lake, and start climbing. It’s all uphill from here - roughly a four thousand foot climb in 15.3 miles, according to Garmin. It’s a two summit climb, actually. About halfway up there’s a saddle, the Col de Leschaux.

I don’t know how far I’m going when I start out. It depends on the weather and those low-hanging clouds that decapitate the hills all around. I don’t want to ascend too far into them, and what would be the point other than to get a workout if I can’t see anything anyway? I feel confident that I’ll make it to Col de Leschaux at least, but once there I’ll take stock. I’ve got an alternate ride loaded that continues beyond but at a lower elevation that I can cut over to if need be.

The seven mile climb to Col de Leschaux is surprisingly easy - a steady 4 percent grade, and since I’m going straight south I’ve got the benefit of a fair tailwind. And I’m getting some nice views of the lake below as I gain elevation - similar to those Rachael is enjoying unsurprisingly, since she’s walking in parallel and at the start of the climb we’re only about a mile apart.

The road looks like this for the first several miles - a steady climb at maybe 4-5 percent, with a much appreciated tail wind.

Seriously? Did you really think I’d pack an apple up this climb just for you?

Nearing Leschaux, the clouds hang like a dense blanket across the opposite side of the valley.

At Col de Leschaux. One down, one to go.

When I reach Leschaux it looks like there’s still enough headroom in the sky that I decide to continue climbing. The clouds do seem to be rising with me, so maybe they’ll just continue right to the summit. The ride here is different than what’s come before though. There’s the direction, for one thing - I’m almost doubling back on myself in a giant hairpin, which I’ve been thinking about up to now wondering what that will mean for winds. And, it’s a bit more energetic climb - never bad but definitely steeper in places with some 7-8% stretches. The big change though is the road itself - it’s a single unstriped lane all the way to the top, and Carrie’s virtually no traffic. I think I’ll end up seeing only three cars and about as many bikes in the next seven miles to the summit (spoiler alert).

Passing through La Croix, a village just above the Col. Some nice birdhouses in there, but nothing as impressive as that hundred unit megacomplex we saw down in the Jardin de l’Europe.

Looking down on Le Croix and the valley. From this perspective it looks like we’re just about at the cloud line if we were on the opposite side of the valley.

For the first four miles we climb through a series of five deep hairpin turns. Rounding each one, I look ahead wondering how soon we’ll reach the sky.

This answers one question that’s been on my mind at least.

Nearing the summit. With less than a thousand feet to climb I’m starting to have fantasies about the fog breaking up and the sun breaking through at the summit.

At around 4,500’ I start finding patches of residual snow.

Finally, less than a mile from the summit I reach the fog. It’s not particularly damp though and no colder than it’s been up to now, so I might as well finish it off as long as I’m this close. I’m not apt to get any views of course, but who knows? Maybe it will magically break open for a bit, just long enough for a glimpse down to the lake.

Nope - no sun, but no matter. It’s always a good day to ride.

If you can’t see anything looking up, look down.

The view from Semnoz down to Annecy is breathtaking. You have to see it to believe it.

No miracle occurs, though for a minute it looks like it just might when the sky briefly brightens and enough sun comes through to cast my faint shadow on the road. It doesn’t last though and I turn to preparing for the descent, hurriedly scarfing down my trail mix while layering up. The wind is picking up and I wonder just how cold it’s going to be on the way down, but it’s no worse than I expected and before long I’m below the clouds again, coasting my way toward a hot shower and a meal.

Image not found :( — It’s actually gotten brighter while I’ve been on top. I wonder if I’d been just a bit later if I’d gotten a clearing after all.

Video sound track: Tanya, by Cal Tjader

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ann and steve maher-wearyWow, that’s an impressive climb. Good for you to have pushed it all the way to the top. I was rooting for the sun to appear for you. You are quite a bit higher than the passes we are crossing here in Spain but we’ve had more sun.
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2 years ago

Ride stats today: 40 miles, 4,300’; for the tour: 1,488 miles, 76,300’

Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 1,488 miles (2,395 km)

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Patrick O'HaraWell done, Scott! Thanks for jogging our memory about this climb!
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonThanks, Patrick. It’s really not bad from the south side. The last time we climbed from the steeper north (with luggage) and had a difficult time of it.
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2 years ago

Kathleen ClassenRachael’s pictures are amazing.
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2 years ago

Rachael AndersonTo Kathleen ClassenThanks! It’s hard to compete with Scott but it helps when you have such a beautiful hike. Im excited to hear your starting a tour in September and look forward to reading it!
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2 years ago