Hiking the French Alps in Summer - Pointe de Banc Plat

This hike started above the town of Bellecombe-en-Bauges. There is plenty of parking along the local road, plus a good-sized parking lot. So no worries about getting there before all the spots are taken.

The trails are well marked all across the mountain. On the lower sections of the hike, most of the trails are dirt roads, as there are chalets and farmers who live on the mountain. We did come across herds of cows, as well as goats and pigs, while on our way.
I used the AllTrails app to set our trail, dividing our hike to the summit (about 5 miles from where we were starting) into four sections:

• Section 1: Farm fields - 1 mile, moderate incline
• Section 2: Pine forest (Bois de Petet) - 2.4 miles, slight incline
• Section 3: Rocky incline - 0.5 miles, sharp inclines
• Section 4: Mountain valley and farm fields - 2 miles,
• Section 5: Peak incline - 0.5 miles, sharp inclines

I learned an important lesson on this hike: don’t always trust what AllTrails tells you! Several times AllTrails notified me that I was either off the trail (when I wasn’t) or that a trail existed (where there was none). Because of app issues, I did stay at least two additional hours, unfortunately, longer on the mountaintop than I had wanted. I was looking for an overpass that would provide a western route back to my car and didn’t find it.

Now I’ve learned not to blindly trust this (or any!) app. In the future, I am going to better plan the trail.

This is not to disparage the AllTrails app. On the contrary, I submitted feedback after the hike and AllTrails updated the route within a day. Wow! AllTrails definitely listens to its users. Plus there are plenty of features on the app that helped me better navigate the mountain.

Overall, this was a challenging hike with some serious inclines. Through one section, metal railings have been installed along the side of the cliff, because there is nothing below for several hundred feet.

In the end, there was ample reward for the effort, with stunning views of Mont Blanc and the massive, majestic Alpine mountain range.

I used Strava to track my progress. Here are the overall metrics:

• Distance hiked: 13.12mi
• Moving time: 5:20:03
• Pace: 24:24/mi
• Elevation: 3,748ft
• Calories: 2,271
• Elapsed Time: 6:42:03

You can discover more about the hike by following my Strava activity here.

You can discover this trail on the AllTrails app by clicking here.

I was thankful to be wearing my Cool-Dry Frame for two reasons.

The first is because I could feel the cool Alpine breeze on my back.

The second is because my body temperature stayed more constant throughout the day. This was extremely important because I did hike two hours longer than anticipated. I took enough water for a 5-hour hike but managed to stretch my water out for the entire 6 hours and 42 minutes I was on the mountain.

While sweat is uncomfortable, it can also be a serious problem. In warm climates, excessive sweating can cause dehydration since you lose a large amount of water. Sweating is your body's natural way of keeping you cool. This means you sweat when your body temperature is too high. You feel cooler when sweat can evaporate off your body (including your back).

I was able to keep my body cooler and still hydrated during the additional time needed. It’s no fun to be without water on a hike. Just ask any Search & Rescue team member.

In my photos, you can see the outline of the Cool-Dry Frame on my back. My shirt was damp but not soaked. If I hadn’t worn the Cool-Dry, my entire back would have been soaked. My backpack was also completely dry where the frame was raised off my back. The frame stayed comfortable on my back for the 6+ hours of the hike, and I remained very comfortable overall.

You can see more pictures of the sweat check by visiting the Vaucluse Gear Instagram account.

You can also watch videos on our YouTube channel.