Rebeuvelier - Solothurn
27 km
Elevation: up 1242m, down 1482m
Min altitude 428m, max altitude 1302m
Active hours: 6h40m
Steps: 47094

I did opt for the bungalow and even felt too warm in the night, which was a welcome sensation. When I woke up and saw not just clouds through the window I felt optimistic - until I stepped outside and saw the direction in which I would be going, which was covered in one big dark grey cloud.
I was ready to leave at 8.00, but wanted to do some useful things, and then after I'd left I wondered if I'd turned off the heating in the bungalow I slept in and actually went back to check - I had - so it was 9.00 before I was really on my way.
The mountain was still in its dark grey cloud, but where I walked it was fine. It was a lot of climbing, first through forest, steeply but not too much so, the path was not too muddy, not too rocky. After that came a wider and less steep path where I was slowed down by raspberries. There were so many of them! And being the fruit monster that I am and loving raspberries, I could not walk by without eating them. So I stopped often, picking raspberries, then walking on, only to stop again at the next clump of bushes. As I said, it slowed me down. In the meantime the cloud was getting less dark, and after I kicked myself away from the raspberries, I kept thinking the top couldn't be far now, then turning a corner and seeing it rose yet higher.
But in the end I made it, 1302m, which was 638m up from where I started. There was still a bit of light cloud hanging around, but also some sunshine and I took a break at the top.

I followed a cute little path over the crest, from where I could see the campsite. So at 12.00 I stood looking at where I had left three hours ago, more than 600m lower.
I needed to pass Corcelles, and there were two options on the signs, one of which took 40 min longer than the other, the other being 'par le Gore Virat'. I had no idea what le Gore Virat was but figured I'd find out, and I wanted the shorter route anyway.
After a tiny village I walked on what looked to be the edge of a sort of cliff, until the path turned down and steeply descended down into a sort of gorge. This path was actually a bit challenging, through the forest, rocks to climb over, tree roots to slip on (I didn't particularly enjoy that part but managed not to fall). It was nice to walk somewhere that wasn't trivial to navigate but just because it wasn't an easy path, not because of being overgrown with grass or nettles or being so muddy I have to test where I can stand with each step. I also was glad I didn't have to climb this particular path, because it was very steep.
Then I came upon a source, a stream, which went down over rocks and widened. I came to a place where I had to cross the water, which made me really happy. I stood in the middle of the stream (finding my way over stepping stones and shallow spots), feeling again that this is why I'm doing this, this is why I love this. It was especially welcome after yesterday.
When I got to the other side and couldn't find markings, it turned out I shouldn't have crossed after all. That wasn't bad at all because it meant I got to cross the stream again!
The path followed the stream for a bit, which turned into waterfalls, and I promised myself that when the path got back to the water I would find a lunch spot, regardless of whether I needed to eat or not. Eventually I came to a bridge next to the waterfall with some large, more or less dry rocks sticking out of the water, and I paused there. I sat on of the rocks, looking at the waterfall, sunshine on my back, feeling happy. There is something about waterfalls that makes me calm in a very nice way. There is so much going on, so much to see and hear, that I get very pleasantly almost overstimulated, which means my brain can focus more without being distracted so much all the time. Very, very enjoyable.
After I left again and came to the end of the path, where a sign said I was now at le Gore Virat, I still didn't know what it was, whether it referred to the waterfall, the stream, the path or the gorge, but whatever le Gore Virat was, I loved it.

There was Corcelles, then a zoo in the middle of nowhere. I really wanted to take a look but couldn't spare the time today, and I figured it would be expensive, being in Switzerland. So I tore myself away.
The next village was called Gänsbrunnen, I must have passed some border somewhere. When, leaving Gänsbrunnen, I said 'bonjour' to someone, I got back something like 'gruetzliwol'.
Back to climbing, though not as high as the first one today. I was just thinking that the terrain was getting rockier when I came upon a tunnel cut into the mountain. Yeah, definitely getting rockier. I like rockier, the last few days were a bit too much gently sloping hills. Up and up it was, until I came out of the forest with a view on some steep rocky mountain sides, at 1182m, where I started going down again. That path turned into a gravel road which was a bit too steep to descend comfortably, the stones kept sliding under my feet, and my knees were protesting whenever I went slightly too fast. When I stood still for a moment my legs were shaking.
Eventually I got down to Oberdorf, with a gondelbahn station, and from there it was mostly walking through village and then town. I was tired and my feet were hurting a bit, but I had to get to the campsite, which was still another hour and a half from Oberdorf.
I definitely passed a border, not only out of the Jura into Bern canton, and from something more like rolling hills into rockier mountains, but also into an area where German is the main language. Chemin and sentier became Wanderweg, streets were now Strasse instead of Rue and people kept saying something unintelligible when I tried to greet them. My German isn't good, and after three weeks of speaking French with almost everyone I met it was quite a switch to make.
Finally, I got down to the campsite, which is in a weirdly flat area. I can see the rocks to the north and slopes to the south, but the part in between might just as well be the Netherlands, it's so flat.
I spent the evening trying to find options for the next few days that wouldn't be boring and flat, as the campsite has WiFi (my work phone's plan has me pay extra per mb in Switzerland). That took a long time, so that around 23.00 I could finally go to bed. I admit that 27 km with 1242m up and 1482m down is a lot more tiring than 27 km in the Netherlands.

Geschreven door Jewaontheroad