7/26 Cluse et Mijoux to Refuge Gros Morond

We woke up late in our Pontralier hotel after a wonderful sleep - 8:30! But we hustled and were packed and ready for breakfast by 9. Nick appeared and after a chat we went for errands as Nick had his own. We ordered a cab which arrived - the same driver as before! Amazingly I had left my sunglasses somewhere yesterday and he had them in the car! Good luck!
We started walking where we had left off the day prior and it felt just as hot already. The GR5 follows a route southeast of town which in years past was the variant - while the prior GR was part of the GRJ.
We climbed steeply into the woods my legs heavy but not really sore or stiff despite the huge push the day before .
Limbering up and drinking water I felt stronger - we emerged by a small community with a ice cold fountain where I immersed my head and arms. Cooled and the air cooler out of the valley, we climbed into the woods where we felt energized and kept a strong pace uphill without much sense of exertion. We reached an overlook with a pick-nick table where we rested, snacked and left Nick a note. Eventually we made a descent onto the shallow plateau holding open fields and the winter ski town of La Fourg. The center street was under construction and the broad gravel boulevard with tall buildings on either side felt like a wild west town in the afternoon heat. We located a restaurant and had lunch outside - the plat du jour was chicken in a compte cheese sauce with a bit of quiche. Tammy had a massive burger. About 2 pm we walked on climbing to the chapel overlooking the town then up the road to where we took a wrong turn to the right mis-guided by the old gps route while the real GR swung right. Luckily it didn't matter as they came back together entering and crossing a series of farmers fields before hitting a road which we then descended. I hate route anxiety. Almost into Hopital Vieux the route vexingly left the road and swung around and above the town in brushy humid woods - if I had to do it again I would have just kept on the road. We descended into busy Hopital Neufs - a tourist town at the base of Gros Morond a ski mountain where our CAF refuge was located. So we stopped for refreshment - ice cream for Tam and a banana chocolte crepe for me. The sky which was ever dark through the afternoon rumbled then let loose - a massive deluge, the air chilled in a flash. We waited an hour till it let up then headed out at 18:20. Rested we climbed steeply then very steeply finally entering an area where it hasn't rained at all! The cliffs cleared and the sun created beautiful evening light cast across the green rial landscape just below but also large up thrust hills of the Jura formation in the distance. At the petite Morond chalet we stopped to watch the cows come down. One was eating a long length of rope but it ran off when Tam tried to intervene. Reaching the top by 20:00 in fine light and views all around I had to dig out the map to locate the refuge. About 0.8 km further on and down to the right the Club Alpin France refuge was a great place to spend the night - hot showers! We had a big dorm to ourselves while a Belgian walker and a couple caring for troubled boys had 3 of them there as well . They had some left over spaghetti which my stomach welcomed. We were serenaded by the cow bells of the herd which surrounded the refuge for the night.