Via the Alpages du Dedans

You begin walking on the concrete dam of the lake, then ascend along the path that crosses Vatseret, an alp formerly rather farmed by Icogne. Then, you cross torrents fed by springs whose mouths are under the rocks upstream of the path. You continue towards the Mondralèche alp. This alp is on less steep terrain; its position above the forest line offers a magnificent panorama over the Rhone Plain as well as the Alps opposite. At the corner of the path, you will see the old Cave next to which a spring feeds a basin. You continue up to the highest point of this path. From there, you will clearly see the continuation of the route up at the top, on the summit of the large cliff supporting Bellalui. The path then starts descending crossing the Er de Chermignon alp. Then you reach the Er de Lens alp. You continue descending until crossing the watercourse. At this point, you have several options for the continuation. You can either continue as planned towards Col du Pochet and Bellalui, go directly to Cry d’Er, or decide to return to Crans via the Bisse du Ro or the alpine pastures path. To reach Bellalui, you ascend towards Col du Pochet; first, you cross an alpine meadow scattered with many stones here and there, brought by mountain erosion. If you hear a sharp and continuous whistling in this landscape, don’t look for it—it comes from the micro-hydroelectric plant feeding the Er de Lens cheese dairy. You will then rise to the upper level of the valley where the springs supplying the watercourse and the turbine of the micro plant are located. It’s again an alpine meadow ending at the altitude limit for grass growth. Then you start the climb to Col du Pochet; it’s steep but not very long. On the ridge, you have a new choice: either continue via the ladders to reach the top of the rock on which the path to Bellalui and finally Cry d’Er passes in 50 minutes, or descend to the Violettes Hut in 35 minutes from where you could also reach the station by gondola. This should be decided also depending on the time remaining before the last gondola. A glance back will show the entirety of your route through the Dedans alpine pastures. It’s a pretty route with various possibilities for improvisation depending on your endurance level, the weather, and the time of walking. (DR)