[](http://davemeehan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/photo16.jpg “”)
Once we ran out of road, it was onto the rough stuff. The track was rubble strewn for much of its length, frequently steep enough to lose traction, making progress slow, an much needed to be walked. We really wanted to get into the snow line, just for the thrill of it. Unfortunately time and energy was going to run out before we could make it. With so much walked on the way up, it was apparent that much would need to be walked on the way down, so we had to keep time in the bag for the return journey.
The loop that I’d checked on the map, which would have included Lac Bleu, was just not going to be on the cards. The snow that had fallen yesterday would have made the upper slopes far too dangerous, and looking at the route back from Lac Bleu to Chiroulet it was obvious that it would have been a challenge for a walker at this time of year.
