Hike at Charade

Saturday, Bertrand and Claire invited us to go for a hike around a golf course in the village of Charade. I had discovered Charade on the internet while searching for things to do in the area. There is a ropes' course there that Matthew and I plan to try when the weather gets warmer. Charade's claim to fame, however, is the motorsport road course that was built there in 1958. The course was built around the sides of an extinct volcano. The last Formula 1 race was held there in 1972 when a rock was thrown from the tire of one car and hit a driver in the eye, ending his career (the drivers wore open faced helmets because they complained the twisty course caused motion sickness, so the open faced helmets were just in case...).
Saturday was the warmest it had been in a while, so Matthew and I were questioning our judgment as we drove higher and higher into the mountains (we kept seeing more and more snow on the ground, and the temperature continued to drop). The hike started off as an easy walk along a road that ran beside the golf course and the ropes' course. As we got deeper into the woods, there was more snow and it was pretty slippery, especially the downhill parts. Halfway through the hike, there was a path that led uphill through the woods and opened up out on the side of the mountain. There were breathtaking views of the surrounding area. After taking lots of pictures, we headed back down the trail and finished the hike. Bertrand got a really good workout since the had to carry Lisa most of the way. My ego (as well as my behind) was slightly bruised when I slipped on some of the snow/ice and fell (this is why you will notice in the pictures that Matthew is carrying the camera, I didn't trust myself!).
PS-Thanks to Claire for sharing her pictures with me (I have posted them along with mine in the slideshow).