Tänaseks sihtpunktiks oli meil Puy-de-Dome. See on vana vulkaan Clermont-Ferrand’i lähistel. Põhilised faktid selle kohta on järgmised: kõrgus 1,400 m, viimane aktiivne periood – ca 10,000 aastat tagasi, kaugus linnast – 13 km.
Kõige suuremaks takistuseks tippu jõudmisel tundus olevat liigne palavus. Linnas on temperatuur stabiilselt üle 30 kraadi. Et palavust vältida ärkasime kell 5 ja peale kiiret hommikusööki sõitsime välja.
Our destination for today was Puy-de-Dome. It is an old volcano near Clermont-Ferrand. The main facts about it are as follows: height 1,400 m, last active period – about 10,000 years ago, distance from the city – 13 km.
The biggest obstacle to reaching the summit seemed to be the excessive heat. The temperature in the city has been steadily over 30 degrees. To avoid the heat, we woke up at 5 AM and, after a quick breakfast, set out.
Selle mäe otsa saab mitut moodi. Põhimõtteliselt on kaks varianti – lihtne, sõita üles rongiga ja keeruline, minna jala. Selleks, et kogu protsessi täielikult nautida, valisime loomulikult teise variandi. Alguses oli tõus lauge, aga varsti muutus see päris järsuks.
Varahommikune mäkketõus oli mõnus. Puudevarjus oli temperatuur mõnus ja ka rahvas ei olnud liiga palju. Suur osa mäkketõusjatest olid tulnud sporti tegema ja jooksid nii üles kui ka alla. Mõned tegid seda kohe mitu korda. See oli ka meile heaks motivaatoriks.
There are several ways to get to the top of this mountain. Basically, there are two options – the easy way, by taking the train up, and the hard way, by walking. To fully enjoy the entire process, we naturally chose the latter option. Initially, the climb was gentle, but soon it became quite steep.
The early morning ascent was pleasant. In the shade of the trees, the temperature was comfortable and there weren’t too many people. A large part of the climbers had come for exercise and were running both up and down. Some were doing it multiple times. This was also a good motivator for us.
Selle mäe otsa on meiesugused roninud juba aastatuhandeid. Ristiusu eelsel ajal toimusid tipus erinevad usuriitused. Mäe otsas käidi palverännakutel. Hiljem 19. saj. lõpul 20. saj. alguses leidis aset esimene tõus tippu nii jalgratta kui autoga. Sellel mäel on kulgenud ka Tour de France trass. Jooksu rekord on väidetavalt veidi üle 11 minuti. Seega oli meil palju eeskujusid.
People like us have been climbing this mountain for millennia. In pre-Christian times, various religious rituals took place at the summit. Pilgrimages were made to the top. Later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the first ascents to the summit by bicycle and car took place. The Tour de France route has also passed over this mountain. The running record is reportedly just over 11 minutes. So, we had many role models.
Meil võttis tippu jõudmine umbes 1.5 tundi. See võttis selja märjaks ja peab üles tunnistama, et tegime rajaäärsetel pinkidel mitu puhkepausi. Lõpuks olimegi tipus ja siin oli palju huvitavat.
It took us about 1.5 hours to reach the summit. It made us sweat, and I have to admit that we took several breaks on the benches along the trail. Finally, we were at the top, and there was a lot of interesting things to see.
Tipust avanesid imelised vaated. Sealt oli näha meie peatuskoht Clermont-Ferrand. Linn oli aga praktiliselt kaetud uduvinega. Puy-de-Dome on tegelikult osa vulkaanide ahelikust. Seega oli siit hästi nähe mitmeid teisi vulkaane. Tipus oli väga palju imeilusaid aasalilli, millel sumisesid mesilased.
The summit offered amazing views. From there, we could see our stop, Clermont-Ferrand. However, the city was practically covered in a haze. Puy-de-Dome is actually part of a chain of volcanoes, so several other volcanoes were clearly visible from here. The summit had many beautiful meadow flowers, buzzing with bees.
Veel oli tipus mitu inimtekkelist põnevat objekti. 1870ndatel aastatel rajati siia ilmavaatlusjaam ja füüsika labor. Selle ehituse käigus tuli välja midagi veel põnevamat – vana Rooma aegne tempel. See tempel pärines ca 2 aastasajast peale kristust. Väljakaevamistel leiti sealt kivist silt kuhu oli kirjutatud, kellele see tempel oli pühendatud. Selleks oli Mercurius, kes oli kaubanduse, reiside (ja ka varguse) jumal. Kuna ka meie oleme reisilised, siis tundsime kohe selle kohaga sidet.
Mäetipus ringi vaadates läks aeg kiiresti ja inimesi tuli järjest juurde. Suur grupp tegeles joogaga ja rohkesti oli ka langevarjuga lendajaid.
There were several fascinating man-made objects at the summit. In the 1870s, a weather observation station and a physics lab were established here. During this construction, something even more exciting was discovered – an old Roman temple. This temple dated back to around the 2nd century AD. During the excavations, a stone sign was found, indicating to whom the temple was dedicated. It was dedicated to Mercury, the god of commerce, travel (and also theft). Since we are travelers as well, we immediately felt a connection with this place.
As we explored the summit, time flew by, and more people kept arriving. A large group was practicing yoga, and there were also many paragliders.
Mäest alla tulek läks palju lihtsamalt kui üles ronimine. Puhus mõnus tuuleke ja ka puud andsid varju, seega ei olnud kuumus nii hull kui alguses kartsime. Tegime siiski ka alla tulles paar puhkepausi. Inimesi oli rohkem kui hommikul ja jooksjaid vähem. Muljetavaldav oli üks isa koos väikese pojaga, kes koos joostes laskusid. Poiss jooksis väga tublilt, aga veel muljetavaldavam oli isa, kellel ühe jala asemel oli protees.
Ei tea kas see oli varasest ärkamisest või füüsilisest pingutuses, aga väga mõnus oli enne parklasse jõudmist korra metsa alla pikali visata ja pikutada.
Linn võttis meid vastu 35-kraadise kuumusega. Kui me aga oma majutuskohta jõudsime hakkas umbes poole tunni pärast tugev äike, tuul tõusis ja sadas ka rahet. Peale seda oli linn täis puudelt rebitud lehti ja murdunud oksi.
Descending the mountain was much easier than climbing up. A pleasant breeze was blowing, and the trees provided shade, so the heat wasn’t as bad as we initially feared. Nevertheless, we still took a few breaks on the way down. There were more people than in the morning and fewer runners. One particularly impressive sight was a father with his young son, who were running down together. The boy ran very well, but even more impressive was the father, who had a prosthetic leg.
Perhaps it was the early start or the physical exertion, but it felt wonderful to lie down and rest for a bit in the forest before reaching the parking lot.
The city greeted us with a scorching 35-degree heat. However, about half an hour after we arrived at our accommodation, a strong thunderstorm began, the wind picked up, and there was even hail. Afterward, the city was strewn with leaves torn from the trees and broken branches.
Tänane teekond. The trip today.
