Silas checks himself out, um, I mean, talks to Daddy on skype using the ipod...

Mommy and Silas climb La Grande Moucherolle

Our starting point, 1230m

Solar powered electric fences for the sheep in the alpage

In the summertime, his ski mountain is boss....

Cheeps

Silas has a wandering eye for solar powered portable devices....

And for stunning mountain views.....

Through extensive experimentation, we determined that up, with no snow, no skis, is much more challenging than down, with snow, with skis.....

Ahhh, the lift......

Anticipating ski season....

Might be a long wait....

Urban landscape installation created by various artists, Petite Moucherolle, limestone and mountainside

Top of La Petite Moucherolle, 2156m, now for the hard part...

Between the Petite and Grande Moucherolles, we need to go hors piste, as the trails are too "technical" to make it on the map.

Silas employs his rock climbing skills.   (and I risk my life to record it)

Climbing up from the Col des Moucherolles, again we go off the trails on the map.

Looking back at the Col, and La Petite Moucherolle, amazed that we actually climbed down that...still, what's up ahead is more challenging yet...

Larger than life, and on top of the world!

Looking down on the ski mountain

Final ascent

Here we are, 1054m higher than we started, 2284m!

Summit guy...

THAT is the boucle route????  We opt for the aller-retour...

Ok, we made it, um...let's go back down now....

This blue stripes are the renegade trail makers

We were given a tip for a slightly less death-defying way down (because there were clumps of grass to grab desperately on to)

Beautiful alpine flowers

This boulder was just to the side of the path, and really had nothing to do with the trail down, but Silas got distracted and started scaling it, just out of habit.

I redirected his attention, "Let's get DOWN this thing!"

To return, we take the path between the mountains, toward the Pas de la fenetre

There they are, little and big.  I told Silas good thing there wasn't a TRES grande moucherolle...

Getting further away from the Moucherolle, you can see the "fenetre"in this view

Ski lifts, resting.

A secret friend, carved from a stump on the side of the ski trail, we'd never noticed it in the winter...

In the car!  We finished at Altitude 2000 (After climbing back UP to reach the telecabine), met Mimi and Grandpa who drove us back!

Silas opted to stop by Milles Pattes for Sagey's pick up, and to mention his accomplishment to his instructors, and heros.  They reward him with compliments, jokes (about how he should do this every morning so he will be nice and calm at milles pattes in the afternoon) and lollipops!

Mountain Man checks out his bounty.

Somehow a double rainbow is the perfect end to Silas' adventure today!