Rocher de l’Homme

Warning:
?️ Information on how to reach the starting point, as well as details regarding ?♀️ difficulty levels, ? alternative routes and ⚠️ safety precautions, is summarised in the ‘Practical Information ’ and ‘During the Hike’ sections. Any difficult hike requires preparation, and this very difficult hike is no exception.

Signposting:
- ? Yellow by default
- ?⬜️ Red and white on the section between points 7 and 10, then back to point 1 (^GR®®738).
- No markings between points 3 and 7, except for a few cairns between points 3 and 4.

Park at the Souille car park.
(S/E) From the hairpin bend at the Souille car park, take the almost level forest track heading south-east (it starts between two other forest tracks, one going downhill, the other uphill). This track rises and falls slightly along the mountainside before turning into a footpath. After turning due south after about 2.5 km, it crosses the junctions leading down towards Le Pleynet and Saint-Mury: continue along the path heading uphill, following the signs for the Refuge Jean Collet or Lac Blanc.

After a section of scree, the path offers a fine view of the Cascades du Boulon before climbing out of the forest and reaching the Vors torrent.

(1) Cross the footbridge (at the start and end of the season, this is dismantled, so you will need to take off your shoes to wade across the icy water of the stream upstream of the path). Do not continue on the^GR®®738towards the Refuge Jean Collet, but take the path to the right (south-east) immediately after the torrent; this path is initially marked with a Red Cross and a White Cross and a ‘jJune’ cross. Climb the switchbacks to join the Jean Collet–Lac Blanc route at the top of the Ravin des Excellences at around 1,870 m.

(2) Take this path to the right (south) and follow it to Lac Blanc, which it reaches after a series of wide hairpin bends. Walk along the northern shore (right bank) of the lake, staying on the path that runs above it. This will take you to the eastern end of the lake and the first tributary coming from the Ravin de la Lauzière.

(3) Leave the path and follow the stream bed on the right bank. A faintly cairned track climbs up this bank, passes a narrow gorge and then crosses a field of large boulders, heading towards the Col de Roche Noire. Reach this pass, keeping to the right bank throughout.

(4) At the pass, stow your walking poles in your rucksack and follow the ridge northwards, keeping to its left or right to avoid the few rocky outcrops. This will take you to the small summit platform. Admire the 360° view (interactive photo).

(5) From the summit, descend back down to the pass.

(4) Continue slightly below the pass and head off along the north-north-west-facing slope towards a clearly visible pass.

(6) At the pass, descend directly down the steep slope, due north. If there is snow, put on your crampons and use your ice axe. Both couloirs are passable, but the one furthest to the east (see track) is easier. Reach the valley floor below and climb a few metres to join the^GR®®738at around 2100 m.

(7) Follow the^GR®® downwards, generally heading west, until you reach another path near a large boulder, beneath which lies the Habert de la Pierre. Turn right (north) to pass in front of the shelter.

(8) Continue the descent and, after the first hairpin bend, reach another one where there is a junction.

(9) Turn right (north-west) onto the^GR®® to descend the hairpin bends and reach the junction leading to the Refuge Jean Collet.

(10) Stay on the^GR®® to descend towards the footbridge

(1). After the footbridge, leave the^GR®® to return to the original route and rejoin it (S/E).

?️ Park at the car park known as Pré Conté or La Souille, N 45.198581° / E 5.931598°. By clicking on this Waze link, you can enter these coordinates directly into your favourite sat-nav app.

? Water is plentiful; a filter is useful.

? Dogs are permitted in the Belledonne massif. There is little risk of encountering a herd on this route. Less adventurous dogs will remain at the Col de Roche Noire whilst their owners are out and about.

?♀️ This hike is rated ‘very difficult’ as the upper section of the route is partly off-track and unmarked. However, a few cairns mark the ibex trails up to the Col de Roche Noire.

? Avoid the rain: the slopes leading down to the^GR®®738are very steep and difficult to navigate if the rock is wet.

? The hike is short, but a bivouac by the shores of Lac Blanc is a lovely option.

? Standard hiking kit is sufficient. However, snowfields persist well into the season, and an ice axe is recommended, as are crampons if the western slopes are still covered in snow.

⏰ At the start and in the middle of the season, it is essential to set off very early to ensure the snow on the snowfields is firm. You must set off from the car by 3 am at the latest in July, or if you are camping by the lake, get up before 5 am.

? Finding your way is straightforward; off-trail sections follow valleys or ridges. ‘Right bank’ and ‘left bank’ always refer to the orographic sense, i.e. relative to the direction of water flow. A tributary is a stream or watercourse feeding into a lake (the opposite is an outlet). Upstream is the direction towards the top (the mountain); downstream is the direction towards the bottom (the valley).

? There is only one emergency number in France: 112. Other numbers (15, 17, or direct numbers…) have no priority on mobile networks, do not switch to other operators’ networks when there is no signal, and in the event of an overload of calls, ongoing calls are cut off to prioritise 112. So forget about them as soon as possible; they are dangerous and no longer serve any purpose (contrary to what some outdated training materials claim). If you cannot speak or hear, use 114 to communicate via text message. 112 works on any mobile phone (and landlines, of course), including on a locked phone and even if the SIM card is blocked (however, since 2004, France has been in breach of European recommendations and blocks calls to 112 when there is no SIM card in the phone. This blocking measure required special investment, as the GSM standard naturally allows calls without a SIM card. Taxpayers will appreciate this particularly clever use of public funds).

⚠️ Please note: if your call is cut off, it is up to you to ring the emergency services again: they have no way of contacting you or locating you. Remember to note down your GPS coordinates before calling, as the French government has not seen fit to equip emergency centres with AML (Advanced Mobile Location) technology, despite this having been made mandatory by the EU since 2018).

? In the mountains, switch your phone to 2G: the range of this technology is 4 to 8 times greater than that of newer technologies, and it uses significantly less power. Remember to switch off your Wi-Fi, which drains the battery quickly and serves no purpose outside homes and offices. ? Bear in mind that your phone’s GPS location tracking works even in aeroplane mode (GPS has nothing to do with mobile phone calls).

?Checklist

• ☑︎Essential items in addition to standard hiking kit
• ☑︎ice axe until mid-season
• ☑︎crampons until mid-season
• ☑︎head torch (if setting off early in the morning)
• ☑︎1.5-litre water bottle

• ☐optional
• ☐telescopic poles (must fit inside the rucksack)
• ☐water filter

• ☒not required
• ☒camming devices, quickdraws, rope (the ridge offers few opportunities for protection)

⚠️ As a general rule, treat IGN topographical maps with a pinch of salt (in my experience, the institute never corrects reported errors, even after serious accidents caused by these errors – see my profile for further details and an example). The base maps for IGN topographical maps date back more than 25 years and have not been updated since (!). The free OpenStreetMap, updated by volunteers, is usually much more up to date; it is best to consult its OpenTopoMap version, which is easier to read.

? Alpine wildlife is present; in particular, there are numerous chamois and ibex around and above Lac Blanc. Marmots, vultures and bearded vultures complete the picture.

? The views from the summit are magnificent. See this interactive photo.

? Several route options are available. If you’re in a hurry, simply head back down the same route you took up. If, on the other hand, you’d like to extend the walk, you can head up to the Col de la Mine de Fer at the junction with the^GR®® 738. From there, continue eastwards until you are overlooking and can admire the Lac de Crop to the north below; afterwards, a return via the Rafour and the Refuge Jean Collet is possible but makes the walk much longer… so it’s best to turn back towards the Col de la Mine de Fer and the Habert de Pierre.

? Origin of some terms:

• the place name Rocher de l’Homme may derive its name from the elm tree, whose red and brown hues it resembles, or from the fact that a cairn stands there.
• In the Dauphiné region, an ‘abert’ is a stone shelter where herdsmen live and make cheese, sometimes accompanied by a second building serving as a barn and cowshed. The ‘H’ in ‘habert’ is a recent invention by topographers.
• The Boulon Waterfalls take their name from the birch trees that grow abundantly at their base (nothing to do with the hardware shop).
• The^GR®®738takes its number from Savoie (73), from where it climbs towards Isère (38). Quiz: Savoie is the fourth highest department in France but has no ‘4000s’; only Haute-Savoie, Hautes-Alpes and Isère exceed this altitude.