I started using Google Maps very early. When did I start first using it? I don’t remember. But I have been a real fan of maps since childhood and this made me want to study urban planning. I am currently completing my studies in this field. I look for everything (restaurants, cities, friends’ homes) on Google Maps. This has been a habit of mine for a long time now and it follows me wherever I go: holidays abroad, week-end trips, rides in Paris, my home town. The addition of the “local guide” aspect has confirmed that the app is also designed for this purpose, and not only as a GPS.
I have recently acquired another hobby that changed my approach to vacations. I did a “road trip” in the Alps with two friends. I wasn’t familiar with the concept of improvised travel, known as “à l’arrache” in French (literally translated as “with the tear”). We took a train to Lyon, France’s biggest city near the Alps. We rented a car, bought some food and then explored the mountains, heading towards Switzerland. We had already printed out a map with “must-dos” but soon had to abandon our plans because of the weather.
We then had to adapt to the mountain weather, which is very unstable. As a true map-lover, I started searching Google Maps while we watched the clouds. Our new goal was to reach the highest possible point with the shortest pedestrian route. Some of these particular spots were already marked on the map app but it took a long time to assess what was feasible or not. For example, Maps doesn’t always know which road is passable and which road is just a pedestrian path to the cliff.
We finally found a lot to do with the few information we had: road maps, relief maps, and of course, maps showing where to find food. By parking the car at the farthest point we could reach according to the app, we were able to get to some fabulous locations: passes, summits, look-out points. The only thing that we couldn’t predict was the weather. It was a bit complicated to know where to camp, and lazy as we were, we didn’t take the camping tent with us on every hike. As I said before, this was an “à l’arrache” trip. But it finally ended well and there were even a few moments of good weather.
After this first experience in the mountains, I started to bond with them. I was already crazy about skiing and natural landscapes, but now, trips to the Alps have become a real need. I should add that even if I’m in excellent physical shape, I am not a real athlete like some people who can hike and climb mountains, who can run a marathon (or several) on the mountain ridge or who can simply do wingsuit. I have had to learn about mountaineering alone, starting with short hikes. I continued looking for easily reachable summits in order to partially satisfy my need for mountain adrenalin.
I’ve come to realize that mountains are really versatile. They can be enjoyed alone or with family and friends, in winter, summer, fall or spring: they are a place where individuals can get to know themselves or meet other people. But, in order to share mountains with people that can’t do 3-day hikes in extremely mountainous terrain (like me at the moment), I am now actively working on filing information on this type of “easy hike”. By giving opinions about different locations on Google Maps, we give our own insights that other tourists can use. For example, a road-pass can be a good spot for drivers, but also an excellent start for a short hike. A shelter can be easily reached or can be really difficult to approach because of the weather, depending on the environment. Even if Google Maps shows the way to those places, our personal insights can help others to get what they want out of the mountain. It is now possible to file that information and to get accurate directions from a local guide, for example.
My exploration of what I call “easy spots” began with the French Alps during this summer’s trip. I am now willing to extend it to the rest of the Alps, covering all seasons. It will naturally take me a long, long time before I am fully satisfied with my knowledge of these mountains, but afterwards, who knows, maybe I will be able to also explore Europe’s other mountainous regions, not to mention the rest of the world. Local Guides Connect is an ideal starting point for the Google Maps’ list I have long been intending to draw up, in order to share my few pieces of information with anyone who is interested or might be interested in the same things as me.
If I haven’t convinced you of the benefits of a mountain trip, here are some pictures of the beautiful landscapes you can admire in the Alps.
Only 2h30 away from the “golden lake”, you can get to the “Coux pass”, which will offer to you this magnificent view of the “Hauts Forts”(photo 1) and the “Dents Blanches” (photo 2)
Sometimes, in order to discover a place, you have to take risks. Those risks can lead you to come back from a summit (the “Rochers des vents” culminating at 2360 meters) after the sunset. It can also offer to you a fabulous picture with a particular atmosphere. (photo 3 and photo 4)
Here are the souvenirs of our camping night at “Belvedere de Tréchauffé”. You can access this point by car and get a view on the lake of Geneva, and some famous mountains as the “Cornettes de bise”, the “Mont Billiat” and even the “Gorges du Pont du Diable”. Can you imagine a better place to stay? (photo 5 and photo 6)
Those two pictures show what you can admire at the “Creux du Van”. This place is located in the swiss Jura, it is another mountain region, but at the opposite side of the lake of Geneva from the Alps. The highest point can be reached directly by car, but this time we preferred a small hike to get there.(photo 7 and photo ?
One of the most iconic hike of this trip, the “Pointe d’Angollan” which is only 1h30 away from the “Col de Joux Plane” by foot. From there, and with a nice weather, you can see the “Mont Blanc” of course, but also the “Tête du Colonney”, the “Dents du Midi” or the “Point Salière”. What an extraordinay moment. (photo 9 and photo 10)