Waking I still have muscle pain in my calf. Thankfully there is only one significant climb today. I struggle to summit and my gait is awkward as I try to avoid putting to much weight on my right leg. Eventually I hobbled into town hoping to stay at a campground. Despite the apps categorization as a hideway in nature, it is a fancy car camping establishment that wants to charge me 26EUR to camp on a littered piece of grass that is barely the size of my tent footprint. I say no thanks and climb out of town to camp just on the side of the trail. I setup around 1500h and spend the day napping to give my calf a break.
The pain is still tingling as I make my way to Bourdeaux in the morning. I decide that it won't do to keep hiking under the circumstances. I find a cheap campsite in town and settle in. I stop at a pharmacy to buy some athletic tape and tape up hoping to relieve some strain. I spend the day lying down and reading.
Today is a zero day. My calf is still very tight so I take another day for rest.
Today is a zero day. I'm really forcing myself to rest as I really want to get up and go. I know the next section has killer climbs so it would turn this mild condition into a severe one. I spend the day relaxing and trying to convince myself that this is the right move. I chat with my campground neighbour who says she works as a storyteller. Apparently there is a workshop in town for storytellers that people have come to from all around the country.
Today I finally decide to test my legs out. With my calf taped up I leave town hoping to reach a shelter for the night. The weather is perfect and I make great progress. There is still a lingering strain in my leg but regardless I finish the 30km(18.6mi) by noon. I promptly lay out my sleeping pad and nap the afternoon away. I'm awoken by an Emily, and Australian HexaTrek hiker also going northbound. In the evening we are joined by two French HexaTrek hikers going southbound.
I wake and my legs feel almost completely fine. The true test is to see if the pain returns after walking for hours. Today doesn't have many climbs on my way to the city of Die. I once again finish my day fairly early and so I check into the campground in town. I nap the afternoon away and wait for Emily to catch up for the evening.
This real test begins today. There is a ton of elevation ahead of me and if my calf pain returns then I'm resolved to quit the hike so I can have a full recovery. Despite the roller coaster of going in and out of a series of valleys my legs feel great! The only pain I experience is that at one point I think a wasp stings my leg so I get a very strong localized throbbing.
All the climbing is worth it as the canyons I wander through are beautiful. I approach the edge of the Vercors Massif and my jaw drops for the first time since the Pyrenees. I hike along a wide ridge and stare at the Alps off along the horizon. I run into water issues as there are very few sources. I end the day at a small cabin that have to myself. There is a family nearby that has hitched their donkeys and their little boy keeps sneaking off to come chat with.
There is a storm overnight but with earplugs in I'm not bothered. Unfortunately at 0400h a group of French 5 or 6 hikers bust into the cabin and chat loudly not caring that I'm in there sleeping. I force myself to sleep in till 0600h through their noise.
There is a switchbacked climb right from the cabin and a beautiful ridge walk. I turn off to take an alternate. Suddenly I hear a bunch of rocks falling behind me; I have to run down trail to avoid being hit by a small rock slide. My adrenaline is pumping as I blast down the alternate. There are no water sources to be found so I ration my water careful.
After a steep ascent up the wall that is the Vercors I'm at the top of ridge and a massive storm rolls in. With no where to run I continue as hail comes in and lightening flashes all around me. To make the situation even more interesting the trail continually disappears so I have to pay extra attention to navigate while getting pelted. I make slow progress but don't run into too much trouble. A shepherd passes by and says that I can take shelter in cabin up ahead but I'm more interested in the fact that he has water. I arrive at the cabin only to discover another family is already in there hiding from the storm. I take some water before continuing on to descend back into the valley via a ski resort. The sun comes out and as I dry out my mood improves.
I feel great so decide to push a few extra km for the day. This means there is one more significant climb before me before camp. A near vertical climb for 500m(1640ft) in the evening brings me onto a fun ridge overhang. I race the sun down to a saddle where I set up camp overlooking the adjacent valley. From where the morning storm rolled in there is another supermassive storm cloud building and I fear a storm over night. As a repeat of last night another group of French hikers arrive late in the evening to camp in the area and remain boisterous until well past midnight.
The night passes without any rain! Waking up on the ridge with a clear sky is magical and soon I'm on a long descent down into town. The journey through town involves a sketchy section of highway walking with no shoulder. The day is dominated by several climbs and I'm thankful that there are plenty of water sources along the way. The way is steep but under the cover of trees as I make steady progress to the city of Vizille. I resupply at a Lidl and have a French lunch. I pass Chamrousse in the evening, stopping to get a snack then heading up it's ski slopes and wild camping as I enter the mountains.