Summer never goes away all at once. In the Val de Bagnes, it stretches out, slows down, and leaves behind subtle, almost imperceptible signs, as if it wanted to gently prepare us for its departure. It's not a noisy farewell, but a whisper, a gentle transformation.
Summer packs its bags
After making the days shine with golden light, filling the paths with hikers and bikers, it's time for summer to pack up. Like a warm guest who has occupied every corner of the season, summer quietly withdraws, leaving behind memories of picnics in the sun, long evenings and landscapes bathed in warmth.
The bright colours of the Mille, Charmontane, La Chaux and Sery-Laly mountain pastures are slowly beginning to fade, and the grass, once so green, is becoming a little tanned under the last rays of the sun.
The herds, tired from a summer spent grazing, are slowly coming down from the mountain pastures and the cowbells, which have been ringing merrily all summer, are now ringing less cheerfully, as if the cattle too knew that their time up there was coming to an end.
A quieter sound
Even the Mauvoisin dam, after being fed by the vigorous torrents of melting snow, is full and ready for the months ahead. The rivers and waterfalls, meanwhile, are singing more softly, their soothing murmur replacing the tumult of previous months. The water continues to flow, of course, but with a certain restraint, as if nature herself knew it was time to slow down.
As for the sun, it seems tired. It's in less of a hurry to rise, dragging its rays across the horizon. At the end of the day, it stretches languorously, drawing long shadows on the slopes before disappearing, as if savouring every moment. Its rays, less scorching, still warm the stones of the chalets, but are already giving way to a freshness that settles delicately in the evening air.
The haze blurs the tourist bustle. Hikers are fewer and farther between, the once bustling paths are calmer again and the terraces, where laughter and lively conversation once resounded, are calmer once more. Summer, like a weary traveller, feels that its time has come. It bids farewell to nature, one last warm breath on the mountains before slipping away.
A gentle goodbye
The Val de Bagnes is not yet bidding farewell to summer, but it is preparing for it. The light, the sounds, the smells - everything seems to indicate that a cycle is coming to an end. Yet the mountains are not dying out; they are simply preparing for a new phase, with the same silent majesty that characterizes them.
It is during this period of transition that the beauty of Val de Bagnes reveals itself in a different, more subtle and serene form. Every detail, every change tells the story of a summer that is drawing to a close, with grace and poetry.
