Portrait of local people: Patrick, mountain guide

He spends his time in the forests and on the trails of part of the Pays HorlogerHe knows the localities, the trees, and the flowers. He guides and educates the public. A true Swiss Army knife, Patrick shares his passion for natural environments, fauna, and flora, on foot, by mountain bike, or on snowshoes. Here is his portrait, in the series “portraits of local people.”

Watch the interview with Patrick Bruot

From passion to profession

I'm originally from Charquemont, my parents always took us hiking to show us the forest, the peat bogs etc... and I do exactly the same thing now with my children. I love my area, I find it super pretty and then I have a job I love so I never get bored. My passions are hiking, mountain biking, trail running... the goal is to be in the natural environmentIt's sometimes difficult to separate your job from your passion because when you're hiking in the area, even on weekends, you're working.

The most beautiful office in the world

I work for two communities of communes for everything that is development, maintenance, and enhancement of hiking trailsI work with a team and in collaboration with associations. We take care of maintenance, mowing, clearing, we cut down the trees that block the hiking trails. We take care of everything that involves marking and also enhancing the landscape by setting up viewpoints. I am also a mountain guide. We try to develop tourism through outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing in winter, etc. The tasks are multiple and then working in a natural environment this beautiful is the most beautiful office in the world.

Hosts of nature

Every year, we organize hikes with the communities to discover the territory and its characteristics, such as visiting peat bogs, following in the footsteps of chamois, following in the footsteps of smugglers, etc. All to best discover the history and heritage of the area through hiking. When we organize guided hikes, we try to To raise awareness people so that they are aware that it is absolutely necessary preserve the natural environment which is a wealth that has no price. We must try to pass on to future generations in the best possible condition, better than we received it. The heart of the message is to enjoy nature while avoiding consuming itWe are guests of nature and we must be discreet, not leave our waste, not scare the wildlife. We are here to admire her while respecting her.

Harmonious conciliation

The hiker is necessarily on someone's property, whether it's private or on land that belongs to municipalities. Now, with the rise of electric mountain biking in particular, we have the impression that we can do anything, go anywhere. We must understand that the land necessarily belongs to private individuals and we must, if we want continue to maintain our trail network, respect property and the natural environment. We have to reconcile all of this so that everyone lives in harmony.

Changing landscapes

I'm also passionate about botany. In spring, we see all the shades of color, like green, and that's also when nature blooms with all the little flowers. Wild orchids and martagon lilies can be found here and there. Spring is definitely my favorite season..

The landscapes, with the years of drought, are not evolving favorably. We see all these fir trees, all these spruce trees drying up. We wonder, what will it be like in 10-15 years? Will we still have our beautiful fir trees, our beautiful spruce trees in our forests? We sometimes see the vegetation, the botany, evolving as well. Diversity is gradually diminishing.

Winter is the same thing. When we were kids, we used to go cross-country skiing. There was a meter of snow, and we could easily go over the barbed wire. Now we have a maximum of 10 cm of snow. The Jura massif was synonymous with wide open spaces, but today that's no longer the case, and it's a bit of a shame. But hiking, precisely, is practiced even in winterLandscapes change with the seasons. If you hike loops in winter and do them again in summer, you don't get the same landscapes at all, or the same perception of nature at all.

Memorable wonder

During a chamois outing at Roche du Prêtre, we were all there watching an old goat that was against the wind and therefore didn't smell us and then suddenly he got to his feet, he was all panicked. He ran away and two seconds later, the lynx was chasing him. Whether it was the tourists or me, we had a memorable moment, we were all amazed by nature.

“Portraits of local people” series

Find more portraits of enthusiasts, residents of Pays Horloger, who share a little of their lives. Because before being a tourist destination, the Pays Horloger is a living, vibrant territory. These women and men are the Pays Horloger as well as our must-see natural sites! Meet them!