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| SNOWFIELDS - EARLIER IN WALK THAN EXPECTED |
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| WITH MARIETTA & CATHERINE |
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| A WINDOW IN THE CLOUDS |
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| SOCIAL GATHERING |
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| STYLISH WATERPROOF FOOTWEAR |
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| PRECIPITOUS DROP ON CHEMIN DE LA MATURE |
Firstly, I decided not to worry about the fact that I had now travelled a 10km section of my Pyrenean journey by car. The essence of my trek was still there, and going back to Refugio de Belagua just to repeat the road journey on foot would have added nothing.
My plan was to follow the GR10 to Lescun, but I was informed that the normal route was closed because they were remodelling the mountainside to extend the skiing facilities.
The alternative route looked innocuous enough....until I actually tried to walk it. It led through a total jumble of jagged rocks - the sort of thing I would normally avoid completely. The next surprise was the snowfields. There were large sloping areas that needed to be crossed where one slip could lead to injury - or worse. Just to compound the difficulties, Navigation was tricky and I temporarily got myself off route and tried to correct it by modifying my bearing rather than going back to where I went wrong. Scrambling across those jagged rocks was not one of my better decisions.
Dealing with hazards like this certainly required a cool head. All this was at an altitude of over 2,000m, but at least the sun was shining.
Anyway, it took a couple of hours to get this 'alternative' part of the route over with. I certainly learned a lot in the process which should help me next time I come against similarly difficult terrain I won't be going out of my way looking for it, though.
The rest of the route to Lescun was straightforward enough. The views of Pic d'Anie and the mountain cliffs that comprise the Cirque de Lescun are stunning. The only shame was that the mist came down in the early afternoon, and then the rain.
As I passed the Refuge de Laberouat on the way down, I met again some folk who had also stayed at Jeandel. One of them, Jean-Louis, was also walking down to Lescun, so we did so together. Wow, did he walk fast. I struggled to match his pace. We communicated as best we could given that his knowledge of English was as bad as my French, but we rubbed along just fine.
I had considered camping in Lescun, but by the time I got to the village I was drenched, so the 'Maison de la Montagne' where Jean-Louis was staying got my custom instead.
Evening entertainment comprised the local choirgirls practicing their singing in the bar. I am getting the idea that this is the thing to do here.
For Wednesday, in view of the previous day's experience, I decided to keep safe and continue following the GR10, ignoring any 'alternative' routes, of course.
Today I was leaving Basque Country amd entering the Pyrenees Occidentales. Jean-Louis went ahead and I walked with Stephane who had also stayed at the 'Maison'. The route took us through meadows and woodland. Were it not for the backdrop of huge mountains and the size of the hills we had to climb, we could easily have been in England. We caught up with Marietta and Catherine, two girls I had met at previous hostels on the GR10 route. We continued on together to the charming village of Borce in the Aspe valley with its lovely church and houses, and then to a Gite at nearby Etsaut.
The evening was spent eating and drinking, sharing stories and planning for the next day. Although I was a Brit amongst French people, and my language skills were poor, I never once felt excluded. It was a good day.
Also today I discovered a way to keep my feet dry in the evening when my only footwear, my boots, are soaking wet. The trick is to put my feet into plastic bags before putting them into my boots. It works a treat.
On Thursday Jean-Louis, Marietta and Catherine set off along GR10 early. Stephane decided just to explore the local area before returning home, so I walked alone.
First point of interest was the spectacular Chemin de la Mature where the route passes along a passageway gouged into the cliffside. With a sheer face one side and a sheer drop on the other, it made me chuckle that someone had built cairns for guidance since it was impossible to
get the route wrong except in a rather terminal way.
There was over 1,500m of climbing to do and several fast-flowing streams to cross. Somewhere around midday I officially entered the Parc National des Pyrenees Occidentales, the only national park in the French Pyrenees. As I approached the highest point of the day, the Col d'Ayous, there were several small snowfields to cross, but I was getting into practice now. From the Col I was greeted by the beautiful view of Lac Gentau with the Refuge d'Ayous on the western shore.
Although it was still only mid-afternoon, it seemed like a good idea to stay the night so that I could obtain safety advice and check weather conditions before setting off in the morning. Marietta, Catherine and Jean-Louis were already there, but Jean-Louis was just about to continue on to Gabas even though it was a bit drizzly.
You don't take showers in these refuges because the water which runs off the mountains is very cold and they don't have sufficient power to heat it. Fuel and food have to be brought in by helicopter. Although they normally have a telephone system, it had been down for some days, making communication with the outside world impossible.