GAVARNIE TO VIADOS

LOOKING DOWN ON GÈDRE

GLORIOUS LAC GLORIETTES

LÉA & SIMON AT CABANE D'AGUILLOUS

ROCKY ROUTE UP TO HOURQUETTE DE CHERMENTAS

LOOKING BACK TOWARDS HOURQUETTE DE CHERMENTAS

THE HUGE BARROUDE WALL FROM THE DESTROYED REFUGE

VIEW FROM PASO DE LOS CABALLOS

ANETO IN THE DISTANCE

CABANA AT LISIERT

MORE COMFY THAN MOST

Tuesday 4th of September, and the trek continues. If I followed the route suggested in Ton Joosten's guidebook, then my day would start with a punishing climb up to Hourquette d'Alans at 2,430m. However, all this effort is soon wasted, since the route immediately descends steeply before turning north for a more gradual descent down to Lac Gloriettes.

I am undoubtedly being unfair to Mr Joosten, who did entitle his book 'Pyrenean Haute Route' for good reason. However, having already done quite a bit of 'Haute', a bit of 'not so Haute' might make the day more enjoyable, and at the same time reduce the possibility of being caught high up in a thunderstorm, since the weather was still looking iffy.

My alternative route also arrives at Lac Gloriettes, but does so by initially going north from Gavarnie and then east to Lac Gloriettes, essentially contouring around the same hills that the guidebook suggests I should go over.

So, having said goodbye to Kobi and paid my Gite bill, I departed Gavarnie at 9.00am. The first part of the day's walk involved an hour of steady climbing on a wide zig-zagging track up to Hount Grane. It then levelled out and for the next hour I rounded the Montagne de Coumély, from where I could see the town of Gèdre below me, until I reached the most magnificent viewpoint above Lac Gloriettes. Looking south towards the Spanish border I could identify the Brèche de Tuquerouye with Monte Perdido beyond. I had considered passing into Spain via the Brèche, but had concerns that the steep slope up to it may be snowbound, making it impassable without proper equipment. From the viewpoint, it appeared that my concerns may have been justified. So far, my route-finding decisions seem to have been good ones.

I climbed down to the lake, rejoining Ton Joosten's version of the HRP, and crossed over the dam at its northern end. There was then a bit of road walking along the valley to Héas, where I stopped at the Auberge de Munia for an cold Orangina and a couple of ice lollies. It was 1.30pm and obviously quite hot by now.

Half and hour later I was climbing again, this time up towards the Hourquette de Héas. There were a couple of cabanes on my route. The first was very basic and unattractive, and I wanted to continue climbing for a little longer anyway. It rained lightly on my way to the second one, called Cabane d'Aguillous, which I reached at about 5.00pm. Two walkers were already in residence, but there was room for at least one more so Simon and partner Léa, both from Toulouse, welcomed me. We were following similar routes, so had lots of information to exchange as we ate.

That was when the rain commenced in earnest. After sleeping arrangements had been sorted (I think they let me have to bottom bunk out of respect for my age), we got our heads down to the sound of rolling thunder.

It rained steadily all night, but had ceased by morning. The sky was cloudy though. I left the cabane at 9.00am, roughly half an hour after Simon and Léa. The first obstacle was the Hourquette de Héas, followed by the Hourquette de Chermentas. It was after the latter that I made an error. Cairns had been employed frequently to guide the route, and I got a bit sloppy in relying on these rather than checking the map. I followed the wrong path and by the time I had realised my mistake and relocated, I had lost altitude  I had to regain it all over again to intersect the path I should have been on, and ended up wasting an hour. You get punished severely for your errors in the Pyrenees!

I arrived at the remains of the Refuge de Barroude, immediately below the intimidating Barroude Wall. The Refuge had apparently burnt down a while back, but I had hoped that the potable water supply was still accessible so I could refill my bottles. No such luck. I filled them with water from the Lac de Barroude instead, and added some Chlorine tablets, but decided that I would only drink it if I had to because it wasn't as clear as I would have liked.

The final Col of the day, taking me back into Spain, was the Port de Barroude (Spanish name: Port de Barrossa). The route then took me on a long descent down to the Rio Barossa until I reached Hospital de Parzan, on the A138 road the links Spain to France via a tunnel. I had to walk south along the road for 3km until I reached the point where the HRP continues east on the next stage of the walk. I could have made a start on that, and perhaps wildcamped somewhere along the route, but I was worn out after a long exhausting day, and storms were expected in the evening again.

Thus, I continued along the A138 for another km to reach Parzan village, where I booked a room at the Meson de Fuen. A hot shower perked me up no end. Just 50 metres from the Meson was a service station with a Cafe/Restaurant. I sat outside while they provided me with an excellent meal and two beers for less that €10. While I was eating, I could see flashes of lightning to the west and the storm seemed to be moving my way. I was pleased to be safely and cosily lodged in the Meson by the time it actually arrived.

I took my time getting ready the following morning, and did vaguely consider staying another night. Self-discipline got the better of me, however, so at around 10.00am I was off, walking that 1km back up the same road I had walked the previous evening. Then, a sharp turn right, over a bridge, and I was back on track steadily ascending a long dirt road. It took me 4 hrs to climb 1,126m over a distance of 11km, so I was delighted when I reached the Paso de los Caballos. I had my lunch in a cabana nearby. It was cloudy but, to the east, I could see snow-covered Aneto, the highest mountain in the Pyrenees.

The weather had been cooler, and I had felt occasional spots of rain, but not enough to don my waterproof jacket. However, as I started my long descent down the valley towards Viados, the raindrops became a little more frequent. About two thirds of the way down the rain became heavy and, since there was little wind, I deployed my umbrella for the first time. It kept me dry long enough to reach a cabana at a place called Lisiert. It was relatively clean (for a cabana), and had a bed with a foam mattress on it. Luxury! It had gone 5.00pm so I decided to stay. Just as well, as the the thunderstorm started in earnest and continued for an hour.

Then the sun came out, but I was settled by then. I was still nearly an hour's walk from my intended destination of Viados, but will just have to do that bit in the morning.