Ascent / descent: 340m (10538m) / 1098m (9655m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 1650m / 900m / 1930m.
Weather: Some sun in the morning, cloudy during the day, some rain in the evening.
There are dramatic clouds in the morning outside Refuge Jeandel, and a tiny hope of the weather clearing up since the sun is paying a short visit and there is some blue sky to be seen in the start of the walk. The route to Lescun goes over a mountain area characterized by limestone formations where Pic d'Anie is dominating the view, wrapped in by the clouds untouched by the sun.
Dramatic clouds above Arette la Pierre St Martin in the morning.
I consider climbing up to the summit of Pic d'Arlas but the thought stays in my mind since the clouds doesn't appear to be letting go of the top. The HRP (Haute Route Pyrenees) takes off towards Pic d'Anie when I'm entering the limestone plateau. The sun has disappeared and I'm missing out on the great scenery of the mountains around, but it's still a great and tough landscape to be walking in. The ground is broken up by sharp and white limestone formations, small and big. I catch up with Dominique and we walk together the rest of the day.
Entering the limestone plateau, from here the HRP continues up towards Pic d'Anie which is hidden by the clouds.
After walking for a while through the limestone plateau we're finally leaving the last parts of the ski facility behind us in the fog and climbs up to Pas de l'Osque (1922m). A chain is fastened to the cliff to help walkers up the last steep climb to the top of the pass. The pass is lying squeezed between a small steep cliff and a mountain side, I climb up to the top of the small cliff (1930m) coming up to a tough view of a white land of mist. Dominique is calling me 'crazy' when I return down again.
View from the top of the cliff next to Pas de l'Osque.
Cabane du Cap de la Baitch, one of many huts where you can buy cheese directly from the farmers.
We cross over a limestone plain to Pas d'Azun (1873m) which in nice weather is a place to savour with a great view, but there is a great view down to the valley below even in bad weather. At Cabane du Cap de la Baitch (1689m) we meet the two Swiss women again. You can buy cheese from the farmer that resides in the hut and I'm carrying with me a piece of melange (a mix of cow and sheep, cheese that is) in my backpack afterwards.
Then grand scenery unfolds even in the grey weather, a spectacular mountainside rises up of the verdant valley further down from Cabane du Cap de la Baitch, I starts daydreaming how wonderful it must be here under a clear and blue sky. Pic d'Anie is hidden in the clouds behind the mountainside. We arrive at the Refuge de Laberouat where we after some waiting find ourselves enjoying a beer. There are some muddy parts on the path down towards Lescun, but not nearly as much as expected after reading the description in Paul Lucia's book.
Grand scenery unfolds as majestic mountains rises from up from the verdant valley.
Lescun is a nice village in a striking landscape. I get a bed in the gîte run by the Chambres d'hôtes du Pic d'Anie after spending some time looking for a place to stay. Dominique chooses to continue walking to Camping du Lauzart. I eat dinner at the Bar der Bergerers together with Yves and Jean-Paul, who I met for the first time at Logibar but who I haven't got to talk to so much with until now. I get garbure soup for the third day in a row or so, with a good magret de canard as a main course. Despite the somewhat sad weather there was a nice walk today.
Lescun.
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