Ascent / descent: 1436m (37755m) / 1099m (36937m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 750m / 1087m / 2006m.
Weather: Sunny and blue sky, some clouds.
So far the Ariege has been a little bit disappointing, but today it redeemed itself totally. Today it was a return to the grand mountain scenery of earlier, and with great weather. Aulus les Bains is a sleepy town in the morning and it's quiet in the streets when I set off. The walk is starting just like before with a walk up through a forest where I go wrong in the beginning, I missed a very small and modest signpost pointing to the correct direction.
View from Mont Garias. Aulus les Bains visible down in the valley.
The sun and green mountains greets me up at Coumebière (1400m) after coming out of the forest. It's incredibly what sun and nice weather does to your mood and energy after days without seeing the sun almost. When the trail goes up towards Port de Saleix I finally get to see something again that I've missed, the view of mountain peaks in the horizon. From Port de Saleix (1794m) I can look down at Aulus les Bains and over to Col d'Escots and Picou la Mire, on the other side people are coming walking up the Saleix valley.
Étang d'Alate with Mont Garias in the background.
I'm not finished climbing on this beautiful day. Higher up a lake is awaiting me, but before I get there I deviate from the path and climb up to the top of Mont Garias (2006m). From the top I can stare right down at Étang d'Alate, in the horizon there are rows and rows of mountains and Aulus is visible far below. Then I go down and around before I stare straight up at Mont Garias from Étang d'Alate. Blue water and a mandatory break.
Col d'Ayous and Col de Madamète belongs to the group of passes where the view is just taking the breath out of you when you arrive and behold what is on the other side of the pass, Col de Bassiès (1933m) is going straight into this group. You get the urge to just throw away the backpack and stay rooted to the spot, just to be able to enjoy the scenery forever. Below a grand mountain wilderness is appearing, with Étangs de Bassiès prominent in the view. The Ariege is forgiven, though I regret having booked a place at Mounicou, right now I want to pitch my tent next to Étang Majeur.
Col de Bassiés. View down to a beautiful scenery around Étangs de Bassiés.
I couldn't get any pancakes at Moulin Lauga, but down at Refuge de Bassiés (1655m) I can both enjoy the sight of the mountains and two pancakes. It's a weekend and this is the place where I've met most people so far in the Ariege. High above is a solitary silhouette of a walker on the mountain ridge above the refuge, from Mont Garias a path goes around the ridge before it heads down again to the Bassiès cabin, must be a great walk.
Pont de Pierres, a curious stone bridge.
It cannot be said often enough how much a lake is illuminating every landscape; I could almost walk back up to Col de Bassiès again just to be able to enjoy the magnificent scenery again. Instead I move along the Étang Majeur before having lunch next to the lake: local sausage, honey bread, pain au chocolat, chocolate and tea. A great walk further down also.
At Pont de Pierres (1580m) I cross the river runs that out of Étang d'Escales and disappears down the Bassiès ravine, the bridge is a curious stone construction. And it is marking the end of the wonderful mountain plateau I've just walked through; from the stone bridge the trail is going steep down the ravine. At times the descent is a little bit painful.
Walking on the top of an ancient aqueduct along the mountainside.
Then the trail takes an amazing choice of way. Finally finished with the descent the trail is then following an ancient aqueduct along the mountainside. GR10 is going on the top of an aqueduct and it can be heard that it is hollow beneath me when I walk along the aqueduct. In between you can look into through small cavities and openings. The stretch is quite long, but in return it is nice and good to walk on, passing several tunnels in the mountain on the way (I walk inside one where the barring has been broken up).
After having left the aqueduct behind me I come down to Marc (1060m) which I walk fast through. I can feel that I'm tired now and so I want to arrive at Mounicou; hence I don't take a closer look at the place. Mounicou is situated in a valley that is dank and dark according to Paul Lucia, and it is a kind of a valley that doesn't let the sun through that much. Mounicou (1087m) is a small village, barely. It's more like a tiny collection of houses standing tight together.
Mounicou. A small 'place' where the houses are standing tightly, with a nice gîte and a small bar.
There isn't any food to get at the gîte, but it's nice there. There is however a small bar at the place that is run by an elderly woman (though, no food to get there either), when I arrive a small group is sitting outside having a drink (Saturday evening at the place). I make myself dinner in the kitchen in the gîte, and then eat together with some other nice guests at the gîte. When I go for a beer at the bar there is only me there, a quiet Saturday evening in the Pyrenees. Today was a fantastic day and walk, and a sign that the Ariege has more to offer than dark valleys where the clouds are hanging all day.
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