Ascent / descent: 1568m (27263m) / 1674m (26988m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 650m / 544m / 2193m.
Weather: Sunny, cloudy in the afternoon.
Todays stage has been given the prize for being the hardest stage on the trail in my Cicerone guidebook. I'm curious to see if that is correct so I'm off at an early start. A rest day does that with me, I'm eager to get going again. It's dark outside when I'm walking through Bagneres de Luchon.
Standing above Artigue with view back across the valley towards Superbagneres.
I pass by the small airport outside the town in the morning hours, duly pointed by a danger sign for airplanes over the trail. Next to the small airport a river is running where there are already fishermen early up trying to get the big catch. Then I take off through the woods, but a lot slower than an airplane. Bagneres de Luchon has been visible several times through windows in the trees while walking up to Artigue (1230m). There is a water source next to the tired looking gîte at the place.
Cabane de Saunères. Bagneres de Luchon below with Superbagneres above, and Spanish mountains in the horizon.
After Artigue the landscape is more open, acres and meadows around the trail with a view of the mountains on the other side of the valley. It's somewhat steep, but nothing more than it has been earlier on the walk. I arrive at Cabane de Saunères (1660m) where I find the Tarnowski family sitting outside. Leszek warns me about drinking the water I filled from the source at Artigue, so I have to sterilize it.
The view from the cabane is great, with Spanish mountains reaching towards the sky in the horizon. Below Bagneres de Luchon is visible in its entirety and I can see where I and Evelyne went over from Lac d'Oo two days ago. The view inside the cabin is not as good as the view outside. It is by the way quite enjoyable being in a place you recognize from a picture in the guidebook.
Borderstone 400 between France and Spain. Between Bagneres and Fos the GR10 goes almost straight on top of the border between the two countries a part of the way.
After having walking further on up to Col de Peyrahitta (1947m) the trail is deviating from what is described in the guidebook, and I can't remember having passed any junction. Instead of going down below the ridge towards Étang du Dessus the waymarks is following what is described as an alternative route over Col des Taons de Bacanère. Here the trail is going almost straight on top of the border between France and Spain. One moment in France, the other moment in Spain. The borderstones marks the way. Something tells me that this is a nicer walk than what is described. There is a nice view at the highest point of todays walk, Pic de Bacanère (2193m).
I eat lunch in Spain, at Ètang de Cigaleres. A viper is crossing my path in the grass when I walk towards the lake.
View back in the direction I came from at Pic de Bacanère.
It was a great walk upwards, now it's going downwards. At Étang de St-Bèat the high warning shrieks from the marmots are heard through the air, there is almost no water left in the lake. It's mainly a little bit of a hard walk through the woods down towards Fos, but with some bright spots in the forest as at Cabane d'Artigue and Cabane d'Arteguessans. The latter quite cozy inside, despite some very worn matrasses. The descent over slimy cobbles the guidebook warned me about turned out to present no problems, at least not today.
Inside Cabane d'Arteguessans, a nice cabane in the forest above Fos.
There were rumors that Fos also had been severe affected by the earlier flooding, but the truth is that it was St-Bèat further down that was hit hard. Fos got away with just some minor problems. There is no one at the gîte when I arrive. I walk to the bar at the hotel, which closes its doors just before I enter. It turns out there actually is an open shop in Fos now, if you can call it a shop. It's a tiny country shop at the place, with a quite limited stock. I buy myself some fruit and something to drink which I consume while I wait outside the gîte.
Fos. The hotel, bar and the restaurant is in the building to the left.
The Polish family is staying at the hotel and I eat dinner together with them in the restaurant. It was a nice day of walking from Bagneres de Luchon, it was long and hard, but not as hard as I had expected. Tomorrow I'm definitely entering the Ariege.
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