Ascent / descent: 24m (17061m) / 1099m (16165m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 1988m / 913m / 1988m.
Weather: Sunny in the morning, the fog, sunny in the afternoon again.
After a change of plans this day turns out to be more of a resting day, I've decided to take the route by Vignemale and Gavarnie instead of my original plan of going towards Grust or Luz St Saveur. In my book this is described as a variant, but it has the same status as going the original GR10 to Luz. This means that today I'm only walking as far as Cauterets. The breakfast at the refuge is nothing to write home about, rather meager things.
Lac d'Ilheou in the morning.
It's sunny and blue sky outside, and with only about two hours of walk down to Cauterets there is no need to stress to get going. Instead I take a walk alongside the lake and climb on top of a hill where I can look down upon the mountains reflecting in the clear water. When the clouds are coming and again are closing the view over the water I take my backpack and starts walking down the Gave d'Ilheou to Cauterets.
Lac d'Ilheou with Refuge d'Ilheou.
Mist over Gave d'Ilheou.
There is a gravel track going down the valley from the refuge, but the trail isn't following it. Instead you toll down the valley on an uneven path through scree and big rocks above the track. Most of the people walking upwards are using the gravel tracks. After pont aux granges de Houssat the trail is also going through a high and wet thicket. It's not a very eventful walk down the valley. The last part down to Cauterets go steep down with the cableway (telepherique de Lis) hanging above you.
Down the Gave d'Ilheou the trail went steep down on an uneven path through scree.
In Cauterets I eat a large pizza at lunch. I buy a new mouthpiece for my camelbak, but I can't get hold of some pieces for my tent and more duct tape (what is duct tape in French??). After having done the practical tasks I enter the role as a tourist. I take the cableway up to Lys above where I went down earlier. Down at Cauterets the weather has changed to the better, but up here the mountains keeps the clouds in its embrace.
Church in Cauterets.
I eat an ok dinner at the gîte (Gîte Beau Soleil) I stay at. I finish the day with some beer at the gîte, on the screen France is playing a rather boring football match against Belgium.
On the way down from Lys in the cableway.
<- IlheouOssoue ->
No comments:
Post a Comment