Ascent / descent: 1003m (25695m) / 1857m (25314m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 1504m / 650m / 2275m.
Weather: Sunny.
After todays stage I will have walked through two of the four topo guides for the trail that I have got with me, in other words I'm about half way. That said, I don't carry the books itself, I've cut out all the map pages that I need on the walk and thrown away the pages that I don't need. For each day I've completed I've left behind the map pages I don't have any use for anymore on the place I've been staying, so my stack of maps are now about half of what I started with.
On the way up from Lac d'Oo and the Refuge du Lac d'Oo.
In the topo guides the trail is marked in red, next to Lac d'Oo in the topo guide for Pyrénées Centrales the red line is going across several height meters on its route up towards Col d'Espingo. And it is here that you find me and Evelyne on our way up from the lake, we decided to walk together to Bagneres de Luchon. While the sunlight slow, but steady, is moving down the mountain sides to Lac d'Oo so are we moving up towards Hourquette des Hounts-Secs.
View in the direction of Col de la Coume de Bourg from Hourquette des Hounts-Secs.
We walk up from one side to the other while the lake below is lying squeezed between the mountains below. Up at Hourquette des Hounts-Secs (2275m) we can stare down towards the blue eye below. The Polish family that I met yesterday is relaxing at the edge of the pass and is enjoying the nice weather. Towards Col de la Coume de Bourg the trail is climbing up and down along the mountain side. Deep down below you can see the parking lot at the Auberge d'Astau and above it the pass I went over and down from yesterday.
Lac d'Oo.
After a break with a great view at Col de la Coume de Bourg (2275m) are we both keen on a beer. With the view in mind we're now aware that in front of us now is the Ariege, which is the part of the Pyrenees the trail goes through that most people are most reluctant to go through. The trail is going in the direction of Superbagneres and already from far away is the old hotel visible. Above us a flock of eagles are circling.
It seems there must be something about me and half way on a long distance walk, as on Corsica my camera is malfunctioning when I'm on the last day before I'm half way. In frustration I see the camera blackout completely. Evelyne is trying to keep my mood up. At Superbagneres (1804m) we order a beer and a plate of meat each. Luckily it's only the battery that is mysteriously flat again, but this time I've brought with me a spare battery. The smile is back again. The weather is so nice that we stay at the place for about two hours.
Evelyne with the trail and Hourquette des Hounts-Secs in the background.
Instead of walking down from Superbagneres Evelyne is choosing to take the cableway down. I'm a little bit more of a puritan and feel that I have to take the route down, so our ways are separated for the moment. But we have agreed to meet again later in Bagneres to eat dinner. If you look away from the idea that you have to follow the route all the way, then taking the cableway is a better idea. The trail down the forest takes forever and you never have the feeling of getting any closer to the town at all.
View from Col de la Coume de Bourg.
The hostess at the Refuge de Lac d'Oo had booked a hotel for me in Bagneres de Luchon (650m), Le Chalet. A small house that creaks, but it feels good to have a room for myself now. I've booked the place for two nights; since I will have a rest day tomorrow (I think it's a good idea now). The room has a small balcony, which suits me fine.
Celebrating half way on the journey with Evelyne in Bagneres de Luchon.
I meet Evelyne at the place where we agreed to meet and are finding ourselves a place to celebrate being half way on the trip. It becomes a nice ending on a nice day (that could have been a huge letdown). Unfortunately Evelyne is feeling that it's too much uncertainty around the Ariege, so she has decided to travel straight to Merens les Vals instead. On the balcony the night is illuminated from a clear starry sky.
<- OoBagneres de Luchon ->
we spent two weeks holidays in Superbagnères in 1994 ; it's not a pleasant station (no shops and only the odd Club Mediterranée Hotel) but there a lot of pleasant sites around and we went to Lac d'Oo : it's very nice
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm not very fond of the ski stations as well. A short way down to Bagnères de Luchon if you use the cableway though. The walk from Lac d'Oo to it was very nice.
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