Ascent / descent: 1264m (10190m) / 244m (8557m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 630m / 1650m / 1839m.
Weather: Foggy.
Today my original plan was to go to the Refuge de Laberouat, but the gloomy weather are still laying siege to the Pyrenees. So me and Dominique agree to walk together to Arette la Pierre St Martin. We're starting to move into higher grounds in the Pyrenees now.
Gorges d'Ehujarre.
It doesn't take long before we both get distracted from our original route. Walking the ten minutes up to the Gorges d'Ehujarre was too tempting. So after a short time we're walking deep down in a ravine with the clouds above as a lid over the cleft. Thick and green undergrowth. A dry riverbed. We're however not walking very far up in the gorge before we turn and walk back to the GR10.
A water source is appearing deep in the woods with clouds drifting through the trees, guarded by a curious statue with the name of 'Le Guardien'.
Through the Léche forest the trail goes through the ravin d'Arpidia, a lush, but smaller ravine. We gain height as the trail continues up through the forest. We pass by a curious idol that is guarding a water source, with the inscription 'Le Guardien' on, a guardian of the water maybe. On the way we passed close by the entrance to La Verna, a cave that you'll have to negotiate a 600 meter long tunnel to get to. I still can't understand why we didn't choose to go and see the cave.
A window to the outside world in the fog below Cabane du Coup.
We arrive out of the forest and back into the grey landscape at the ruins of Cabane d'Escuret de Bas (1325m). In the shelter of the remains of the stone hut we take a break while a herd of cows are looking wary down upon us. The fog is continuing its grip on the landscape until we are nearing Cabane du Coup, when todays glimpse of the surrounding scenery appear. The window is closing when we're getting closer to Col de la Pierre St Martin (1760m). Only a few small glimpses of the limestone landscape are visible through the clouds. We know that Pic d'Anie (2504m), the first of the mighty peaks of the Pyrenees, can be seen behind the curtain.
View from the Soum de Léche.
There is a sour and gusty wind at the top of the pass and the fog is even denser here. That doesn't stop me from walking up to the summit of Soum de Léche (1839m); Dominique however continues walking on the GR10. There isn't much view from the top, but I can hear some thunderclaps in the distance. The last part of the walk to Arette la Pierre St Martin (1650m) goes through dense fog and after a while it starts to rain. It now feels ok not to walk as far as originally intended.
Refuge Jeandel. A nice mountain cabin situated next to a not so nice ski station.
I arrive at Refuge Jeandel which is enshrouded by the fog. It's a nice mountain cabin where it feels good to be sitting inside of when it starts to rain heavily outside. A large flock of sheep are gathering outside the walls of the cabin, so the hostess has to go out to chase them away. The good thing about the weather is that it hides the ugly buildings of the ski station from the view. During the evening the weather is changing often and I get to see Pic d'Anie in the horizon, though that also makes me see the ski station. A red and pink sunset in the fog.
Red and pink sunset at Arette la Pierre St Martin.
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