Ascent / descent: 758m (51802m) / 758m (49986m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 2150m / 2150m / 2784m.
Weather: Sunny in the morning, cloudy later on.
The day dawns with a fantastic sunrise. Above me the sky is colored brightly red and there are no clouds, they are lingering down in the valley. It was a starlit sky during the night and the lights from far down below was clearly visible up here on the mountain. For a good time I was chilled down by the cool temperature while I stood admiring the view in the dark.
Racing against the clouds on Pic du Canigou.
Up towards Canigou it becomes a race against the clouds, so I walk a little bit faster than I want to. The little lake I barely saw and walked fast past yesterday is now visible in its entirety; I walk fast past now as well. At the junction where the path is going up towards the summit just below le Pic Joffre the clouds are arriving and covers the mountain in a dreamlike condition. Serenely I move through the dreams and arrive above the clouds, which now float towards the mountain sides of Canigou.
The trail gets steeper and more and more rocky. The summit is barely hidden by the ridge you have to climb up to. From Cortalets there is a relatively easy walk up to the summit, except when you try to win over the clouds in a race. I don't make it, just before I reach the summit at 2784m the clouds are crossing the finishing line and the view is history. I'm not going to hide that a small 'merde' is escaping from my lips, and that in the moment after laughter can be heard from the summit.
The summit of Pic du Canigou. Catalonian flags blowing in the wind at the cross on the summit.
I turn around and there is Claire sitting, she'd woke up early to get up before the clouds. I can't do nothing but laugh a little bit myself. At the cross on the summit the Catalonian flag is hanging, today is their freedom day. The flag is blowing in the wind. Clouds drifts over the top and small windows are opening up towards the surrounding world, and in the end we can look over the clouds. It's chilly at the summit, but we stay on the top for some time.
At the summit of Pic du Canigou (2784m).
I climb down the steep path towards Crête de Barbet, but instead of following it down right away I instead set course for Puig Sec. On both sides of the ridge the clouds are swallowing the valleys below, but from the summit of Puig Sec (2665m) there is a better view than from Canigou. Which lies hidden inside the clouds. Below I can see the valley I walked up yesterday from Refuge de Mariailles.
View from Puig Sec.
Satisfied I start walking down again over Crête de Barbet. For a long time I walk above the clouds, but in the end the fog is wrapping me in. Le sommet de légendes behind me, a nice walk despite that the view wasn't quite what was wanted.
<- CortaletsMines de Batère ->
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