Hiking the GR10 - Pyrenees

WEDNESDAY 12th July:  Weather 16°C to 24°C: Blue skies most of the day, then misty and a bit overcast

Refuge du Lac d'Oo to Bagneres du Luchon:  20.6k walk: 8hrs 30 mins: 8.15am to 4.45pm

Altitude Gain and Loss:  Total Ascent 1231m: Total Descent 2115m

Accommodation: Jardins de Ramel

Our last real hiking day on the GR10 and an absolutely perfect blue sky day. Another big day, with 1,231 metres ascent and 2115 descent, a total of a 3,350 metre day.  Highlights were the detour up to the Lac d’Espingo, a high mountain lake above Lac d’Oo.  Then an ascent to Hourquette des Hounts-Secs (2275m), with ups and downs and up to the Col de la Coume de Bourg (2272m). The day ended with a long descent of 1,100 metres down to Bagnères-de-Luchon. 

The Refuge de Lac d’Oo is dead quiet at 6.30am when we’re up and first go downstairs to have a shower in the one and only.  At 7am, we’re at breakfast.  It’s a mountain refuge - usually luke warm tea and stale bread and jam - but the tea was really hot, and the stale baguettes were toasted.  It makes such a difference when the hosts go to a little but of trouble.  Everyone is out the door by 8.15am.  We’re the last to leave after taking a few more photos. It’s a picture perfect blue sky day.

Many hikers at the refuge commented that this was their first blue sky day in weeks.  It’s a cool 16°C as we start to climb uphill above the lake.  After 40 mins, Ian, who is ahead, comes across a baby deer, quite distressed and probably injured but still alive, lying in the cold water running down the track.  He and another hiker were prepared to put it down (I don't want to know how), but when I came up I suggested lifting it to a higher grassy patch, hoping it might recover.  It’s mother was no where in site.  20 mins later we move on, nothing else could be done.  A very emotional event that still brings me to tears.  We don’t know if it survived or not, but I've email Jerome at the Refuge to see if any hikers passing through had seen it later to know if it survived.  The French hiker who helped move it said “C’est la vie”.  That’s true, but no comfort.

We move on up the track and after an hour come to a turn off to the Lac d’Espingo, about 100 metres higher, and an extra 15 minute climb.  But it was worth it.  A small spectacular lake set among high snow capped mountains, with the Refuge d’Espingo sitting by the edge.  There’s a helicopter flying backwards and forwards to this refuge with supplies dangling on a rope, ready to be dropped off. A quick photo and a return to the GR10 which then winds back around the mountain, with more views down to Lac d’Oo and our refuge just emerging from the shadows of the mountains into full sunlight. 

After 2hrs 30 mins of climbing almost 800 metres on a perfect day, we reach the first col, the  Hourquette des Hounts-Secs (2275m).  It’s now 11am, and time for a coffee perched on a rocky ledge in full sunlight.  Strange thing about the Pyrenees is that there’s very little wind at the tops of these cols, unlike the alps, and the clouds and mist seem to hang in the sky.  The coffee goes well with a piece of almond cake from yesterday.  We can see several hikers from the refuge already down the other side, and after a 20 minute break we follow them.  Up and down, up and down over several mini cols before the last col, the Col de la Coume de Bourg (2272m).  

From here, it’s all downhill to Bagneres de Luchon at 650 metres, a descent of 1600 metres.  The talk at the refuge was that many hikers were considering getting the telecabin down the  last 1100 metres from Superbagneres.  Ian thinks this is a great idea, I’m thinking I’d like to finish our last day by hiking all the way down into Bagneres de Luchon.  We’ll see when we get to Suoerbagneres.

At the Col de la Coume de Bourg, we notice the GR10 seems to be rerouted.  Both my map and Ian’s IGN map show a route different to the one that’s sign posted.  But most people are hiking up or down this seemingly new route and there’s recently turned clods of dirt and signs of earthworks on the track.  We later learned that indeed the GR10 was rerouted because of a number of fatalities on the GR10 coming down from the Col de la Coume de Bourg - just what we needed to know having done 400k on the GR10! 

The new GR10 is well signed, but longer, and it’s 2.30pm when we roll into Superbagneres,  a ski resort sitting on a perch above the clouds high above Bagneres de Luchon.  We find a good spot for lunch on the grass, watching the telecabin go up and down the valley with hikers and bikers.  Lunch of baguette (2 days old) butter, cheese, tomato and capsicum, while contemplating our downward strategy. Ian chooses the easy kneesy route in the telecabin, I’m going to tackle the downhill and we agree to meet at the end of the telecabin down in the valley in Luchon.  

It’s 3pm when I head off down the steep GR10 track, and Ian catches the telecabin. Ian’s back down in 3 minutes.  I take 1hr 30mins for the 1150 metre descent.  Firstly down a 25% gravel road where I can hardly hold myself upright, then to a more gradual track through the beech forest.  There’s quite a few hikers and bikers going up and down and it’s quite safe with no cliff hanging edges to negotiate and I’m down at 4.30pm, just in time to meet Ian for a cup of tea.

It’s then a 1k walk through the tree lined street of Bagneres de Luchon, mostly called just Luchon, and we’d already pinpointed our place, Jardins de Ramel on Ian’s map in his phone so it was easy to find.  We were expecting a run down old apartment, but were surprised to find the location had a 3 star hotel and a nice apartment block (ours) at the back where  there’s already van loads of cyclists and their bikes unloading ready for Le Tour on Thursday, tomorrow.  Reception is in the hotel, and we need to hire sheets and towels.  Our room on the lower floor is just wonderful.  It’s a one bedroom apartment with lounge and kitchenette.  For a cost of $350 for the 2 nights, it was not much more expensive than any other hotel we’ve stayed in this trip.

In 10 minutes we’ve dumped our gear and off to the Lidl supermarket, a bit like Aldi, just 1k up the road.  We’re there an hour buying dinner for 2 nights, pork fillet and vegetables, and a few bits of cleaning stuff we need for the room.  Back at 7pm for a celebratory drink and dinner.  Not much time to blog before going to bed thinking if bambi survived.