Hiking the GR10 - Pyrenees

Saturday 1st July:  Weather 4°C to 20°C 

Cauterets to Bayssellance:  21.2k walk: 8hrs 30 mins: 8am to 4.30pm

Altitude Gain and Loss:  Total Ascent 2000m: Total Descent 200m

Accommodation: Refuge de Baysselance

An amazing day - every minute was a highlight.  We were prepared for the worst.  The weather was predicted to be raining all day - and it did, with temperatures in the high mountains above Cauterets between 2°C and 7°C - and it was a freezing 0°C with snow. From Cauterets at 900 metres to the high pass of Hourquettes d’Oussoue at 2734m - an ascent of 1800 metres - a climb higher than Mt Kosciusko.  With a few ups and downs the total ascent was 2000+ metres - we’ve done more, but this was the biggest hit in one go. 

The Hotel Lion d’Or was fabulous - highly recommend this Logis Hotel which we booked on Trip Advisor, not booking.com.  In fact last night we had our first disaster with booking.com. they informed us at 8.30pm that our Hotel L’Astazou 2 nights away in Gavarnie is "unable to accommodate us. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. L'Astazou has found an alternative for you: Hôtel des Cimes."  

BIG PROBLEM. Frstly we were lucky to have WiFi to find out, secondly their alternative of Hotel Cimes was booked out, and thirdly, after frantically booking another hotel in Gavarnie, I received an email saying  "Hotel L’Astazou had kindly waived any cancellation fees".  I was very cranky as we did not cancel, we had the rug pulled from under us and this morning I had to try to clean up the mess.   I have always been a big supporter of booking.com, having booked more than 6o places in recent years, but this was a shambles and they’ll be hearing from me when I get back to oz. Not a good start to the day.

 I make a jam baguette for morning tea and a salad baguette for lunch. With rain prediced all day, we didn’t think we’d have time to stop for long to make a baguette sandwich. We manage to get away by 8am in misty rain and 10°C.  First a stop at the Boulangerie to buy a baguette for lunch tomorrow after we leave the refuge. It’s only 2mins out of Cauterets to the start of the walk up the absolutely beautiful Val de Jeret - a famed walk in the Pyrenees that follows the Gave de Gaube (River Gaube).  The water is thundering down as we walk up  thewell graded wide stony track the Chemin de Cascades.  Every few hundred metres of the track, the water thunders down steeply over the rocks creating a cascade spectacle. 

After 2hrs 30mins, we arrive at the Pont d’Espagne at 1500m, a point where the road on the other side of the river ends in a car park providing an endless stream of tourists to see the magnificent Cascade de Pont d’Espagna.  It’s drizzling rain when a “John Clarke” look-a-like beckons us into the cafe.  It's too tempting and we shed our packs and go in for a French Cappuccino - black coffee with about 3ms of cream floating on top.  We’re treated like royalty and even the dog comes to greet us.  I ask the name of the dog and in Pyrenean humour, we’re told “Bambi” no no , “Dingo” no no “Daisy”.  He takes a photo of us sipping coffee and we stay a little longer to warm up.  It’s still 10°C outside and raining.

We leave the warm cafe eating our jam sandwich on the way and follow a stony well graded track up the Lac de Gaube at 1725m, a beautiful lake with horses, day walkers and a few through hikers. We’re already up almost 800 metres from Cauterets and the walk so far has bee relatively easy and it’s not too cold in the misty rain walking uphill.  It's a rocky climb around the lake as we follow the signs to the Refuge Ouletes de Gaube.  

The temperature has dropped to 5°C and it’s raining, but not too misty, so we have a good view of the mountains on either side of the rocky valley valley as we climb thinking the Refuge Ouletes de Gaube was just around the corner.  The sign at the Lake says 2hrs 30mins, but it must have been measured by a trail runner.   We’re moving quickly and it takes us 3hrs without a break to get to our planned lunch stop at 2.15pm.  Inside the Refuge it’s warm, and we order a cup of tea and bring out our salad filled baguette. The tea is luke warm, but it was worth buying it just to being in a very warm dining room.  On a good day, the north wall of the Vignemale is visible - today it’s shrouded in mist.

After donning another few layers of clothes, we leave at 2.30 with 2hrs to climb to the Hourquette d’Oussoue.  It’s getting colder as we climb and my fingers are numb.  Then it starts snowing and at 4pm, a little ahead of time we arrive at the unmarked Hourquette d’Ossoue at 1734m.  It’s freeing cold and 0°C as we head down the other side and it's snowing heavily.  The path becomes icy and after 10 mins, the Refuge de Baysselance appears.  It’s only 100 metres away but we spend 10 mins trying to find the right path to it as there’s so much snow on the ground.  It’s 4.30pm when we crash through the door.

I can’t wait to get inside and my hands are so numb, I can’t undo my backpack straps.  I’m convinced I have frost bite. After flipping off my shoes, I barge into the heated lounge room with dozens of wet sodden hikers and mountaineers, waiting for Ian to undo my straps.  It takes me 30 mins to thaw out by the fire.   Then it's time to register, and we’re shown to our dorm.  The refuge is full as it’s Saturday night and all the warrior mountaineers come to the Refuge for the weekend to climb. Vignemale is 3298m.  I check out the Toilets/shower - there’s no shower, just 4 smelly toilets down in the freezing basement.  Lucky we haven’t worked up a sweat today, because I won’t be having a wash.

We're the oldest at the refuge by at least 10 years, but its a lovely cosy feeling and everyone is friendly.  After making up our beds with our sleeping sheet, thick doona and ten ton blanket, we migrate down to the fire again to drink warm wine and Ian has a beer.  It’s still snowing outside.

Dinner is thick creamy soup and the mountaineers all have 3 bowls each.  Followed by Garbure (Garbure is a thick French soup or stew of ham with cabbage and other vegetables, with stale bread added).  Then there’s a slice of cheese and a chocolate tart.  Very filling.  It’s snowing outside still as we head up to our dorm and snuggle under the blankets.  It’s only 9pm and everyone is in bed early.