Friday 23d June: Weather 20°C to 27°C back to 20°C
Lescun Lake Lhurs circuit: 18.8k walk
Altitude Gain and Loss: Total Ascent 1,139m: Total Descent 1,139m
Accommodation: Herbegement Pic D’Anie Hotel
Mist descends on Lescun
Highlight today was ascending 800 metres through shrouds of mist into brilliant sunshine to the high Lac de Lhurs at 1720 metres. Then on descending seeing a huge Griffon Vulture perched on a rock.
We’re awake at 5.30am. It’s barely light but the mist that descended last night has thickened to pea soup and we cannot see the other side of the street. The French call it brouillard. After emailing and catching up with home, its breakfast at 7.30am of toasted baguette, jams and tea with orange juice and yoghurt. We’ve already decided to go to Lac de Lhurs, at the suggestion of Marlene. It’s not raining, not hot, not cold and after packing a light lunch and buying some cheese and fruit at the local epicerie, we’re off at 9.15am.
Track to Lac de Lhurs through forest
Coffee in the mist
At 1500m above sea of mist below
Blue skies above
Looking down on sea of mist
Moonlike landscape to Lac de Lhurs
Lunch with view of Lac de Lhurs
Descending to same sea of mist
Cupp at Anapi Car Park
Griffin vulture
Griffon vulture
After walking along the road through the mist, we arrive at the Anapi carpark at 10am. There’s several car parks in the valley, strategically placed for hikers to drive then walk. There’s already a few cars parked here and a little further on we see the signs to Lac de Lhurs. The wide rocky path is level for about 1k before ascending very steeply through beech forest. It’s quite eerie, with mist rolling by, obscuring our view of the valley below.
It’s a pleasant temperature of around 20°C, but still warm enough to work up a sweat. After 2hrs of steep climbing, it’s time for a coffee in the mist. A few other hikers pass us by. None of them look as fit as us, but somehow, they look as though they walk faster than us - locals I guess, who climb steep hills every day. Within 10 minutes of our coffee break, the track ascends out of the mist, and we have clear views to the other side of teh valley filled with a sea of mist - an extraordinary sight.
All of a sudden we’re in brilliant sunshine and the temperature climbs to 27°C. For another 30 minutes we can still look back on this valley filled with white mist. Climbing higher, the track emerges from the forest into open grassland, and then at 12.45pm, out of nowhere, we can see the lake - Lac de Lhurs, nestled at the bottom of a steep sided valley. There’s already several hikers perched on rocky mounds enjoying a picnic lunch overlooking the lake set in this moon like landscape. A magnificent site. We find a rocky outcrop for ourselves and sit down to our lunch of baguette, tomato, cheese and nectarine.
A 30 min lunch is enough to soak in the atmosphere, then it’s time to leave for our 3hr walk back. After trekking for 30mins, we again encounter the valley still filled with white mist and the temperature drops quickly to 20°C. It took us almost 3 hrs to climb up but only 2hrs to descend to the car park where we take advantage of the picnic table and chairs for a cup of tea. Just as we are about to leave, Ian spies a huge bird perched on a rock high on the side of the mountain above us. I had read about Vultures in the Pyrenees, and later Mr google confirms its a Griffon vulture with wingspans up to 3m and weighing up to 11kg. This bird was “minding” a much smaller fledgling perched on a rock below.
Refreshed, it only takes 1hr to walk back down the road to our hotel where the temperature hasn't shifted from 20°C all day. It’s cool enough to not crave a beer when we first walk in the door. A hot shower and some blogging before dinner at 7.30pm
Dinner is vegetable soup, then chicken and chips followed by Peach Pie. Phil, Hugh, Iona and Roy are still at the hotel and we are joined by Carol and John from New Zealand. Everyone has a tale to tell of their walk today, and of climbing out through the mist to beautiful blue sky.
Our hosts Marlene and Arnaud inform us they are leaving in the morning for a friends wedding in Lyon. We sit chatting til after 10pm, trying to steer the conversation away from politics. The mist descends as we go to bed at 10.30.