Day 17, Jun 30, 2024From Gourette to Lac d’Estaing29.5 km hiked, 31.0% complete We both woke around 6.30am after a good night’s sleep, and while contemplating getting up, the rain started in earnest. It poured down for a few minutes before settling to a drizzle. We had another great breakfast…

Day 16, Jun 29, 2024 At Gourette0 km hiked, 27.9% complete As planned, today was a restful day in Gourette. We watched the mist outside and listened to thunderstorms and rain while reading in our hotel room. We only ventured down to the restaurant for food at mealtimes (which were…

Day 15, Jun 28, 2024 From Lac d’Anglas to Gourette2.9 km hiked, 27.9% complete Our night by the lake was uneventful. Apart from a few spots of rain, the weather remained fair, defying the previous forecast of thunderstorms. We only had an hour and a half of downhill walking to…

Day 14, Jun 27, 2024From Gabas to Lac d’Anglas19 km hiked, 27.7% complete According to the guidebook, this next section would take 9 hours involving 1600m steep ascent and navigating a mountain pass with possible snow. We decided that we would go only the first 9 km,  then camp near…

Day 13, Jun 26, 2024 From Etsaut to Gabas24.3 km hiked, 25.7% complete Directly out of Etsaut town, we entered the Parc Nationale Pyrenees and commenced the day’s long climb. After only 30 minutes we were climbing the Chemin de la Mature, which is a spectacular section of path cut…

Day 12, Jun 25, 2024 From Lescun to Etsaut14.7 km hiked, 23.2% complete The morning dawned fine and hot and we were able to eat at a nearby restaurant that provided toast with jam, orange juice and tea/coffee in cups that look like soup bowls! After breakfast and buying food…

Day 11, Jun 24, 2024From Cabane du Cap de la Baitch to Lescun8.3 km hiked, 21.6% complete We woke to a cloudless sky with the morning sun shining on patches of snow and the rocky faces of the mountains we had passed over yesterday. After a scanty breakfast of a…

Day 10, Jun 23, 2024From Sainte-Engrâce to Cabane du Cap de la Baitch22.3 km hiked, 20.8% complete The morning dawned overcast with light rain. Unfortunately during the night water got into our tent floor so things were a bit damp. Today’s hike saw us climbing up the road from the…

Day 9, Jun 22, 2024 From Larrau to Sainte-Engrâce27.4 km hiked, 18.4% complete After the 2 km from our campsite to the start of the next section,  we left the road and commenced a steep climb up a gorge. The track was both rocky and wet, and we had to…

Day 8, Jun 21, 2024From Chalet Pedro to Larrau21.3 km hiked, 15.9% complete We set out this morning in good spirits. For a brief time, the clouds had parted to show some patches of blue sky. We had delayed our departure until 8 am at the request of our hosts,…