Happy Birthday Ros
Day 13, Jun 26, 2024
From Etsaut to Gabas
24.3 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 out of the rock face. This excavation was achieved in 1772 in order to allow the transport of timber from the nearby forest to construct masts for the French naval vessels. The name translates to The Mast Road.
Onwards from there, we wound through forest where we saw a snake on the path which we think was a harmless green whip snake.
We continued through farmland, followed by more forest before we emerged in an open valley.
The long steep climb ascended 1600m to bring us to the top of Col d’Ayous where we stopped for a bite to eat. Ros’s birthday lunch was enjoyed with a breathtaking view of the very close Pic de Midi d’Osseau – a very distinctive mountain peak in the Pyrenees.
A short distance down in the next valley, we came across a beautiful lake. Instead of stopping at the nearby refuge (as we had planned), we decided to complete the 1200m descent to arrive at the end of this section in the town of Gabas. We were fortunate to find accommodation in a hostel in a shared dormitory room. The prediction was for thunderstorms tonight, but it is 7 pm, and we’ve seen no sign of rain or storms as yet.
6 thoughts on “Happy Birthday Ros”
Comme c’est raide!
Mais quelle paysages magnifiques pour une bonne fete!
Looking amazing guys, I don’t know how you keep up with the blog but glad that you are. Happy Birthday Roz! Didn’t see a big present for you anywhere! What a copout 😀
The view was the present 😀. And an ebook of the Lord of the Rings trilogy for her Kindle.
yet again wonderful pictures and flowers. Hope Peter is better
Happy Birthday Ros! What a wonderful place to celebrate. J xx
Such great photos! very impressive scenery – Happy birthday to Ros!