Nature did a great job of making sure I felt like I got my money’s worth for the auberge last night. Not too long after we went to bed, the storms started. At least 4 storm cells went through the area with nearly constant rain all night long. Pam was “restless” but I slept like a baby. She tossed and turned until she finally got up to go to the bathroom. I slid over to take her side of the bed since it was closer to the window and I was afraid she would close it. She confessed in the morning that she was thinking of closing the window when she came back from the bathroom.
We had signed up for a 7:30 breakfast with the idea of making it all the way to Bagneres-de-Luchon today–almost a 14 mile day if we pull it off. But when the alarm went off, it was still pouring outside. We had even heard hale through the night so we were already changing our minds about today’s destination.
We stayed in bed until 7:32 (ok, occasionally we do put stuff off until the last minute) but it worked out for the best. The rain stopped for our walk to the dining building. When we got in, we saw that Fred was also there for breakfast. We sat and talked with him and discussed plans for the day. He was able to find out from the woman in charge of the auberge that the weather for today was more of the same (fog, mist, and light rain during the day with a chance of more storms through the night). We briefly considered taking another day off, but knew if we did we wouldn’t be done with the trail by the time our Shengen time limit was up.
Fred was planning on going to the Refuge d’Espingo today and then making it into Bagneres tomorrow. Getting to Bagneres today doesn’t gain us anything because we need to do some shopping and with today being Sunday… After Bagneres, we will have a seven day stretch without having access to any shops for food (my back and feet are already aching at the thought of all the food we will be carrying). We asked Fred if we could walk with him as far as the refuge and then we would make our decision.
The trail up to Lac d’Oo was actually a nice wide track where we could walk next to each other and talk most of the way. As with most everyone we meet, Fred wondered what was happening in the USA that we would elect someone like Trump. We talked politics for a while (and held our heads in shame at what is happening in Washington), we also talked about why we like hiking, nature, movies, etc. The time flew by and we didn’t notice that we had climbed over 1000′ in about a mile.
Ahead was a bridge which crossed a creek to the Refuge d’Oo which had the promise of coffee, or we could keep going straight to Lac d’Espingo. We all agreed we had earned a break for our mile of effort (I don’t understand why we are taking so long to walk this trail). The day was a complete white-out so far from the heavy fog, so we were already leaning to staying around Espingo for the night in the hopes of getting some views tomorrow.
Here’s a benefit to being slow–by the time we got back on the trail from our break, the fog started breaking up a little so we could actually see that there was a lake below us. After about 15 minutes of walking, we could actually see the other side of the lake and all the waterfalls that fed it. Other than being famous for crossword puzzles (2 letter name of lake in France–“Oo”) it is a beautiful reservoir used for hydro-electric.
We’ve discovered that if we want to see real wildlife in the Pyrenees, we are going to have to get up early. I think we all realize we’re not going to see an Isard with that kind of requirement involved, so we are going to have to be satisfied with what’s at our feet and the occasional marmot. We happened upon a creature that Martha Johnson would be very interested in.
The fog came back with a vengeance. Arriving at Refuge d’Espingo, Fred enquired as to the weather conditions for the night and possible camping locations around the refuge. Rain is expected again tonight, but not with all the electrical storms we had last night. To camp, we were going to have to descend a couple hundred feet to the lake and then walk another 1/4 mile to the location where camping is allowed, OR, we could stay in the refuge where we can get supper, breakfast, and a bed. There was no doubt in my mind which choice Pam would take and I was leaning the same way.
It looks like we’re are going to be walking with Fred for the next 2-3 days since he is a rarity–a French hiker who is not a competitive hiker. He is willing to walk at our slow pace and we enjoy each other’s company. Every now and then, we see him start up the French routes around switchbacks (the vertical route), but he’s trying to slow down to our pace. We discovered that he had a small stroke a few years ago and his doctor is recommending that he slow down a bit, and we’re just the ticket for slowing people down. After Fos, he’s going to leave the GR10 and hike some loops staying closer to civilization at night joining the trail again in another week or so.
We actually stopped hiking around 2 today. The second earliest time of this trip (it’s going to be hard to stop any earlier than we did in Vielle-Aure (8a) when most days we don’t start hiking until well after 9. This is our first refuge where we are sleeping with the masses. It’s quite different than we expected. Our room has three levels of bunks with 5 people on each level sleeping shoulder to shoulder–think AT shelter with mattresses. I let Pam have the corner (so I can squish her up against the wall and get more space–she’s not the least bit claustrophobic). It’s also behind the ladder so if I took it, she knows I’d have to climb over her every time I get up in the night. I only have to walk the length of the building, then downstairs to the bathroom…
Nice salamander photo! That’s a Fire Salamander, they are toxic so don’t handle them or eat them. Their toxin makes your blood pressure go sky high until you stroke out.