Hiking Pyrenees

Finally the real Barcelonean summer has arrived. Mid-day -  you are on the street, sun squishes you and fries on hot asphalt, shoe soles are melting and sticking to the ground and in the distance you see mirages of oasis. We took refuge from hot sun in the high mountains of Pyrenees. This time we are without bikes, to explore unridable tails of this beautiful mountain range. 5 days of hiking will be the longest hiking experience for both of us.

1st day

Early in the morning we slip into train station and after couple of hours we’re already in Ribes de Freser. There we start our ascent to Vall de Nuria. Vall de Nuria is valley inside the mountain range, totally locked out from outer world. There are no roads leading to this place, only some trails and recently a commercial mountain train. We failed to hitch the train, but that’s ok. We have whole day ahead to explore small paths and trails, cliffs and gorges that will lead us to Nuria. Forest is juicy green, all around there are meadows blooming, filling fresh mountain air with cocktail of summer aromas. Flies and bees are buzzing, tree leafs are hissing in the wind all together converging with sounds of mountain gorges. 

Tiekot līdz Nūrijai  jau esam supernoguruši (5h ceļā uz augšu vien!)-kājas nav radušas pie tādas slodzes. 
Te  ir manāmi vēsāks-saulei aizejot aiz kalna paliek pat nedaudz auksts un saceļas vējš, ko pavada neliels smidzeklis. 

After 5h hike we’re in Nuria. We are super exhausted. Our legs are not used to this. Here is much cooler than in BCN, when sun goes behind the mountain it starts to get chilly. Many clouds are rowing the evening skies above us once in a while dropping on us cold rain drops.

Valley of Nuria failed our expectations. Once isolated from the world monastery of Nuria became a hotel for rich tourists. This place offers various attractions to people who came here to relax: horse riding, boat rowing, skiing in the winter. We pass this place quickly coz we don’t have money to spend here and continue our route deeper in the mountains, in direction of France.

These funny animals were all around. Lurking in and out the holes they dug in the ground and making loud visling sounds

As always in the mountains to find a good place to sleep is a hard task. There is no forest around; ground is uneven, rocky and wet. Constant rain drops warn us that we should think of a good shelter. It’s getting dark. Lucky we found a place to camp, 2000 above sea level, we found some wood to make a fire. When night falls it becomes real cold. Again we don’t have enough of warm clothes- hardcore minimalists! I had to spend half a night keeping fire burning. 2 am I run out of fire wood and go to sleep. I’m exhausted.

2nd day

We woke up in the morning feeling ok. It’s wasn’t so cold after all. Gita said that she had a good night sleep. We make our already classic breakfast musli and head toward Spanish/French border up in the mountains. All around are only rocks. In the darkest corners of mountain terrain small ice and snow patches are hiding from the sun, giving birth to small springs that are floating down to valleys. 

2h climbing and we’re on the ‘border’. It’s hard! ~2700 above sea level. Soon our life will get a bit easier. Now we’re going all the way down according to the map. We descent in a valley on the French side passing small mountain lakes until we reach the birth place of Caranca river. Caranca flows to Thues entre valls, a small village where it falls into bigger river -  Le Tet, which is famous for it’s dozens of thermal water spots. 

Flora is constantly changing as we go down the valley. On our way we meet all kinds’ mountain flowers; different size color and shape. Makes us think once again bout natures’ unlimited ways of constructing life.

Mountain refuge

Humans were here

Marching slowly down the stream meadows become bushes, bushes become forests, river becomes bigger and bigger, swallowing all the small water sources entering it. 

Marching slowly down the stream meadows become bushes, bushes become forests, river becomes bigger and bigger, swallowing all the small water sources entering it. 

We stopped hiking only late in the evening. 12h walking today – it’s not normal, but we could not find a good spot for a camp on the way. We had high hopes on the goal of our hike – wild hot springs. Like a northern star for sailors it was our guide all the last 4 hour of our hike. We reached the place by the dark, with tired and blistered legs. But nature played a bad trick on us. The place where used to be pools of hot water on the bank of Le Tet river, were totally rearranged by the floods. There were no hot water only sand and rocks. Bummer! We made dinner and went to sleep. Tomorrow we’ll go to another place to have a bath.

3rd day

In the morning we explored abandoned SPA station which we already wisited in the winter. Now it’s all green here.

Abandoned SPA station in Le Tet valley

After a good hike there’s a good night sleep. Our legs gave up working properly on day three. Muscles are in pain, Gita has blisters on every finger. We’re walking like penguins now. With a funny penguin walk, slowly we reach Thues les Bains. This hot spring are still here for sure, carved in rock, they just can’t disappear. 

After a soak in the hot pools we decide that a small walk around the area will be nice for us. Even if the legs are tired it’s good to move around a bit to get rid of all that nasty lactose we collected yesterday in our muscles.

We head to legendary abandoned village on the top of one mountain. Village name is En. 

Village was not completely abandoned. The were couple of houses habituated by someone, cows filled pastures all around; village church seems to function also. We got there just in time before thunder storm. On this altitude it’s kind of scary. Thunder sounds here like sky is being ripped apart.

In the evening we’re back to camp to enjoy two more sets of hot baths.

4th day

Our legs still hurt a lot. In the morning we march 2 hours to Olette to get on 1 eur bus which will bring us to Perpignan and the Banyls sur Mer. We had to go along car road that was snaking along the deep valley. Fortunately there were very little cars.

We got on the bus. It’s full of people, but it has air conditioner and driver is listening to relaxing reggae music. After couple of hour we’re in Perpignan. It’s much warmer and humid here. Some hours to wait for the next bus, so we go to the shop to buy some snacks.

Evening – we’re in Banyls. Town is full of tourists. All the evening and next day we spend on the beach, relaxing and enjoying sea after a few hard days in the mountains.