Today is a long day that pretty much follows the frontier ridge all day. In the process, you climb the Pic d'Ohry - at just over 2000 m it's the highest peak so far on the hike. Accommodation is in an unmanned cabane and this lends a bit of uncertainty to the day - you don't know if you'll be alone or there will be a crowd there. Because it's a long day and there's no water on the trail, I take some extra water in addition to my usual 2 liter hydration system.
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| The mist clears and progress improves |
The forecast gives a 50% chance of storms from around 8.00 pm, so I start hiking by 9.00 am. I make good progress for the first half hour or so but then I'm in the clouds and can only see about 10 meters ahead. There isn't really a path (or, rather, there are lots of paths made by cows) and there are no landmarks to follow, so I'm navigating by map and compass and progress slows a lot. I'm looking at my map and concluding I need to follow a dirt road when the mist clears and I can see the route beyond the dirt road all the way to …. the Pic d'Ohry. Quite a relief!
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| Approaching the base of the Pic d'Ohry and second breakfast |
The hike continues in clear air until I get to the bottom of the Pic d'Ohry where I stop for a second breakfast and admire the hill - it's a big lump. The climb is pretty steep; from time to time there is a nice breeze blowing from the south, but, when it isn't there, it's a hot and sweaty climb. About halfway up the climb there's a sharp little ridge to cross. By the time I reach the summit I've made up for the time I lost in the mist and I'm back on guidebook schedule. From the summit I descend down the ridge to the Port de Larrau (a col where a road crosses the frontier) and stop for a bit of a break (and get back off guidebook schedule!).
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| Vulture just beside the Port de Larrau; there are lots of raptors on the ridge |
The hike continues along the border ridge but it's rounded now, and the ups and downs are more reasonable. It's very pleasant hiking but I'm keeping one eye on the clouds over in Spain and it's obvious there will be a storm this evening. There's a steep descent to the north of the ridge I can use to reach a dirt road leading to the cabane if the storm arrives too soon, but I continue along the ridge. When I arrive at the Col Elhurrosoko I head down to the cabane just as distant rumblings of thunder can be heard over in Spain.
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| Pleasant hiking on the rounded frontier ridge |
I'm well down from the ridge with my rain jacket on when the storm arrives at around 5.00 pm. It's heavy rain and then grape-sized hail with distant peals of thunder; my rain jacket does a great job of keeping my top half dry but very quickly the rest of me is soaked. I splash downwards, passing cows and horses that look as miserable as I feel. The rain has just stopped when I arrive at the cabane and I'm greeted by 2 young guys doing the HRP who just beat the storm.
I get changed and make some tea and share some cake with my fellow HRPers. They are doing what they call double days; each day, they hike 2 day's worth of the HRP. Today, they had a 'rest day' by only doing a single day! By this time, the sun is shining again but only for about 15 minutes before the mist descends on us for the night.
Later on a French guy doing the HRP in the opposite direction arrives. We all cook our own meals and go to bed. I sleep fine until my super-light air mattress (Thermarest Uberlite) springs a leak - I sleep less well after that.
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