… sleeping tonight, part II.
We went to sleep and woke up again around 02:00, because the nature called. It would be pitch black if it was not for the clear sky and the bright stars. We could easy see around us and didn’t need light to find out way to the ‘facilities’. It was only made hard because we both were looking up at the stars and not where we were going, not an good idea when camping on a rocky shelf. We saw a very clear Milky Way, a few satellites and a very bright Saturn just over Pic de Neouvielle (Peli’s favourite lump). Peli, in her half-awake state, said the stars were ‘flabbergastamatory’, well she was a bit sleepy still 🙂
We woke up again around 07:00 and started to pack, well I did the most while Peli went to get some water from a small waterfall. Clean mountain water is just the best drink.
On our way back down through the Bolou Valley we saw a sign saying that it would take 2.45 hours to walk back down to Bareges. Hmmm we are not seasoned hikers but by all means we are not slow. And when we got down to the flatter and easier bit to walk, there was a sign saying 2 hours to get back up to the Refuge de la Glere, it had taken us 2 hours to walk down!!! We arrived back in Bareges 4 hours and a bit later, utterly knackered, my legs for the last hour had been rubber.
Click on image to see a bigger version
Click on image to see a bigger version
As we were hiking up my fingers started to bloat, the higher we went the harder it was for me to make a fist. Even holding on to the water bottle was getting hard. When we arrived at 2400m and started to put the tent up and rest, the swelling started to calm down. But as soon as we started to walk back down again balloon fingers happened again. The second joint on “the rude” finger on my left hand was and still is a bit sore.
A fantastic day out in the Pyrenees, amazing scenery, stunning sunset and more stars than you could shake a stick at. It is well worth the very tired and sore legs the day after. And we just got back in time to relax in front of the box and the last stage of Le Tour.