Phew ...

Taken at the top of the pass after a hard (half) day's walking. We set off from home around ten, and stopped off in Vals to see the église rupestre , a small church built into a rock with lovely wall paintings (previously seen here). Then we had a picnic, expertly prepared by S, in the meadow next to the church ... it was a glorious day, with a slight breeze to stop the 30C heat getting to us.

Then it was on to the harder part of the day. Leaving the car at the dam in Laparan, we donned our boots and went for a steep climb through the woods, on the principle of a) being in the shade for the hottest part of the day and b) getting at least some of our 700 metres of climbing out of the way early. Then it was a walk along high valleys, a bit of rock scrambling, a slightly nervous walk through a pasture with about a hundred cows and calves in it, watched rather indifferently by a couple of cowherds and their dogs, then more climbing.

Some of us were flagging slightly as we approached the last climb of the day. "Only 200 metres more, and the refuge is just over the other side," said S encouragingly. Several walkers went gambolling past us and up the steep grassy slope, disappearing over the top 15 minutes later. It turned out not to be as smooth and grassy as it looked, but full of ruts and projecting rocks, with no clear path. Bundle and I slogged up it, pausing frequently to get our breath back, and visualising the cold beer awaiting us -- it took us at least twice as long as everyone else but we finally made it and could see the refuge below us on the other side. Pause for a blip, a breather, and some water. It had taken us four hours instead of the advertised two and a half ...

Arriving at the refuge was a bit of a shock after the silence and isolation of the mountains -- we'd seen few other walkers except in the last kilometre or so. The snag with a summer Saturday night was that it was heaving with people. Going into the porch we were suddenly overwhelmed by noise and bustle, enhanced by many of the walkers being naturally noisy Catalans. 

Not only that, but we discovered that we were down for the first sitting for dinner, at 7 p.m. So that gave us 15 minutes to dump our stuff in the dormitory, unpack essentials, and grab a quick splash of water. No time for a shower, or even a beer, before we sat down in the packed and incredibly noisy dining room -- you had to shout to make yourself heard above the din (see extra). Still, S had managed to order three beers and the food was plentiful and freshly cooked. The hostel is so remote that it is supplied by monthly helicopter rotations, and has no electricity other than what's supplied by solar panels, so it's quite an achievement to feed 60 people day after day. Even the bread was fresh.

The noise was exhausting though ... after eating we stepped out onto the terrace for a while, before returning to the now almost deserted dining room for herbal tea, followed by bed in the extremely cosy dormitory (still no shower ... the crowded and largely flooded shower room was not a tempting proposition!).