Distance: 15km
Ascent: 400m
Descent: 1200m
Sainte-Engrace is the last Basque village on the GR10 heading east. After that is the High Pyrenees and the well protected Parc National des Pyrénées.
The plan was to spend 2 nights in Sainte-Engrace to do some bodily repairs, ahead of the transition. Unfortunately, there were no beds left for a second night. The alternative of continuing, my legs too shredded to attempt it so immediately in fine conditions, was out of the question when rain set in all day.
You don’t want to cross karst in rain.
So, I got a cab up to La Pierre Saint Martin, location of Refuge Jeandel, and a rather horrible 80s ski resort. Not the best place to recuperate but I was into the High Pyrenees at last.
I set off this morning, happy to get out of there, and the difference was striking and immediate. Green pastures were replaced by limestone karst landscape and scree slopes. Oak and beech changed to pine. Limestone peaks jutted above. The scale of these mountains is disorienting. Sometimes, you just need to focus on the track and how you place your feet.
Had my first taste of altitude effects today as I got up to the 2000m mark with effort through the scree. The last 20m of the Pas de l’Osque was pure mountaineering with a cable to hold onto while booted feet with toes clenched clawed onto nothing more than 4 or 5cm of ledge. Fuck that up and you are falling for a long time.
The first water source was at the aptly named “Cabane du Cap de la Baitch”.
Thereafter, the trail descended below the tree line and picked up beech and oak forest once again.
Lescun is delightful. As beautiful an old French village in the middle of the mountains as you could hope to find.
Lescun is delightful. As beautiful an old French village in the middle of the mountains as you could hope to find.
