A hike in the Pyrennes. Part 1.

Trip Report

Images (1)

Comments (10)

Geography

Nearby Trip Reports

Interactive Map

Trip Reports in France

Parents

Pic du Midi d'Ossau

Trip Reports

A hike in the Pyrennes. Part 1.

Page Type: Trip Report

Location: Hautes-Pyrénées, France, Europe

Lat/Lon: 42.84320°N / 0.4358°W

Date Climbed/Hiked: Jul 1, 1989

Page By: Lolli

Created/Edited: Jan 7, 2006 / Sep 11, 2006

Object ID: 170757

Hits: 1052

Page Score: 88.79% - 12 Votes

Vote: Log in to vote

Once upon a time, when your grandmother was a small child.... we had decided that we we would hike for a while in the Pyrennes on our way up south. Just walk for a while. Getting tired of bicycling around in the Camargue, we longed for something not quite so flat. Leaving Pau and the road west, we turned south and took ourselves towards Urdos. When there, we bought some stuff from a nice farmerlady on whose land we had spent the night, and started walking into the Pyrennes. Just above the village, some kilometers away towards southwest, there is a green valley. Being there, it feels like you are out there all by yourself, in a very emeraldgreen, lustrous landscape, surrounded by mountains. If one climbs up a bit, one can see the village, windows opens up and the view is great.

We had company, though. Sheeps that were hearded by big dogs alone and no shepherds. Birds! The major reason for being there... lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus) & peregrine (Falco peregrinus). We left the valley some day later and started to move east. Crossed some railwaytracks and I believe we most certainly crossed the border to Spain a few times too, in our windling walks, looking at flowers and where the wind would take us. The weather was a sunny day and splendid for botanics. We met another company, two pairs that were walking in the opposite direction. They told us it was pretty easy hiking in front of us.

Pitched up the tent below a nice looking piece of rock... had no real intention of climbing it. No intention at all! We had no such plans at all, we were just walking around in the landscape. Not quite dressed for such activities either, but.... that's not a pre-requisitive, really. A bonus, but not necessary.

Next morning we woke early and while having breakfast, this peregrine was circling above us. He kept disappearing up behind that mass of rock and coming back. Maybe he lived up there...? Would be nice if one could find out, and maybe sneak a discreet look into his home. Both of us thought the same thing. Without much ado, we started to walk towards the mountain, and the bird came back. Now we saw in which direction he went, too. It wasn't so hard to scramble upwards. Scree, rocks on the ground and nice rugged stones, not slippery at all. Well, it was a dry sunny day, nothing to worry about. Every time the bird came back, he went for the same place, where he then disappeared. We struggled on, parts of the way became steeper and it seemed more important to choose the right way. By now it was a long while since we saw the falcon last time. Not a sign so far of where he might live. Ended up in a dead end twice, had I been one of those CLIMBING boys, it wouldn't had been a problem, but I wasn't, so it was to go back and try a new way.

(These dead ends were much nicer and cosier than one I found myself on earlier this trip. That time, I was solemnly woving on the way up, that there was nothing, there existed absolutely nothing in this world, that would ever get me to go down the same way I was coming up. But, when turning around a corner, it suddenly ended on a small ledge. The view was fantastic - and all around us.

There was nothing below us, nothing at the sides and nothing above. There was a wall behind our backs, though. While sitting on the ledge, contemplating on how to get down again, or if I would stay and become the mountain's figurehead, suddenly the sun disappeared and the air started to feel cold. And damp. Looking down, we saw nothing, but the mist rolling in. The first raindrops hit our bare skins. The time of contemplating came to a quick end as we almost in panic started moving back towards where we came from. I don't really recall how we finally arrived to safe ground, more than it was cold, agonizingly slow and very, very carefully on a slippery surface.)

Today, it was a nice day and we kept going, and suddenly, oh it was a marvellous view! No peregrine, no nest, but who cares? We decided that we might as well go that final bit to the summit, since we gotten this far already. We saw it from where we were. I wanted to sit on the top, eat a peach and look at the view. Why is that, one always wants to get up on top of things?

Sitting there, I realised the mountain must have a name. Were exactly were we? Naturally we brought a map with us, in the daypack, (a must for lost-prone people, even if it's lost by choice) and it was really nice to sit on top of Pic du Midi d'Ossau and trying to figure out which mountains around could be which one.

On the way down, we met some other people. They all seemed very purposefilled and focused on what they were doing, I'm sure they reached the summit much faster than we did, but then, they probably had planned to climb it. Otherwise, the descent was quite eventless, except for a loose rock that made me slip and scrape the skin off the ancle, but such things happens. When we were down again, the peregrine was back. I think he was fooling around with us, silly humans. These silly humans decided to move on next day, through this enchanting landscape.

(Maybe there will come pictures, but I have not much hope of finding them. )

Images

Comments

[ Post a Comment ]

Viewing: 1-10 of 10

fdoctor

Trip Report Comment

Hasn't voted

Nice one Lolli, its amazing how many people go into the mountains and dont see what's around them except rock! Birds are something I lways notice on my Nepal trips eswpecially lammergeir

By the way, you've posted the date as July 2006 on this trip, so perhaps its a dream of a future trip!

fd

ps still going strong at 93, I thought I was the oldest person on SP!

Posted Jan 8, 2006 2:17 am

Vid Pogachnik

Trip Report Comment

Hasn't voted

This is a cute trip report, Lolli! Once it was my dream to go on mountains just enjoying them and not knowing their names, routes etc. That's why I enjoyed reading this so much!

Posted Jan 8, 2006 4:05 am

Lolli

Trip Report Comment

Hasn't voted

fdoctor, ok, I changed the year, it was for real. The age remains for now, though... ;-)

Vid, thank you! In fact, there are mountains I don't have a slightest idea where I've been, only the area :-)

Posted Jan 8, 2006 6:24 am

Dingus Milktoast

Trip Report Comment

Hasn't voted

Its funny, how many peaks get climbed this way, spur of the moment. There always seems to be a watershed moment too, where the climber suddenly realizes the peak is bigger than appearence would suggest, when the base still seems closer than the summit.

And we have to take the decision to hike or climb on, and deal with the resulting consequences come what may.

Seems to happen on most outtings, imo. Those unexpected prizes, impulsive climbs, are often like wild berries. They aren't always the sweetest fruit on the vines, but they are all the better for their wild lineage and surprising presense

Thanks Lolli

DMT

Posted Jan 9, 2006 10:20 am

Alpinist

Trip Report Comment

Hasn't voted

I enjoyed reading your story Lolli. Thanks for posting it.

Posted Jan 23, 2006 3:11 pm

Sajama

Cooking.

Voted 10/10

Your nick seems spanish, you know the Pyrennes...Do you like spanish cooking?

Posted Mar 22, 2006 5:18 pm


	Lolli	Re: Cooking.
	Hasn't voted	Yes very much, but I have no connection to Spain, except that I am fond of Spanish wine, (especially Penedes) Gaudi and Barcelona. Oh, and you have something that's high on the wishlist among things to see: Alhambra.
		Posted Mar 22, 2006 5:57 pm


	Sajama	Re: Cooking.
	Voted 10/10	Good election Lolli! Many non spanish people only know Pamplona. I respect bullrunning but I don´t like at present (due to bad experiences with bulls). I prefer the mountain, is less dangerous. Best wishes.
		Posted Mar 24, 2006 9:06 pm

edouet	Atmosphere...
Hasn't voted	Thank you for this report; reading it, I can feel and see the atmosphere of the moment. I'm far away from MY Pyrenees, but will always remember each one one my first climbs there. Now, the Ossau is overcrowded, but you can still enjot it, feeling the adrenaline when you climb its chimneys ( assuming you're just a trekker like me, not a technical climber ). One of the most beautiful mountains in the world; for those who haven't discovered the Pyrenees yet, take your gear and go. You'll soon understand what we talk about.
	Posted Sep 19, 2006 2:02 pm


	Lolli	Re: Atmosphere...
	Hasn't voted	You're right, I'm not a technical rock climber and the Pyrenees are just lovely. Emerald green gorgeous nature. It was a long time ago, but I have often planned to go back again, even though it has yet to happen.
		Posted Sep 19, 2006 7:57 pm

Viewing: 1-10 of 10