Day 52: Coma d'Anyell to Lac des Bouillouses

Last night the moon emerged from over the mountainside whilst we had our fire and it was so bright it lit the whole valley up like a magic silvery grey negative version of day; another parallel moon world. Today we woke up cosy in our new thermals despite the frost that had formed outside the tent, we set off up the valley all golden in the sunlight, with rocky peaks all around, and a wee murky lake, where vultures circled and rows of mountains stood in line on the horizon back west, reaching the Coll de Coma d'Anyell (2470m) and descending into a totally different landscape — orange grassy marshes, a huge dark grey lake and darker mountains beyond — reaching the bottom where we had lunch and the temperature dropped and up we went climbing a steep slope to the Portella de la Cerava (2426m) past pink granite mounds and the distant yip of marmots, down into yet another valley where the rocks were deep purply black and a plain stretched off into the distance, all golden grass and the deep green of pine trees, thunder clapping in the valley we had left behind and us marching onwards and downwards on pleasant paths past more hidden marmots, my ankle buckling and twisting, the path eventually turning and meeting the huge lac des Bouillouses which we walked along as rain started and turned to hail and the ground quickly saturated and the air filled with the scent of damp pine needles, reaching a huge refuge/hotel and getting a lovely snug room where I bashed my shin on the sharp bedpost (my right leg is now just one big painful bundle of silliness. I complain but its not serious) and we feasted and sheltered whilst the sky cleared and did pretty sunset things.

***

It was too cold and wet to pitch Colin the tent at the end of the day (plus we had entered a national park, so there were limitations about where exactly you can pitch a tent and we wouldn't have been able to have fire), so we checked ourselves into the hotel Bones Hores, a dramatic and historic building with amazing views over the lake. We sipped americanos in the cosy bar and feasted at the restaurant, happy to be inside, our bags and clothes drying off in the cosy warmth.

By the lake, right before the hailstorm

The vital statistics:
Total hiking time: 5h45
Peak: 2468m
Total ascent: 661m
Total descent: 732m

Day 51: Ax-les-thermes to Coma d'Anyell

Heading back to Merens-les-Vals on the train after a double pastry breakfast, getting back on the GR10 on steep forest paths weighed down by our heaviest bags yet as we have SO much food (the longer we keep walking, the hungrier we get. 30 chocolate bars didn't seem like an unreasonable amount), cobbly paths up through a forest, discovering a natural thermal source where people have built little rock pools so you can have a totally natural thermal bath in the middle of the woods - my swimsuit was hanging to dry on the outside of my bag from yesterday so i changed quickly and jumped in to soak for a few minutes in the hot sulpher water- pure magic, devouring our first hardboiled eggs of the hike after we finally found an energy efficient method of cooking them, finding 3 four leaved clovers at once, emerging into a beautiful valley where a river was flowing and the faded remains of wildfire flowers were glowing apricot and red in the bright sunshine amidst rosehip bushes and rowan trees fit to burst with berries, autumn foliage all aglow and a coal tit fluttering about, climbing a steep bit of path to find a turquoise lake perched on the mountainside where marmots could be heard yipping and vultures circled overhead, another steep climb over boulders to the Porteille des Bésines where a spectacular panoramic view of where we'd been and where we were going opened up - high rocky mountains, pine forests, wiggly streams below, all the colours vibrant in the warm afternoon sun, heading down past a refuge and another glistening lake, negotiating confusing balissage, taking an old bit of path where the lines had been rubbed out and ending up on boulders again but quickly navigating out and down to another epic valley with a perfect pitch for the tent, a readymade fire pit and a stream to wash in, cooking dinner while the sky glowed flurescent flamingo shades and Gavin lighting his most epic fire yet as the moon peaked out from behind the mountain... today was a very good day in the mountains ♡

***

The natural thermal source outside Merens-les-Vals was my favourite thermal spa experience of the whole hike. It is magical - tiny pools of hot thermal water that have collected in pools that local mountain pixies have built out of rocks. I almost walked on by without getting in but I knew I would regret it if I didn't have a dip. It was so enchanting to be sat in such a warm pool in the middle of a forest glade in September. I noticed some wax drips on the side of the pool - people must head up in the dark and light candles and have the most amazing evenings chilling out in the warm water. I want to return someday and do just that...

my firestarter

The vital statistics:
Total hiking time: 6h14
Peak: 2333m
Total ascent: 1483m
Total descent: 436m