Back in July 2024, I was in the middle of the 900km GR10 hike that crosses the French Pyrenees from Hendaye to Banyuls. This is the third post recounting this epic adventure. you can read parts one and two to see the Atlantic and High Pyrenees respectively.
Part two left off in Bagnères de Luchon where I had slept in the Lutin gite, gotten a double serving of apple crumble, and ate a substantial dinner.
The Ariegeoise Pyrenees is where I found Francois again and stuck with him for the rest of the trek. Hiking alone wasn't my favourite part of this adventure, and I was delighted to have a hiking partner.
Day 27: Bagnère - Fos
29.5km, 8h15
I woke up feeling very well rested. The Lutin gite was almost empty, and I had had a whole room to myself. I took my time to leave, I stopped at the Montagnard Cafe and felt odly happy.
I knew that starting today, I was in the second half of the trek. Mentally, this was a huge boost. I'd heard the following section of trail was going to be challenging which I was really looking forward to. My body could handle long distances easily now. Bring it on!
8km from Bagnères is a picturesque village called Artigue. The hike there is easy with a very gradual ascending slope. I stopped to eat my cheese and saucisson. If you ever go in the region wanting to do day hikes, Artigue is the place to stay.
I looked somewhat distrustfully at the clouds above. It was overcast and the clouds were low: I couldn't see the mountain peaks.
Sure enough, shortly after leaving the little town, the fog engulfed me and I was back in a cloud soup. This was truly a shame because I spent an hour or so walking on what would of been a beautiful ridge which marked the Spanish border.
Coming down the other side of the mountain I passed two little free huts and was very tempted to stay in them. They looked in decent shape, and since I couldn't see anything I was tempted to call it a day.
It was early in the afternoon though and the thought of staying in a tiny hut without seeing much of its surroundings kept me going. At least I could make this a "distance" day and kept walking.
The clouds were fixed at a certain altitude. My visibility gradually got better until I fully emerged out of the soup. I reached the next valley and reached Fos around 8 pm.
There was only one place to get groceries there and it doubled as a bar (Fos is a small place). There were a few people there, the atmosphere was festive: it was the bar's first day. The main bar had burned down and this was the replacement.
I stopped to have a pint and exchange a few words with people. They suggested I sleep in the old camping. It was technically closed, but hikers were welcome to spend the night. The village kept the facilities working and it was a delight to shower with hot water.
On top of that, it was free!
Today had been a good day, the sky was now clear, it was warm and I went to bed looking at the stars from my little tent.
Day 28 Fos - Arech hut
30km, 9h45
Woke up bright and early and started hiking after a pain au chocolat breakfast. The hiking trail to the next village, Melles, is ok. It's a small path at the bottom of the valley, and then you end up on the road to Melles.
All the cafes were closed in Melles, unfortunately. I kept walking, uncaffeinated. The GR10 spend 5km on a road, leading from Melles to the next trailhead. Road walking wasn't what I signed up for and I hitchhiked this part.
In hindsight, I would hitchhike from Fos to the trailhead, you're not missing anything on this segment of the hike.
My goal was to reach the Araing refuge and have lunch there. The trail leading up there is very enjoyable once you reach the parking lot.
When you reach 1800m, the views are breathtaking. The landscape is almost like a marsh, on top of a mountain. Very cool. It was sunny, not a cloud in the sky.
I hiked in this unique landscape, surrounded by mountain peaks, for a couple of hours before reaching the Araing refuge. The views of the Araing lake and Crabere peak were stunning.
After eating and drying my tent I set off again. My goal was to reach Eylie and figure out what the plan was for the evening.
The afternoon's highlight was the abandoned mine of Bentaillou. They extracted lead from the mountain until 1953. The mine is high up in the mountain, and the cable system to bring the lead down to the valley is impressive. Imagine a sort of chairlift but for rocks.
I took my time hiking down the mountain, taking the scenery in.
When I reached Eylie, I was told the gite was full. At the same time, I got a text from Francois saying he was with a friend in a hut not too far.
After a good beer and cheese, I started again, going towards the Arech pass. It was 5:30pm.
The Ariegeoise Pyrenees are known to have steep trails. I confirm that statement. They don't like switchbacks there.
I thanked myself again for choosing the hitchhike that morning. I could not of pushed on had I not done so.
I reached the top of the pass and saw the Aspinou hut. It's nice because it's at the top of the pass and offers incredible views. Unfortunately is pretty small and dilapidated. Francois was in the next hut, just 500 metres away.
There was a giant sheep heard around. As I approached the herd dogs came running and barking. They turned out to be very friendly and cuddly but having five dogs run at me barking is not something I'm very used to.
I chatted with the herder and then made my way towards the hut. The herd was staying right beside it, and I noticed a large white ball of fluff right in front of the hut: a patou.
Patous are big guard dogs with the role of protecting the herd. Whereas the regular herd dogs and smaller, these guys are pretty massive. They have a reputation for being aggressive towards anything that doesn't look like a sheep.
Sure enough, as I strolled towards the hut, this big guy got up, lazily walked towards me and started barking. There are tons of signs along the GR10 that warn hikers about these dogs. I stayed put and slowly backed away. I don't know what I would of done if the herder hadn't walked by and told me this puppy was also fond of cuddles.
That was a fun surprise. I had spent the last 27 days reading signs warning about these dogs and this one only wanted cuddles!
I finally reached the hut and found Francois and his friend having dinner. This hut was bigger than the previous one, there was a fire going, and even running water and electricity.
I was exhausted after a long day of hiking, and this was the perfect way to end it.
Day 29 Arech - Maison du Vallier
12.3km, 4h10
It's nice to wake up, have breakfast and start hiking with company. Francois had a camping stove with him so hot coffee was back on the menu!
The dogs came to give us a last cuddle before we set out. This was going to be a relaxed hike, the total distance was less than 15km. After yesterday's 30km trek, I welcomed it happily.
We saw a herd of horses at the bottom of the valley.
After another 800m ascent immediately followed by an 800 m descent, we reached the Maison du Vallier around 1pm. We had lots of time to relax, do laundry in the river and recharge.
I'd notice a bunch of bug bites on my neck, arms and chest...I hoped to all the deities they weren't bed bugs. It was later found out they were not.
Day 30 Maison du Vallier - Regufe Estagnou
8.3km, 3h18
After a phenomenal sleep and a breakfast that had both delightful coffee and Nutella, I felt like a million bucks.
The plan for today was simple:
Go up the the Estagnou refuge
Leave our bags there and go summit Mount Vallier the tallest peak in Ariege
Sleep at Estagnou
Rejoin the GR10 by the Peyre Blanc pass tomorrow morning
This was my first big detour off the GR10. Technically, it did look like a good shortcut so I was always down for that.
The way to Estagnou was serene, we only saw two other hikers on the trail. We walk along streams and waterfalls for most of the hike. Beautiful.
We took our time to relax at the hut, checked in and had a snack.
It was another 1 hour of hiking up the summit, and we felt very light without our heavy packs!
The views at the top were what you expect from summit views on a clear day: breathtaking.
We ate at the refuge and went to bed after another day well spent.
Day 31: Estagnou - Rouze
22.3km, 7h40
The refuge's breakfast was complete: granola, jam, toast, coffee, and butter. It was the best I'd had on the GR10 for a mountain hut.
We made our way to Peyre Blanc pass. This was off the main trail, and we had to pass a snowy section. Francois had crampons and ice axe. I did not.
He led the way the whole time, zig zagging down the snowy slope for a couple of hours. We were going extra slow because there was no marked trail to follow and we were back in complete fog soup. We had to stop every 10 minutes to check our Fatmap app for directions.
We rejoined the GR10 at the Aula hut. It's a free shelter with decent beds, a table and a fireplace. The beds have mattresses on them which gives me the ick. When I'm out camping I prefer to use my own, inflatable mattress. That way I can be sure it doesn't have bed bugs or any other dirty stuff in it.
It started to rain lightly, and our goal was to avoid a thunderstorm that was looming somewhere around these mountains.
The rest of the day was challenging. Our legs were sore from our snowy adventure, we couldn't see anything and it was raining.
We arrived at the Rouze farm in the early afternoon. This is by far the best place I've stayed in during the adventure.
This beautiful farm is very remote and only caters to hikers. They have lots of animals around and sell their cheeses and products to the local market. The two owners are very welcoming and friendly.
Now for the best part: the hiking lodge. It's a small building that overlooks the garden. The main floor has a fireplace, a fully equipped kitchen and a large dinner table. Upstairs you'll find the dorm, which can accommodate up to 15.
You can help yourself to any food and drinks. All payment is done on the honour system. They had a bialetti coffee maker, which is my favourite way to make my cup of Joes.
There were a few other hikers that trickled in throughout the day. Everyone was happy to be here and we all decided to eat with the demi pension.
The demi pension rate includes the night at the establishment as well as dinner and breakfast.
Since I was travelling on a budget I rarely allowed myself to splurge on this, but this was a special occasion. The food was incredible, and the pitcher of wine was bigger than the pitcher of water!
This was one of my favourite nights of the whole trek. I don't know if I'll ever go back there but these memories will stay forever with me.
Day 32: Rest day at Rouze
We woke up to torrential rain. The poor weather combined with the farm's charm made it an easy choice to relax.
We met Saad, a guy from Lyon, which is right beside my birthplace of St-Etienne. Naturally, we bonded over that and he joined our hiking party the following day.
Day 33: Rouze - Aulus Les Bains
33km, 9h10
The goal for today was to see the Ars and Fouillet waterfalls.
After getting lost for a little bit we found the right trail and reached the Serre du Coll pass easily.
It was another long day, with clouds rolling in and out of the sky. The waterfall views were clear.
Francois had decided to take a shortcut to Aulus, and Saad had to take a longer lunch break so I finished the stage solo.
I rolled my ankle 7 km away from Aulus which put me in a foul mood. I was able to walk down without a hitch but the pain would stay with me for the next three days.
Aulus is a big village compared to what we had seen the last week. It had a great grocery store where I loaded up on pasta and Nutella. That evening Francois and I made what would become our giant pasta dish with grated cheese.
The campground we stayed at had heated bathrooms so we put our shoes and socks to dry overnight.
We met Charlie, who will also join our crew in a few days.
Saad arrived at 8pm and told us he was going to take a rest day tomorrow. We will see him again in part four of this hiking adventure.
Day 34: Aulus - Prunadiere hut
26.4km, 8h15
We started slow. We were both banged up from yesterday and didn't want to over exert ourselves.
We reached a beautiful plateau with lots of animals on it. Sheep herds, cows, and horses were all roaming around.
At the top of the Bassies pass we saw three ibexes. These are getting repopulated in the Pyrenees and are tagged for safety.
The Bassies lakes are beautiful and the refuge there has one of the best views of the region.
We had a quick lunch there, and the couple next to us offered us a glass of wine. Nice.
Francois and I parted ways again; he was going straight to Auzat and I wanted to follow the GR10.
It's true that this section of the hike does a big W into two valleys and can be avoided. Taking the short cut shaves 10-15km.
I walked on an old water drainage system for 4km and reached Mounicou. The final part of the day was a 300m steep up hill to the Prunadiere hut. It started to drizzle and I was very happy to see smoke coming out of the hut's chimney.
I entered the shelter and met Armand. We had a good conversation, I hung up my stuff to dry and had another good night's rest.
Day 35: Prunadiere - Siguere
22.3km, 6h10
Today was mostly downhill on a very walkable trail. The sun was out and it felt nice to have a chill hike.
I met Charlie on the way to Goullier and we hiked the rest of the day together. Goullier looked nice but the gite was closed. I had hoped to grab a coffee and snack but settled for a nice spot in the sun on the terrace.
The rest of the hike was very pleasant, we passed a few other hikers along the way and enjoyed the views as we hiked down towards Siguere.
Francois was waiting for us at the Accueil des Randoneurs which is a free place to stay in the village. It is bare bones but has good beds and a functioning toilet and kitchen.
The only place that has groceries there is the Cancala gite. It's a bit more expensive than a regular store but the owner is from Belgium and the beers she has are top notch.
We had another gigantic plate of pasta and went to bed.
Day 36: Siguere - Angaka
22.2km, 7h36
This day had over 2000m of elevation which is always tough.
Sun was shining, the grass was dry-ish, and the day started out pleasantly. We soon reached a plateau. What a sight. Gorgeous mountains surrounded us, gentle hill tops rolled in front of us.
Some friendly goats came to see what was up with us during our snacks. It's kind of funny how these animals work. They stayed away at first and as soon so one of them came to see us, the whole herd followed. Not doubt our cheese and bread looked yummy to them as well.
We saw two free shelters that had food supplies. This was remarkable since all payments were done on the honour system. I wondered if this type of set up would work back home, in Vancouver.
Part of me doubted it. I'd heard stories of these shelters being vandalized and abused in other parts of the Pyrenees. It seemed that in the Ariege region people were more respectful of them.
The Clarans shelter was 500 metres away from a road, so easily accessible. It's impressive that no one comes here to steal the supplies.
We stayed at the Clarans shelter for a little bit. We only had a few kilometres to reach Angaka but there was a nasty 700m of elevation waiting for it.
This slope deserves to be in the top three steepest of the GR10.
The whole day had been beautiful and picturesque which helped us move along slowly. We reached Angaka exhausted and happy. The Angaka Nordic village is a must go. It's a reconstructed ancient American style village with tippies, two trapper's lodges and yurts. It was very pleasant to find these atypical accommodations.
The grocery store is very well stocked given the remoteness of the place (it's in a ski station).
The bivouac area was sunny and flat. The three of us pitched our tents, had a beer, dinner and went to bed looking at the stars.
Day 37: Angaka - Merens
27.6km, 8h05
This stage is part of the top three most beautiful days of this whole hike.
Angaka is on the Beille plateau, 1800m up. We walked on this highland for the first 10 kilometres of the day with unobstructed views of the surrounding natural beauty.
Once we crossed the whole plateau we hiked the Izards ridge for a few kilometres before reaching the Rhule refuge.
We rested there for a little bit and then continued to Merens. Today was mentally important since Merens marks the beginning of the last segment of the Pyrenees: the oriental part.
The two hours of hiking after Rhule were spent crossing a huge scree. It was brutal. There were minimal parts with an actual trail and we spent that time hopping from rock to rock.
Once we reached the Lhasse pass we'd done the hardest part, it was all downhill from there. The valley below us was gorgeous, with little lakes and wild herds of horses.
We stayed at the Nabre farm in Merens which is at the other side of the valley. This means we had a last, short but mentally challenging uphill to conquer before resting.
It was our last night with Charlie who was only doing the Ariege segment of the Pyrenees. We all had the demi pension and a pint to celebrate.
And that's it for the third part of the 46 days thru hike!
Part 4 coming soon!
Happy hiking,
Clem
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