GR11 - End of story...

July 24th - I definitely have a cold. We decided to go wait it out on the coast and finish the GR11 later. I finally got to take the cog-wheel train down the valley. Wow, is it ever impressive! We transferred to the Barcelona train, then on to Llanca and finally a taxi ride to Port de la Selva, which is the last stop before Cap de Creus. My nose is running non-stop. I went to the drug store and bought the usual cold medicines. Here they come in a powder form. You have to mix it with water and swallow. Yuck. It might get into your system faster, but I'll take our pill form any day even if it means you have to wait a little longer for it to take effect. We waited in Port de la Selva four days, where all I did was stay in bed and sleep.

We were there when Manolo rolled through. It was nice to see thim again. I wish I could have been in better spirits. I didn't even feel like going to eat. Eat? Ate next to nothing in four days. It only made me feel like puking.

We are coming to the realization and acceptation that I am too sick and sapped of energy to dream of finishing our walk, only 9 days from completion. I am coughing non-stop. After 4 days in Port de la Selva, we came down to Girona, where we still are for another 2 days. I went to see a doctor, because I was fearing that this cold was degenerating into pneumonia. It was bronchitis. I've been taking antibiotics for the second day now and I feel a million times better, but still feel really weak. It's no wonder. There was a scale in the doctor's office and I asked to be weighed - 52 kg, i.e. 114.4 lbs. I haven't weighed that since high school. The skin is hanging on me. I look freshly released from Mauthausen...

I found a bit of energy to actually visit Girona this morning before the heat sets in. The old city is medieval, narrow streets, everything really well maintained and everything really clean. They wash the streets every day. There is no garbage littering the streets. Parts of the old city walls are still intact around the university area. They built the university buildings into the old walls and buildings in such a tasteful way. You easily go from the old to the new and vice versa. We'll do more tomorrow. I still don't have the stamina to do very much. I was comenting to Peter about how I felt after going up a long staircase. My goodness, in comparison to the mountains we have been scaling. It's amazing how quickly one can go downhill. I guess that makes me want to stick to my motto even more: Use it or lose it.

In two days, we head to Barcelona where we will visit for a few days, then back to London, then to Chinon, then to Duisburg, back to London, to Kosice, back to London, and finally back to Calgary in mid-September.

Some of you guys could send me an email once in a while. It would be nice to hear from home...

GR11 - Day 37 - to Nuria

I'm now starting to cough, so I do think I have a cold. I felt really sluggish in the morning and was thankful that we opted for a variant route to Nuria. The elevation gained in the morning wasn't lost. We didn't go down to Queralbes to have to climb up again. We stayed at relatively the same altitude all day. The only head-scratching mioment, as always, was crossing a high meadow. It's so easy to lose the marks and the GPS couldn't help because the variant was not the route Peter loaded. We had to comb the meadow back and forth like a dog looking for a stick, until we finally got back on the trail. The Nuria valley is really rugged and beautiful. Nuria was initially a monastary. It is now a ski centre in winter and a summer activities centre in the summer. It's quite commercial for being so remote. Most people come on the little cog-wheel train, so much so that the person manning the lift to the hostal didn't know what to do with a person without a train ticket, because the train ticket is also valid for the lift. They have a huge 200-bed youth hostel so that's where we're sleeping. So far, the room we're in, which is good for 4 people, only has Peter and I. I'm starting to dread walking in the heat. We're starting to have a taste of it. It saps you of your energy. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

GR11 - Day 36 - to Planoles

We were down for breakfast at 6:00 sharp and by 6:30, we were underway. We were off at a good pace and at Age, we did as the book said, bypass it. We followed a sign to Vilallobent. When the town wasn't materializing and we saw red/white marks that didn't make sense, Peter whipped out the GPS to find out that we were yet on another wild goose chase!! We can't even trust the signs any more! We made our way back to Vilallobent, 45 min. later. The idea behind leaving early was to enjoy morning coolness before the sun sets in... Thank goodness the rest of the way to the second pass was clear. We were on nice grassy trails in the pine groves. The wind in the pass was unbelievable. A good thing we descended into the pines again, until we reached the spot in the guidebook that says: "to find easy ways through the trees, always bearing east". That is a fancy way of saying bushwacking, and the trees are pines or prickly bushes. We followed the GPS (also bushwacking) and finally encountered the trail. So many other people got lost here. We were worried that we would suffer the same fate, but we were okay, and in spite of our screw-up in the morning, we arrived at the Can Fosse Camping close to Planoles in 8h. I was really happy. I actually felt strong, so yesterday's rest was not in vain. The campsite actually has a washing machine so I gave all our clothes a really well-deserved good wash. Now here's hoping they will dry.

GR11 - Another day of rest

I just couldn't haul my body out of bed when the alarm went off. I was so tired and totally sapped of all energy. I tried to get out of bed, but the pillow insisted on dragging me back. Much to Peter's disgust, we decided to take a day of rest. He was more than annoyed that he spent all that time and effort yesterday getting us some food for today. He would have been more than annoyed if we had set off and I had dragged my butt like yesterday, as the next stage is a long hard one. He finally got over it and got a chance to watch the entire 120 plus km of the Tour de France, so that put him back in better spirits. I think I'm starting a cold. I hope not. Will see.

Hasta luego!

GR11 - Day 35 - to Puigcerda

The way to the Refugi de Malniu seemed really long to me. I didn't expect it to be so steep in crumbly rock. I'm glad we didn't do it yesterday. From the Refugi, on the left, the landscape went up to a low ridge, in the middle, down to the valley. We left, following the red/white signs, which led us up the ridge, where, all of a sudden we could only see stone cairns, no more signs. Why use the GPS? The trail is so obvious... We had to come back down and finally get on the right trail. We made a pit stop at the Refugi de Malniu where we had a lukewarm instant coffee and toast. After that, the first part of the trail was really nice until we hit the tocky trails once again. I was low on energy. I dragged my butt, getting on Peter's nerves. We stopped at the pueblo of Guils de Cerdanya for a beer. I also had an orange juice and an omelet. That finally perked me up and we kept on to Puigcerda. It took about 7h15. We're really starting to feel the heat of the sun now. We found a cheap hotel and Peter went looking for a grocery store as I did laundry. He came back empty-handed. The town is celebrating its annual 4-day Fiesta del Roser. It celebrates la Virgen del Roser, the patron of Puigcerda. It went on from Friday to Monday, inclusive, and every store is closed... Are we surprised? This is Spain after all... Our guidebook stated that the next town, Age, had a store, so off he went in 30 degree heat. He said that it took over 15 minutes to find a living soul who told him that the store was now permanently closed. He came back to town and found a sandwich shop where they sell bocadillos (like subs), so that will have to be our food for tomorrow.

GR11 - Day 34 - to Refugi de Engorgs

Got off to an early start. We walked through green meadow after green meadow. We reached the Cabana dels Esparvers in decent time. Then the fun began... We had a stream crossing where the two large stones I had to step on were a bit far apart. Peter always gives me a hand in those cases. So here I am with a foot on one stone, holding Peter's hand. Don't I slip off the rock into the creek, mid-calf, and to make matters worse, I lose my balance and fall backwards into the creek, dragging Peter with me. Peter came out relatively unscathed. His walking pole floated down the creek a way, but we were able to fetch it. I was completely soaked. I emptied my boots of water, wrung out my socks and kept on going. I was frozen stiff. All wet at 4 degrees Celsius isn't the best. When we reached the pass, the sun was shining so we took a break and I took the stuff out of my pack to see what the damage was. My sleeping bag was a bit wet as was my Therma-rest and my fleece leggings. Not bad. I dried out a bit and we kept going down some pretty steep gravelly slippery trail down to the bottom of the valley. We were supposed to encounter the Refugi de Engorgs about 1 hr after the pass, but it never seemed to appear. We walked and walked, following the red/white marks all the way until we came to a stream crossing. Be damned if it wasn't the same creek where I fell in in the morning. Somewhere, somehow, we did a U-turn and came back on our steps!! Over 5 hrs of walking and climbing for nothing. Oh boy! Now we have to climb 600 m to the pass all over again, go down the steep slippery path all over again. This time Peter had strict orders to look at the bloody GPS. He ever only looks at it when he checks the altitude. Not only that, he had noticed that we were going backwards. He ignored it and thought he had made an error entering the data. We did finally make it to the Refugi de Engorgs after 9h30. Our destination had been the Refugi de Malniu, but we couldn't fathom another 2h30 so we stayed put. The Refugi is filthy but at least it has nice thick mattresses. We were the only occupants contrary to yesterday where the place was crawling with people.

GR11 - Day 33 - to Refugi de l'Illa

Got off to an early start. It was freezing cold. My fingers were numb holding my walking stick. We got up to the Estany (lake) de Engolasters in good time in spite of Peter not feeling good. From there, it was like walking on a 4-lane highway. The trail is so groomed. It is wide and actually has a railing on the steep drop-off side. When it eventually turned to stone, you would have thought it was a Roman Calzada. In some spots, they filled in with rough cement so that your shoes would have a grab. I was expecting it to be more scenic because it is apparently the only part of Andorra that doesn't have a road. What was really nice were the green meadows that we encountered every now and again. We arrived at the Refugi de l'Illa in 6h20. It is an unmanned refugio and the bed platforms are out of perforated metal (without mattresses). Not too inviting but it will have to do. Peter blew up our mattresses in no time flat and crawled into his sleeping bag. Hopefully he will feel better tomorrow. There was actually a broom in the refugio, so I did some cleaning. It sure needed it.

GR11 - Rest day - Andorra la Vella

We took it really easy today, getting up late, enjoying the plentiful breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Andorra la Vella (Andorra the beautiful) was a surprise for me. You try not to have expectations and take things as they come, but this was too much for me. It is set in a narrow valley. The mountains go up really steeply on all sides. There doesn't appear to be single-family houses. I think everyone lives in an apartment. Everything looks so modern. The buildings have no style to speak of. They all look like apple boxes. The street-level floor has shops and the upper stories are mostly apartments (at least it appears that way judging from the things on the balconies). The entire city seems to be one giant shopping centre. There were sales all over. I know quite a few people who would be in shopping paradise here. I think it is a duty-free centre. We left with a funny feeling about the place. It seemed to be so out of place, if that can be! That was the feeling I also had about Encamp when we arrived yesterday, but now, coming back from Andorra la Vella, Encamp seemed beautiful!

GR11 - Day 32 - to Encamp (Andorra)

Is there anything more annoying that having 100 flies buzzing around and crawling all over you when you're trying to eat?

We had a lot of ups and downs today. After the first pass, we could see Ordino. Who would have thought that we'd go up and down all day and always see Ordino from a different direction! By the time we made the final descent into Encamp it was pretty warm out and we were pretty parched. We ran out of water because I forgot my water bottle at our lunch spot. We had another scenery-less day through the trees, but at least we were protected from the heat. It was so hot in Encamp that I sat there in the shade with the backpacks as Peter went looking for a hotel. He had quite a surprise when he turned the corner and saw Manolo talking to two painters! We always think we have seen the last of him because he walks so much faster, but he always seems to make some side trip which slows him down. We had supper together and caught up on the news. He keeps on going tomorrow, and we stay here for a day. We will take a bus to visit Andorra la Vella, the capital city.

GR11 - Day 31 - to Arans

Leaving the Refugi de Baiau is quite strenuous. You have to go up a steep scree gully which we got wrong on the first try. So, we had to come back down. We lost 20 minutes or so. You couldn't go fast at all and always risked sliding backwards. It was so steep in places and with all those loose small stones, you would wonder if it was humanly possible to get up there! Needless to say, I was happy to see the top. The next few steps then brought us into Andorra. Then the descent started. It was long, over 1400 m, but not too bad. We arrived in Arinsal early. It's also a near vacant ski resort. We had an expensive beer and decided to go on to Arans after all. We just managed to hit the grocery store before they closed at 1:00. A good thing we were in the trees because the next 500 m were really steep. Quite a surprise for me. The other side was equally steep going down. We arrived in Arans too late for menu del dia. Now we had to wait until 8:00 to eat. It gave us plenty of time to wash both ourselves and our clothes. Now we smell sweet once again...

GR11 - Day 30 - to Refugi de Baiau

A good part of the way was on dirt roads, but we didn't mind. The sky was blue but the breeze was cool. We were clilmbing all day, though nothing too steep. Always walking in the trees is nice for the coolness, but it gets kind of boring because there is no scenery through the trees. It seemed to take forever to reach the Estanys (lake) d'Escorbes. It felt so good to see the Refugi de Baiau that the steep climb to get there was bearable. We made it in 6h15 so that was quite good. The hut reminds me of the Alpine Club hut at Mount Assiniboine, kind of looks like a miniature quanset. It is very basic, but clean, good to sleep 9 persons. We were only 3. I was irritated with Peter (and he with me for nagging) because he insisted on drinking water out of the lake, untreated, even if there were horses grazing on the other side. He never seems to get sick. I am the one who had a queezy stomach just thinking about it... Then, dark clouds rolled in, looking threatening, but they move away. We had such a nice sleep so high up there with such clean air.

GR11 - Day 29 - to Areu

Another blue sky day starting cool and getting progressively hotter. The guidebook wasn't kidding when it said that the trail climbed steeply. A good thing we were in the trees and that the trail was relatively nice. When it finally eased, we were on the edge of very exposed trails. You wouldn't want to suffer from vertigo. The next ascent to the pass was mostly easy on a dirt road, until we nearly had to bushwack as the trail was overgrown with thorny bushes - not fun... The downhill that looked so impressive on the profile picture in the book wasn't hard at all. We rolled in to Areu in 7 hrs. We went for the menu del dia and got hosed 51 euros for lunch! The weather is so beautiful that we decided to set up the tent in the campground. You can tell that the weather is now being governed by the Mediterranean and not by the Atlantic any more. It's much drier. There was no condensation whatsoever on the tent in the morning, so packing up was easier.

GR11 - Day 28 - to Tabascan

We got off to a slow start because this is an easy day. It was cool when we started, but felt closer to 30 degrees Celsius by the time we arrived. We walked on a cushy path by a creek for some time and eventually started climbing to the pass. Again, the grade is gentle so it was easy. The downhill part was a bit hard on me today - not my knees, but my feet. I think the neuromas are coming back. We arrived in Tabascan in 4h30 so we had a lot of time to visit and sit around. Tabascan is your typical small Pyreneean pueblo set in the hill, with houses all made of stone, black slate roofs, windows and balconies of varnished wood, and loaded with red flowers. We stayed at the Casa Filiu, the same one our guidebook recommends. The nice lady wasn't so nice. She managed to rip us off 21 euros.

GR11 - Day 27 - to Estaon

Beautiful day. We were on the road by 6:45. We wanted to enjoy as much coolness as possible because we had to look forward to a 1272 m climb. As it turned out, most of it was in the shade. We followed the road to Dorve instead of the trail, so that we could go a little faster. Above Dorve, we had a major navigation problem. Once again the GPS came to the rescue, but we had major bushwacking and climbing steep rocks to do before finally hitting the path. The rest of the climb was easy. The grade is so gentle. On the other side, we also had to use the GPS to help us find our way. We encountered a mark, kept on the same path and the next mark said "Not here"! Head-scratching moment... The path through the grass was not obvious, but we finally got on the trail again, and after a rugged steep descent, arrived in Estaon in 6h30. The newly refurbished refugio is beautiful and modern. The little village is also being refurbished. Beautiful stone buildings set in the hill, all brightened up with flowers. The keeper of the refugio is a technical drawing professor from the University of Barcelona. This is the 1st year that he and his wife man the refugio. They do it in style: sheets and pillowcases, tablecloths, towel in the bathroom. Peter told him that it was the Parador of refugios. For those who wonder, refugios are very basic accomodations. Usually bunk beds in a dorm for about 12-20 people. There is a contour sheet on the mattress, but I always put my own on top of it. As well there is usually a pillow, and I use my own pillowcase as well. We use our sleeping bags, but if you don't mind, you can use the woolen blankets that are available.

GR11 - Day 14 - to Banos de Panticosa

I don't know what happened to my original post of Day 14. I know that it is in fact Day 13, but seeing as we gained a day at the beginning, I'm out of sync with the days in the Guidebook, so I decided to put myself in sync, so no Day 13.

Blue sky, cool because of snow. This is the day I was awaiting with fear and trepidation especially since some people who had walked it from the other direction told us that at the top in the pala (shovel) there was ice. I know for a fact that I go skating on ice with my boots. I had meant to pack some metalwork screws to screw on the bottom of my boots but forgot. I woke up at 1:00 am and had trouble falling asleep at at the thought of sliding in the shovel! We were going to leave early to have coolness for the climb, but those people convinced us to leave later to give the sun a chance to soften the snow and ice. We had to make a detour to bypass the spot where the route was flooded. We found the bridge we were to cross without difficulty, then - the trail had to cross a creek with too much water. We had to take our boots off and ford - brrr. After that we encountered our GR11 trail and kept on going up. The grade was easy so it wasn't hard. When we hit the snow, we were able to kick steps in it. We could see where other people had gone. The pala wasn't icy so I lost sleep for nothing. With the snow covering the marks, we missed the prescribed gully we were supposed to climb. The one we picked was totally vertical. I was a bit afraid because the rock was crumbly and you could only hope and pray that it would hold you. We had to climb about 10 m. Was I ever happy to hit the top where we could see our trail down below, so more scrambling. After that, the going was good. We still had huge snow fields to cross, but it was going down where you could dig your heels in. For a change, I was able to go fast downhill. We had quite a few other streams to cross, but we managed without having to take our boots off. Then came the long, long downhill. What a pretty sight, waterfalls all over, beautiful flowers all over. The route was quite stony so it gave me the chance to put my feet flat and give my knees some relief. We were surprised to see Manolo sitting on the path near Banos de Panticosa. He was supposed to have taken a day off at Sallient de Gallego. It turns out that there was no room free for him. Peter had scared him with his talk of snow and ice, so he bought new boots and walked to Panticosa on the road, actually arriving a day ahead of us! Thanks to him we got a bed in the refugio because it is full of people driving in from the city.

GR11 - Day 26 - to La Guingeta

Oh boy, it's nice to be caught up in my blog. I don't know when I will get a chance next, probably in Andora next week.

Today was nearly a day of rest. We were underway for only 3h10. The entire way was like a walk in the park. We are staying in the Camping Nou. Campgrounds here are more than a place to set up your tent. You can often rent rooms as we are doing today. We are in a camping trailer that can probably accomodate 8 persons. The campground has a bar/restaurant, a soccer field, a swimming pool, and of course a place for tents. It's good to be able to rest as tomorrow will be difficult with 1272 m up and 967 m down. If the sky is as blue and sunny as it was today, I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be fading out in the heat. The plan is to start as early as possible.

¡Hasta luego!

GR11 - Day 25 - to Espot

The day was really good in spite of climbing a waterfall when we followed stone cairns instead of our red/white marks, or the GPS, and even the instructions in our Guidebook which we are now considering next to useless, but which would have been helpful this time. This part of the country is really dotted with lakes one after the other. The path was really nice although rocky in spots. We arrived in Espot in 7h20 in spite of our screw-up. We thought it would be a long day and wasn't after all. It felt good to sit and soak in the tub in our Pension Palmira.

GR11 - Day 24 - to Refugi de Colomers

We are still in the clouds this morning. By the time we reached the first pass, we were above it and enjoying the such - finally! We reached the Refugi de Colomers after only 4h30. The sun is still shining and we finally did a full laundry. I hope it dries before the clouds roll in. Once again we keep geting fooled with non-existant marks at crucial crossings. Good thing Peter has good instincts. We did sleep on the floor, but on a nice thick mattress. Manolo surprised us. He had gone back to Madrid because of some family problem that he didn't want his wife to have to handle by herself. It's kind of nice to have our spanish walking companion back with us.

GR11 - Day 23 - to Refugi dera Restanca

We spent the entire day in the clouds. The way up was nice and easy with a gentle grade. We reached the Ruis pass and even managed to have a nice view of Lac Ruis before it closed in again. The path is similar to a creek. The way down was equally gentle. The only surprise was the very end where we had some serious steep climbing through the wet grass and bushes to finally reach the Refugi dera Restanca. My boots were totally soaked. Could wring out my socks! The weather is too humid to contemplate laundry. We've been in a cloud all day. The person manning the refugio suggested calling Colomers to reserve a bed for tomorrow. Unless people cancel, we will be sleeping on the floor! Peter and Marcus, the German guy, enjoyed sitting at the same table as a Dutch vegetarian family. They got to pig out on delicious pork tenderloin and mushrooms. We are really in the clouds now. You look out the window and see absolutely nothing.

GR11 - Day 22 - to Hospital de Viella

No rain, no storms overnight, nor in the morning. Hooray! The first couple hours were nice. The going was okay. By the time we reached the 2nd collado de Anglios, we were in the clouds. We had a good piece on snow which helps us make time. The going down to the Anglios Refugio was a bit difficult in snow and scree. We had lunch at the refugio and as were were ready to leave, it started pouring. We turned around and decided to wait it out in the hut. The last part of the day was unending in the rocks and beech leaves. The sight of the road and cars was uplifting. We decided to walk on the road to the Refugi Sant Nicolau (or Hospital de Viella). We didn't want any more slippery trails in the trees. You have no idea how slippery beech leaves become when wet. We finally arrived after 9 hrs. We were greeted by an extremely friendly bunch of Catalans.

GR11 - Day 21 - to Ibon Inferior de Ballibierna

The sky was really not nice as we left. The only up-side to that is that it is cool for walking. We made a pit stop at the camping Aneto to buy fresh bread. We were having to put on and take off our rain ponchos every five minutes. We keep on seeing irises and columbines all over. For a while it felt like we were walking in a creek bed. We arrived at the end of today's stage at Puen de Corones where there was a filthy unmanned refugio. It was raining and I didn't feel like going any further. Peter wanted to wait a few hours for it to pass and start walking some of tomorrow's stage which will be long and difficult. By 5:00 pm the sky was clearing so we made it to Ibon Inferior de Ballibierna where we are doing wild camping.

GR11 - Day 20 - to Refugio d'Estos

We had thunderstorms all night. I felt sorry for the two dutch girls, Greta and Janets, who had to sleep in their tent. Even if we didn't get up late, we were still the last ones out. The flowers on the route are so beautiful. These days, irises, carnations and yellow gentians. We were treated to two fords (one for Peter). Just as we passed over the collado, it started storming, thundering and lightening. It's kind of scary up in the heights, crossing snow-patched scree slopes. We had to haul out the rain gear a few times. We still arrived at the Refugio de Estos in decent time. Did laundry, but it's still gray and looking like rain. I don't know if anything will dry.

GR11 - Day 19 - to Refugio de Biados

Although we had to climb 1445 m, it didn't feel steep because we were doing it over a large distance. The scenery we are getting these days is more along my pre-conceived idea of the Pyrenees, mountainous ridges with a lot of green valleys and pastures. We were treated to mountainsides full of nice dark pink rhododendrums in full bloom. We had a few head-scratching moments, but with the help of the GPS, we managed to find our way without getting lost. It was nice to reach the Refugio de Biados after 7h05. It was nice for a change to arrive early and have a bed.

GR11 - Day 18 - to Parzan

Yesterday was a day of rest. We were so soaked, especially that Peter tripped and fell while crossing the river. We had so much dirty laundry and I was so tired. The only effort expended was one small walk. We came back just in time to take the clothes in as it started pouring again. It's easier to take when shelter is nearby! I think Peter would have wanted to continue, but he recognized that after 16 days of walking and over 325 km without a pause, that it might be a good idea to give my knee a rest. The water pipe broke and the entire valley was without water until 6:00 pm.

We finally dried out. We were able to Sno-Seal our boots before leaving. We got off to a good start by the Ermita de la Pineta. The route up was steep but managable. when we got out of the trees, we got beautiful views. It is amazing to see the wall we came down the day before yesterday. From across the valley, you would not think it possible. For a while I thought it would rain, a few drops, enough to make us take out our rain gear, but it only lasted 5 min. The views up there are magnificent. The top meadow, Plana Funda is walled in by hoodoo-type crags. The way down was relatively easy, a good part of it on gravel roads. We reached Parzan in just under 7 hrs. Easily got a room and enjoyed a well-stocked supermercado. Incredible for such a small pueblo.

GR11 - Day 17 - to Refugio de Pineta

We knew that today would be a long hard day, so we were off by 7:30. The way up to the first pass was easy then we had to go down near cliffs to eventually get to the valley bottom Some spots in the trees and tall grasses below were not too interesting. The climb up to the Collato Anisclo was kind of steep but also okay. We were afraid we'd have to climb in scree where you go 2 steps up and one step back. We reached the pass in 5 hrs, so we were really quite pleased. The view at the top was absolutely breathtaking. Looking back where we came from you could see the canyons and deep valley and on the other side where we were going was one giant closed-in cirque. The way down looked extremely steep. We had lunch and set off, oftentimes walking along the edges of cliffs, zigzag, back and forth. Then the rain stared in earnest. That's really all we needed for a 1150 m downhill trek in less than 3 km. Down and down we went. We could see the parador hotel become larger and larger so that was heart-warming until we had to make a giant semi-circle into the next valley. That was just awful. In pissing rain, with ponchos and heavy backpacks distorting our sense of balance, we had to go down one small cliff after the other. Bare rock would have been bad in the rain but this was covered in rotting leaves. It took us a whole 5 hrs to get down to reach an unbridged river which we had to cross before reaching the Refugio de Pineta. We had been underway nearly 10 hr. It's amazing how the body adapts. There was only one bed available. We decided to take it anyways and Peter was to camp. He could shower and eat here, but not sleep. Finally he relented and said that he could sleep on the floor, and and hour later, said that there was another free bed. Halleluliah!

GR11 - Day 16 - to Refugio de Goriz

We started off on the GR11 trail by the river, but after climbing one boulder after another and taking an hour to do 2 km, we headed for the road as far as the Ordesa Parking lot at about km 12. The route after that was wide and super-groomed. We made it to the Circado Soaso and the Cola de Caballo falls in good time. Then the climb started, from 1760m to 2160m up a cliff face. We had to endure 3 showers on the way up. The sight of the Refugio de Goriz was really quite welcomed. Now we had to wait 1.5 hrs to see if we have a bed. People with no reservations, but with an Alpine Club membership have priority. There were 5 available beds, so we had hope, and yes, we did get a bed.

GR11 - Day 15 - to Bujaruelo

Another maravellous day temperature-wise. We took the longest route with the easiest grade by the old hotel. The ascension was so gradual that it wasn't hard at all. Because Banos de Panticosa is a spa area with a lot of tourists, the routes are very well groomed. There was only one small steep part near the pass. Then we were in the boulders and snow fields. The snow was soft so the going was easy. It only became hard going down. The trail was fairly well marked, except of course where it is crucial to have a mark! We had to ford twice (Peter once) and had to guess where to cross the Rio Ara. When we finally finished with the boulders and hit a road, we coasted into Bujaruelo after 9h45.

GR11 - Day 12 - to Refugio de Respomuso

We had a nice late breakfast before leaving. We will be losing Manolo as he is taking a day of rest. I thought it would be a hard day because we had to climb 925 m. It turned out to be a marvellous walk on a super lovely trail. The ascent was so gradual that we didn't feel like we were putting out. We crossed waterfall after waterfall. I lost count after a while. The flowers along the way were different and beautiful. The last part of the trail was very rocky, but it was possible to choose flat rocks, so the achilles tendons didn't get strained. I must say that the sight of the Refugio de Respomuso was really welcomed as we could see the storm clouds forming. We had no sooner arrived than it started to rain. I hope this weather horseshoe keeps up! It's nice to arrive early for a change. The refugio is really beautiful and well-kept. We enjoyed a nice beer and lunch. They allow us to eat our own food in the dining room. Seeing as we arrived early, Peter wanted to go for a walk. the clouds were kind of threatening and I didn't want to go. He went all by his lonesome to investigate how to leave tomorrow. He followed the trail and it led to the lake! I guess they have had a lot of water this year and the trail is submerged. Of course he didn't know that and tried to figure out how to get across. The GPS had a totally different route. He came back puzzled. The dueno of the refugio explained to him how we get out tomorrow. Boy, I'm glad that happened before we left, all loaded with our packs.

GR11 - Day 11 - to Sallient de Gallego

We started off thinking we would do the variant. We started off but soon lost the marks and as well, the path we were following was overgrown and unpleasant. After a half hour we decided to live up to the promise we made to stay with the GPS route, so off we went. The route was beautiful, wide, easy on the feet, an easy grade, spectacular scenery. Oh, how I was glad we had changed our mind. With such an easy going, we probably made up the lost time. We were headed for a huge cirque with high cliffy walls. It seemed hard to believe that we would find a pass somewhere in there to get over on the other side. We got to the end and went up and up the switchbacks which were not visible from below. Whoever made the path sure knew what he was doing. I didn't even feel pooped at the top. On the other side of the pass, we made a lunch stop at Ibons d'Anayet. It started sprinkling a bit. We had a hard time finding the path. There were too many red/white marks and some didn't seem to go in the right direction. With the help of the GPS, we finally found our trail. When we made it down to a ski station which we thought was Formigal, we were confused once again. It started hailing and we were fortunate enough to find shelter until it passed. Because we thought we had passed Formigal, we had trouble finding the route. Finally we followed the road and arrived at the real Formigal and the instructions finally made sense. As we reached a gas station, it started raining. We went inside to have a beer and look at the Guidebook more carefully. No sooner did we start on our beer than the hail started falling in earnest. Everything was white. Were we ever glad that we were inside. Then it poured buckets. When it finally relented, we were just putting our packs back on when Manolo rolled in. He experienced being pinched by the hail. We sat down again and when we finally went on our way, the rain had stopped. We walked on another half hour to Sallient de Gallego. We had been underway 11h30. The odd thing is that we weren't tired! We found a nice hotel, did the usual wash up and went out for supper. Sallient de Gallego is a very picturesque town, very alpine looking with most buildings out of stone with wooden balconies filled with red flowers.

GR11 - Day 10 - to Estacion Canfranc

We got up to another blue sky. It amazed me that the tent was so wet. It's just from condensation. The mountains were still hiding the sun at 8:00 so we packed up wet. We went tromping through the valley bottom, skipping over the meandering stream umpteen times. We didn't seem to be on a trail, the GPS either. After we started climbing, we finally found our red/white marks again. The going is kind of rocky, hard to find good footing. We missed our turn at Ibon de Estanes. We were going down to the lake instead of staying high and going around it. That meant scrambling back up over 60 m which I could have done without. The going was slow becose of the rocky trail. We had to make a giant loop around a valley to Candanchu because of the cliffs. When we got there, nothing was open. It's a ski centre which totally closes in summer. We were hoping to eat there. We made our way to the Estacion Canfranc. The first Casa Rural (bed and breakfast) didn't answer, the second claimed to be full. We finally found an open bar and each savoured a large beer. I waited there with the packs as Peter went hunting for a place to sleep. He funally found rooms at a 3* hotel. It felt so good to lie in a tub filled with hot water.

GR11 - Day 9 - to Aguas Tuertas

Another marvellous day. We can only thank God for this clement weather. The views of the high peaks illuminated by the morning sun are stunning. On the other side of the pass, everything looked covered in green velvet. You constantly hear the cowbells. These beautiful valleys are simply one giant pasture. Needless to say, there is cow shit all over and the flies are a real nuisance. There are so many of them that I wonder how it is that there are enough left over to go crawl on the starving children of Africa! The day's destination was La Mina, but it had nothing to offer except a stunning view, so we kept on to Aguas Tuertas. There was a refugio there, a primitive hut with a cement floor, two cement benches on either side of the fireplace. We elected to set up our tent with the cows. We managed to find a clean spot (we hope) and hoped that the cows would stay away. They did. Phew!

GR11 - Day 8 - to Zuriza

A beautiful day. It was supposed to be a day of rest with us taking the easy variant of the route to Zuriza, about 12 km - 3 hrs. We followed the plastic banderolas saying Gobierno de Navarra. There were really no other GR11 indicators so we thought that was it. We had no problem getting to the waterfall nor to the student camping where we should have followed the river. The banderolas went up the hill on the other side of the road, so we thought that it was the same as the last 3 days where the route was changed somewhat. What a mistake! We went up and down collado after collado, seemingly getting further from our destination. Instead of having a short 3-hr day, we had a 6-hr day with little water at the end because we didn't know it would be so long. That being said, the route was really nice with nice views of the high peaks which we would not have seen otherewise. As we were arriving, we saw Manolo also arriving. He also got lost. Our first destination was the bar for a huge beer. Oh, how that was good. Then food on top of that and were were back in a good humour.

GR11 - Day 7 - to Isaba

A marvelous sunny day. The way was easy and well-marked. We caught up to Manolo and walked together a while until we found a nice relatively clean open spot, free of cow pies, where we could dry the tent and ground sheet before the mold sets in. We had to anchor everything otherwise the wind would have taken it away. We found a bush behind a tree which provided us with enough protection to be able to enjoy a nice lunch basking in the sun. The scenery is beautiful, treed hills and green pastures. We can already see the higher mountains where we will have to start sweating. We arrived in Isaba in good time (6h30). It was about 2:30 and high time to find a restaurant for menu del dia. If you can believe it, the first 3 restaurants were closed, the 4th in a 3-star hotel claimed it didn't even have a slice of bread! We have found out since that the Spaniards often look down their noses at grubby people with backpacks. We finally went to the last possibility and found Manolo already eating, sharing his table with Alfredo, a local. We had a very interesting conversation. Manolo is very talkative, a philosoper with an incredible sense of humour. We spent the rest of the afternoon yapping away.

GR11 - Days 3, 4, 5 & 6

I haven't had much of a chance to post anything. We arrive so late at destination, that by the time we've showered, done laundry and eaten, it's simply too late. I am discovering the Atlantic Pyrenees that matches my preconception of a lot of greenery, and I'll tell you why it is so - if it doesn't rain, you're right in the cloud, mist or fog. The humidity is amazing. When we are walking through the forest, the paths are cushy, sometimes way too much and the leaves turn to mush and everything is slippery. The millions of snails you step on also help you to slip and slide. When you leave the forest, you are either walking on grass or the hillside is totally covered in ferns. It is actually quite pleasant to walk in a path through the ferns. Every now and then, the path is so rocky, you would think you are walking in a dry creek bed. We rarely walk on asphalt, which is nice. When we are on roads, they resemble our fire roads. We are not encountering anyone walking in the opposite direction. It seems that the only living creatures we encounter are sheep, horses and cows. The trails are littered with poop. It always makes me nervous when we stop for a lunch break. The flies are all over and I know very well where they are incubated and bred and where they probably were sitting a few minutes prior to landing on my sandwich!

The destination after Elizondo, Puerto de Urtiaga, is simply a crossing of roads. It makes you wonder why there is a name at all. The suggested camping spot was horrible. We walked a half km back to where we had seen a suitable site. We were all nicely set up by 8:00 pm with nothing to do. We settled into our sleeping bags, and after a nice sunny day, wouldn't it start to drizzle. It did worse than that. By 11:00 we were awakened by thunder and lightening like I have never seen in my life! I was terrified. Our tent poles are metal, we were parked directly under a big tree, everything they tell you NOT to to. I hardly slept a wink all night, because it didn't let up for a long while. At least it had stopped by the time we got up. At about 2:00 am, Peter had squirmed all he could squirm, and finally had to go outside to relieve himself. I thought I would be helpful, and reached in the vestibule for his boots. My hand landed on the hugest, slimiest snail I have ever seen. The screech I let out would have awakened the dead! We hadn't fixed the ground sheet properly in the vestibule, and the rain ran from the fly on to the ground sheet and into the vestibule. Peter's things were all wet in the morning... We had to start our day by drying out. Luckily that was possible.

Our next three days deviated from both our Guide book and our GPS. The Navarra government finally decided to mark their trails decently. They were notorious for bad markings. All the blogs we read told tales of getting lost. On the whole, the new marking are good, but it is obvious that it was marked going from east to west, as there were crucial corners that we missed because the mark was in such a stupid spot. We soon learned our lesson, and if we didn't see the mark within 5 minutes, we would turn back, and on our return, we could easily see the mark that we missed...

Some of the grassy spots that we walk on would be impossible in thick fog. No way on earth could you see from one mark to the other. When there were visibility problems, I would stay by the waymark, and Peter would wander until he found the next one, holler at me to come on, and off we went. That worked quite well for us. I don't know what people walking alone would do.

In Burguete, we met Manolo, the painter from Madrid. He's also walking the GR11. We've been sleeping in the same spots ever since. He has saved up 4 years to be able to do this. His wife and kids, 16 and 21, are okay with this. You really have to want to do this to do it all by your lonesome.

From Burguete, we went on to Hiriberri, where we slept in what we think must have once been a barn. My goodness, for 27 euros in Burguete, we had a beautiful room with balcony, and washroom down the hall. For 20 euros in Hiriberri, we were in a dorm with bunk beds, and shower stalls that a lot of people that I know wouldn't want to set foot on!

Today, we made our way to Ochagavia. The first part of the trail wasn't a trail at all, not even a cow trail. They made us go on a ridge walk in the clouds where we couldn't see anything. There was absolutely no trail, only jagged rocks at horrible angles. The spaces between were filled with stinging nettles - and we were in our shorts... Not only that, for a long while we couldn't see the waymarks at all. We were starting to despair and think we had to go back. Thankfully, we were logging our trail on the GPS, so that would have been possible. Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, here was this beautiful red/white waymark. Phew!! Once we got over that hurdle, the going was really good. It's too bad that we were in the clouds, because this was a ridgewalk day. We did get to see some scenery, but it would have been marvellous in the sun. On the ridge, I swear the wind was 100 km per hour. When you would put your leg out for the next step, the wind would push it over. Someone watching us walk would have thought we were drunk! We finally arrived in Ochagavia in good time to eat, and do our shopping for tomorrow. We ran into Manolo again. He is also sleeping in the same Hostal.

This new route has made us gain a day, so that is good. I don't know what tomorrow will bring. Hopefully the weather will be good. We really deserve it. I'll stop for now. Writing 4 days worth is an awful lot. I could go on with my stories, but they will have to wait.

¡Hasta la vista!

GR11 - Day 2 - Bera de Bidasoa hasta Elizondo

What a wonderful day. We were off at 7:15 am and were on beautiful grassy trails as soon as we left town. Those are the kinds of trails we walked on all day. Sometimes we were walking in the middle of fern fields, other times in oak and beech forests. We did walk through one grassy expanse, exactly of the type I thought the early parts of the Pyrenees would look like. The trail was well marked all the way and no confusion was had. The weather was perfect for walking, about 17 degrees Celsius with a light breeze. The day would have been perfect if it had not rained on our last hour. It took us a bit over 9 hours to get here, so that wasn't all too bad. It's a good thing we were walking on soft, giving surfaces, otherwise the feet would have been sore. Elizondo where we are is a bit like Bera de Bidasoa, but right now, it seems to be one huge construction site, so it takes away from its beauty. The hostal we had picked out and were never able to make reservations for because they never answered the telephone was also a construction site. I guess that's why they weren't answering. They only open the restaurant part right now. That's why there was someone there when we arrived, and she obliged us and rented us a room in spite of the mess. They are in the middle of repainting the stairwells and hallways, so we have to be careful not to touch anything.

Tomorrow will be our first tenting experience. The weather forecast is for sunshine and partial cloudiness (no rain!), thank goodness. That also means we have to drag tomorrow's evening meal as well as breakfast.

If anyone is interested in seeing our route on Google Earth, send us an email at our usual email address at shaw.ca and we will send you a copy of the file. It's actually kind of neat to see. You can see the profile of the mountains, valleys and all.

It will now be a few days before I post anything else

¡Hasta la vista!

GR11 - Day 1

The weatherman was correct - it rained and drizzled all day. Luckily we had Roman's GPS, otherwise the day may have been a little longer. It is so easy to make a mistake as there are so many small roads that criss-cross one another all over the place. We didn't have a steady downpour all day, so really, it wasn't so bad. It would have been nice to enjoy the scenery, but such is life in the mountains. Every now and again, the fog and mist would lift and we could see what a beautiful countryside there is around here. I was quite surprised to see that the mountains begin nearly right away. I was expecting the landscape to be grassy, green and hilly. We unfortunately walked on way too many concrete roads. Our guidebook described them as gravelly farm roads, but someone must have voted the right way, and now they have all been repaved. It makes it a lot harder on the feet. We had a few head scratching moments as the red and white marks which indicate the GR11 were not always set out according to the guide book. The maps that Peter downloaded from Wikiloc matched our guidebook, so in those instances, we ignored the marks. We read so many horror stories about the trail in Navarra, how certain locals purposely change the signs so that hikers stay off certain trails, and how so many people get lost and walk hours and hours for nothing. The GPS, or the chefe, as our friend Longinus likes to call it, solves all the problems. What a marvelous little machine. We set off at 7:30 a.m. and reached destination at 2:30 p.m., without any problems whatsoever. The body, feet and knees are still all intact. We found our Hostal in Vera/Bera de Bidasoa right away. The first thing we did was head for a restaurant so that we could eat almuerzo (lunch). We were afraid that they may no longer serve the menu del día, but we made it in time. The portions are still as huge as what we remembered. The primero would suffice, but you also get secundo and postre (dessert). We were so full that in spite of having walked so much today, we went exploring. What a picturesque little town Bera is. You would nearly think you were in a German-speaking country. The houses are all white stucco. The salient feature is that there are huge blocks of stone around every window and door, as well as on all four corners of the house (from the sidewalk all the way up to the eaves). The colours can vary from brown or beige to grey. The shapes of these blocks are completely random, so it gives the houses a particular look. Many of the houses are timber houses similar to the Black Forest area. They mostly all have wooden balconies loaded with flowers - mainly red geraniums. Of course, the roads and narrow and curved, which adds to the charm. Tomorrow is a big day, 30 km and 1150 m elevation gain. Hopefully it will go as good as today. Hopefully the rain will stop and give us a chance to enjoy the scenery.

¡Hasta la vista!

¡Hola desde Irún!

Let's hope that all the bad things have come to an end. We started off with a delay of one and half hours in Calgary. They fiddled with the toilets, and finally we left with toilets only on one side of the plane. We arrived late in London, but that was of no consequence because Jackie was at work anyways. We took the train in from Gatwick to London, and had to walk to Jackie's because of a stike in their tube system. That was a blessing in disguise, because all the walking and sunshine (believe it or not in London!) really helped us to combat jetlag. The GPS which Roman lent us was wonderful. We followed the indications and arrived at Somner Place Mews without getting lost. Without it, that would have been easy because the streets go in every which direction and it is very easy to lose your north. The area that Jackie lives in (Kensington) is just gorgeous as is neighbouring Chelsea which we had to walk through. You could easily imagine yourself dancing in the streets with Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, the curved streets with white colonaded houses. We found the key and were greeted by Annie, the cat. We didn't waste any more time indoor and started exploring the neighbourhood. She is just a few blocks away from the celebrated Hyde Park, so we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around in there. After a nice Indian supper, we hit the sack around 10:30. I couldn't sleep past 2:15, so I got up and finished off a small project that I hadn't had the time to finish at home. At 4:30, I gave it another try and managed to sleep another 4 hours. We got up feeling fairly refreshed and spent the rest of the day walking around - to Buckingham Palace, down the Mall (road leading up to the palace), Trafalgar square with Nelson's famous statue, then followed the Thames on the Thames walk until the Houses of Parliament (Big Ben) and Westminster Abbey, which was closed to visitors. We made a U-turn on the next bridge to find ourselves on the other side and continued admiring the buildings along the river. What a good choice that was. It totally altered the impression of London that I had when we visited the first time back then in the 80's. Walking in the streets can be a little unnerving because you always feel like you will be run over. They must have squashed one tourist too many, because at every street crossing, at your feet, in big letters, are the words "Look Right" or "Look Left". That really helps because your instincts are all wrong. We met Jackie at 7:00 for a nice Italian meal, sitting outside gazing at the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, where they kept the bonny price prisoner and where Henry VIII decapitated the wives he was tired of!

The next morning we were off for Biarritz. Our traveling luck followed us. We had to evacuate the airport because of a fire alarm! Thank goodness it was a false alarm and our plane left with only 5 minutes delay. We were pleasantly welcomed in Biarritz by Mary and Longinus, the Spanish friends we made on the Via de la Plata. That was a wonderful surprise. We didn't have to scratch our heads trying to figure out how to get to Hendaye, the last French town, and how to cross the border into Spain. We settled quickly in our hotel and went off to visit San Sebastian. It is noted for its beautiful beaches. The place was just bustling. We walked the entire length of the promenade along the beach, then went off to a nice little secluded restaurant. The only problem is that the street was cordoned off at the restaurant level for an oncoming parade. Everyone wanting to continue on their way parked in the restaurant parking lot, so we had a hell of a time parking. We were treated to a typical Basque meal - fish soup, bacalao (cod) served with spicy green peppers. This morning, we had to start our GR11 (Gran recorrida 11) in earnest. We walked from the hotel back into France, around the beaches of Hendaye, around the beaches of Hondarribia, and up to the lighthouse at Cabo Higuer. With great difficulty, we managed to crawl down to sea level and wet our walking sticks. We walked the part of the route that starts at the Cabo, back along the beach, and ended at our hotel (which is just two steps away from the route). Now, instead of having to walk 30 km tomorrow, we can look forward to walking only 23 (if we don't screw up like many preceding hikers have done). The forecast is for rain, but according to Mary, the weatherman absolutely cannot make a reliable forecast (just like the Calgary weathermen!). With a bit of luck we won't get soaked. Today we walked around 20 km and encountered a few sprinkles. Enough to make me take out my rain cape, but still too little, because I chose the drizzle to sweating inside the rain cape. Now my hairdo is full of unmanageable curly waves. Tomorrow we head for Vera de Bidasoa, where I will probably encounter an Internet Cafe, so, ¡Hasta la vista!

Two days left before we undertake our next expedition, crossing the Pyrenees from Atlantic to Mediterranean. We've already logged over 1200 km since the beginning of the year, mostly with our backpacks, in preparation for this. Hopefully we didn't wear ourselves out ahead of time!