7:15 - 17:00 with an hour bus journey, then actually walking by 8:30am, a few short breaks, 20mins in boulder field , 20mins at the top of col, 90mins at Refugio de Cap de Llauset, 20mins stuck under ground sheet seeking shelter.
Well, the idea of a bus taking us an hour up the dirt road was too tempting soooo we took it. Call it working smarter not harder or call it cheating, either way it saved us a long boring climb and meant we got to experience a bus chugging its way up rocky paths and swinging round tight corners alongside mountain edges; fun! Full of day packers, we let them all get off first before trying to get us and our packs out, a quick wee, and off we went!
Joining the climb at the bothy called Refugio Corones, we immediately began to climb over big rock steps through the trees and to the river. Here the path thinned and meandered up and down alongside the increasing river, getting closer and closer to it
until a few rock hops meant we were over it. It was a very pretty and enjoyable climb, with another breathtaking lake and some fresh blueberries and raspberries, and then, after a bum slide off a edge drop, it hit boulderfield. Interesting and fun at first, it takes so much concentration and huge effort at times to lift yourself up and over some boulders. Carefully following the waymarkers (hard at times when looking at where your feet and poles are going!) we slowly but surely followed it along and up again all the way to the col. Beautiful.
Of course what goes up down, and it was more intense boulderfield leading the way, twisting and turning all the way down to the new Refugio Cap de Llauset; being overtaken by a large herd of people including an actual runner! Seriously running and pretty much leaping off edges and rocks; crazy. The new Refugio was nice and we enjoyed the hot chocolate (literally just like melted chocolate!) and rest before deciding to crack on; just as our Dutch friend arrived to rest (she did not take the bus). We knew of a small bothy we could stay
So off we went, hiking and hoping our way up to the col. More beautiful lakes lay below us and we spotted several people down there enjoying the views too. Clouds but there was still blue sky so we started the descent. Then, about half way down, rain drops began to spit. Coats on and off we continued. Then, out of no where, a loud rumble of thunder. AAAAA! The rain began to increase but with nowhere flat to go on the descent or shelters to hide under we had to keep going. Stopping briefly we attempted to put on the waterproof trousers as the rain got so heavy and suddenly turned into hail! Small, then huge bits of hail! Nearing the bottom, we spotted a family (with baby!) looking unsure what to do and shaking with cold, as they stood there in shorts and vests tops. The hail was now getting hard and big, feeling the pinch through our waterproofs let alone on bare skin, and the thunder was cracking loud above us now with bright flashes of lightening.
Pulling over and signalling shelter to them we grabbed out our ground sheet and huddled under it together.
Speaking good English, it was a French family out for just a day hike. The baby was pretty chilled thankfully but the mum was scared and cold. As soon as the hail eased a little, we decided to make a break for that small bothy we had been aiming for, as the family said they from there and it wasnt too much further. The baby and parents went off super fast, with us remaining with the two other women (one with a physical disability) slowly making our way across the rocks around those previously beautiful but now increasingly dangerous lakes; trying not to panic too much, but Ive never seen so much hail fall so quickly and turn the land white, and never heard such loud thunder directly above us before. The main lady was surprisingly chatty (I guess to keep the other lady calm) and by the end of the scary walk had invited us to Madagascar where she now lives and works as a tour guide.
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