Pyrenees Day 4: Around the Hidden Mountain

On the morning of the fourth day, we decided to take the easier of two possible routes through the Maladeta massif, which contains the Pyrenees highest peak, Aneto (at 3404 meters). Although both of us wanted to take the more difficult route north of the peak, we knew that the prior day´s rain would have made the ascent rather treacherous. Moreover, we did not know whether the rain would continue, and attempting a high pass at 2,972 meters, surrounded by glaciers, did not seem like the prudent choice under those conditions.

So, yes, we chose the wimpy way out, a slog of 10 hours around the southern edge of the massif, climbing to a "mere" 2,740 meters from the valley floor at about 1,550. Ultimately, the climb up to the pass and the descent to find a suitable camping spot took us until 8pm, after the sun had already disappeared behind the jagged horizon.

A strong cold northern wind followed us all day, but the sky stayed clear, the sharp peaks to our north slicing the clouds like a plough and sending only blue sky in our direction. Strangely enough, during the entire day we did not see Aneto, the king of the hills (so to speak), because our view, even at the high pass, was blocked by smaller, closer mountains, which stood guard around its master. Still, we were quite thankful to our invisible protector and its coterie for the absence of rain. Only at the very end of the day were we allowed a short glimpse of Aneto, reddened by the last rays of the setting sun.

We camped on a flat grassy meadow between a couple of streams. I pitched my tent, which fit both of us comfortably, while Mark boiled some water using his camp stove. The cold day meanwhile became an even colder night, and so we went to sleep as soon as we possibly could.