Lescun ⇒ Gistain
We climb ever higher. At Lescun the serious cols begin — 2,000 metres, 2,200, 2,400. The Lac d'Arlet shimmers turquoise between grey mountain walls, and in the evening we break through the cloud layer into the most brilliant sunlight. Every metre of climbing is worth it.
At Candanchú we recognise the road from a car holiday years ago — incredible that we now arrive here on foot, all the way from the south of Europe. The Ibón de Anayet at 2,233 metres lies like a mirror between the peaks, and Instagram hikers with their little tents stare in amazement at our battered backpacks.
In Ordesa National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — we walk through cathedrals of rock with waterfalls plunging hundreds of metres. We're turned away at the Refuge de Goriz, but find a better spot: a hidden valley behind the col, with views no refuge can offer. And when we wake the next morning at the foot of Monte Perdido — the highest limestone massif in Europe — we feel like the richest people on earth.
The Pyrenees are not gentle. On stage 98 we brave 2,650 metres of elevation change in 10.5 kilometres. Our legs are spaghetti, but the landscapes are overwhelming. At Gistain we reach stage 100 — a campsite with no phone signal or wifi. And that's actually a relief.