It remains fantastic: waking up in the mountains. As we unzip the tent, we immediately see a chamois again at the same spot as last night during tooth brushing. It stands several dozen meters up the hill in the grass, just below the rocks. In the morning light, we see water flowing from the rocks, but it also disappears quite quickly among the stones. To avoid using up all our drinking water for the day right in the morning, we go to fetch some water with the Kathadyn to make coffee. The chamois stays for a long time and only slowly walks away as we climb the hill. What a beautiful animal. The water is ice cold, which is usually a good sign that it's safe to use as drinking water. From here, we have a magnificent view of the spot where the tent stands with the mountains and lakes behind it, but we can’t enjoy it for long, as there is already a swarm of mosquitoes early in the morning. We quickly collect the water and head back down, have breakfast, and pack up our belongings. We’re off again!
Yesterday we climbed nearly 1,200 meters, but we left some for this morning. The tent was pitched at 2,200 meters and over 2.5 kilometers we will cross the col at 2,767 meters. A good way to warm up the legs. It starts steep right away, over grasslands and large moraines, ridges formed by glaciers. At almost 2,450 meters, we pass a lake, 'Ibón de Llena Cantal'. Here the grass ends and we continue over stones. About ten chamois leap through the meadow just ahead of us in the grass. We climb steeply over gravel, stones, and large rocks, the path marked with the familiar white and red markings. And it's a good thing, too, as it would be difficult to find the right direction otherwise.
The expanse of stones is eventually interrupted by a large snowfield. A few hundred meters long and about twenty meters wide where we cross it. There are still some patches of snow against the mountain, remnants of the glaciers that don't completely melt away in the summer. These are the southernmost snowfields of Europe. We carefully make our way across it. It looks slippery, but it turns out to be not as bad as it seems. With the hiking poles, we manage to reach the other side where the route becomes even steeper, if possible. The final stretch to the pass is almost straight up along high rocks. Steel ropes are attached, and we really need them to get to the top. Section by section, we help each other climbing up. With so many loose stones, it's important to be careful not to dislodge any rocks. But as always, if you take it easy, step by step, and concentrate well, you'll make it, and we reach the top fairly quick. At the top, we look out over a small rocky valley with a lake surrounded by three high peaks. It's quite stormy between the peaks, so we quickly descend a bit and continue following the mountainside until the next 'Col del Infierno' (Hell Pass). This col lies just below Pic del Infierno, the mountain we had a view of from the last hotel, but on the other side of it. The descent in the beginning is almost as steep as the last part of the ascent, but without ropes. Often, we slide ourselves sitting down to the next stone. We cross several more snowfields and continue descending until we reach the first lake again amidst the greenery. The kilometers may not have been many, but we've already expended quite a bit of energy this morning. It's once again a splendid spot for a break, by the water amidst the mountains. When we look back, we're relieved that we've tackled that steep section, but we still have a long way to go to today's low point. Down in the valley lies Baños de Panticosa. We're at about 2,400 meters here, and the village is at 1,630 meters. We've walked, or uh, climbed, 5 kilometers, and still have 8 kilometers of descent ahead of us. The descent alternates between flatter and steeper sections. It becomes greener as we go lower, and the forest becomes denser and busier. They're beautiful slopes with gray stones and pines, but we still have to watch out for loose stones on the trails. We often pass deep ravines, and a bit lower, we come to a large valley with three gigantic waterfalls. Together, they form a swirling river that winds its way through the rocks. People with ropes, helmets, and ice axes climb the waterfalls and rocks. That's something for another time; we're just happy to make it down. The descent seems endless and is a greater strain on our legs than ascending.
Baños de Panticosa turns out to be a collection of hotels by a reservoir. Unfortunately, no shops, but there's a spring to tap water from. Our energy is now depleted, so we take a break in the shade of the trees by the water. We set up the chairs, make coffee to get a little energy boost, and eat sunflower seeds in their shells like seasoned Spaniards while waiting for the boost. The plan was to walk a bit more today, a few kilometers with gradients of more than 15%, to find a wild camping spot somewhere up in the mountains. But the energy boost doesn't come, it's just so lovely in the shade with the tourist buzz around us. And then come the inevitable words: 'We could also stay here…' Finally, someone who's wise ;-) We check Booking.com, and it's possible. With a buffet tonight and breakfast tomorrow morning, we're easily persuaded. We book the room, pack up the chairs and belongings again, and walk 200 meters to the hotel. A gigantic hotel for the mountains, with 2 buildings and a wellness center. We skip the wellness center, but the bed and shower are very welcome! Tomorrow we'll walk a bit more, but first, a good night's sleep!
