Borce - Refuge D'Ayous
We traced the same way back to where we left off in 2016. This time we flew from Paris to Pau instead of the overnight train. Smooth public transportation from Pau to Borce/Etsaut sent us to the trailhead with magnificent view along the way, which also alleviated our 18-hour travel fatigue from JFK to trailhead. By the way, we were amused by the chummy bus driver who just couldn’t believe that we are Americans. She had seen Koreans and Japanese, just not Asian-looking Americans. No malice there and we all had a laugh at the end. We offered 30 seconds of history of America, the great melting pot.
The air was damp with sporadic light rain the next morning. We strolled out of Maison Bergoun leisurely. Though my entire trekking plan was quite ambitious, I was under the impression that other than a bit of elevation, the first day’s walk was light.
Easy road walk led us to the famous Chemin de la Mature, a passage chiseled out of steep rock face by French navy in 18th century. It was used to transport timber from the mountains to the shipyards then. At the start of the passage, Fort du Portalet, a military fort built by Louie Phillippe in mid19th century, came into full view. The zigzagging path cut across the mountain leading to the castle adds drama to the scenery.
We were in awe of the sheer vertical cliffs, yet the passageway was not the heart throbbing kind as we had expected. It was well built and has been well maintained. Soon the sun lifted the clouds. Contours of higher mountains slowly emerged. Excitement was building as time went by. We had been well fed in the past 24 hours with hardly any physical movements. Finally the fully loaded breakfast was put into use with the steady climb. It was a good feeling.
After leaving the chiseled passageway, the path winds through the forest that provides ample shades for quite a while. Then we were out on an open meadow sandwiched between mountain ranges under the blazing sun. Water flows down from the cliffs, gathering into happy streams along our path. The creeks nurture a wide variety of white, purple and yellow flowers that cover the entire meadow floor. Slowly we were gaining elevation and the sun was getting hotter. Legs started to lose their bounce and backpacks cut into the shoulders. We started to wonder how far was the destination ahead. But the flowers saved the day as each step was accompanied by a variety of cheerful bouquet. Eventually the meadow disappears into another soaring peak. That is where the switchback begins. Turn after turn, it was monotonous. We knew something grand is on the other side of Col d’Ayous, but climbing the switchbacks was no small feat! Legs now were lead laden. But there was only one direction to go, up. By then we know that today’s walk was not going to be light.
By the end of switchbacks, we reached the Col. The reward was stunning. At 2150 meters, the feel of high mountains was real and striking. We stopped for a short break to take in the grandeur. The magnificent mountains unfold in front of our eyes. We could touch the snow. But the early climbing season was exceptionally warm this year, leaving only a few white speckles around. After a short descent from the Col, we reached Refuge d’Ayous next to the pristine alpine lakes, where snow had largely disappeared.
While we indulged ourselves in cold drinks and the perfect view of Pic d’Ayous, we heard someone speaking English. There, we met our new friends: couple of American expats living and hiking part time in the Pyrenees while global trotting the other half of the time. We dined together and had great fun exchanging travel tidbits! They were the first and the last Americans we would encounter on the entire trip. By evening, the refuge was fully occupied with lively walkers hungry for food.