Day 15 July 26 2016 Lescun to Borce
Lescun was supposed to be a “bustling” resort town with its own grocery store! Maybe so in the ski season. When we got there, it felt quiet and peaceful on this beautiful summer day. We went to the only grocery store in town to get some fruits. There we met our fellow walker from Belgium again. He was buying supply for tonight and tomorrow’s hike, as he was camping outside town. We were lucky to be in a gite. On this walk regardless of gite or refuge, all walkers shared the same dinner on a big table, and we like the simplicity of the meal and conviviality of the gathering. At the dinner table, a friendly local guide provided us information about the glacier lake half way between Borce and Gabas. My original plan was to end the walk at Borce, our next stop. But I was drawn to the high country, I just got a taste of it! Lescun to Borce was supposed to be an easy walk. We won’t feel “accomplished” enough to end the trip so casually. However, extending to Gabas meant a 16-mile day, last minute booking, very tight schedule and limited transportation back to Paris. We couldn’t decide. So next morning, we simply moved on and let the legs carry us as far as they can.
It was an easy stroll out of the town. The initial path provided pleasant views of the valley, intermittently interrupted by lonely farm settlements and neatly cut hay fields. A circle of mountains soaring into the sky draped in the white clouds surrounded the valley. In the morning sun, a purple hue formed from the reflection by the ragged granite cliffs. The scene reminded me the dreamy settings of children’s stories.
Reality set in soon enough as we started a steep climb along a narrow path covered by overgrown bushes. As the valley faded from view, a dark spruce forest came into view. The steep path weaved through the thick forest, not giving us much break. When we just about to get tired and bored by the climb and the darkness, we stepped into broad day light. We were standing on the edge of an expansive meadow covered with endless golden grass and occasional patches of dark green spruce. The meadow spread out beyond our vantage point merging into layers of distant mountains. It was such a pleasure to walk in the open space, inching towards the tall mountains at the edge. We felt relaxed and cheery, a “Sound of Music” kind of moment. However, the hot sun still took its toll. The trail turned more winding and before long it morphed into a slope. We reached the edge of the meadow and mountains we saw earlier were still not close. When we first got to the other side of the meadow, we thought that the edge of the meadow would be those giant mountains. Seeing is not always believing. The slope led us to a narrow shepherd’s trail cut through the fern bush along the mountainside. It was hard to see the path as it was completely covered by the bush. We depended on our feet tracing the deep grooves. Meanwhile, we were exposed to the relentless sun and the horseflies were having a field day! Now the trail seemed to go on forever. Z.Z. grumbled that this was not as easy as I described. I shot back that if it was easy there would have been no fun. I guess it was all about mental preparation. Shepherd’s trail eventually merged into forest path again, we continued to descend until menacing dog barks startled us. We arrived in Borce.
Lonely Walker
Borce is situated at the foot of the mountain, while its sister town Estaut on the lower part of the valley separated by highway N134. Borce is a beautiful medieval town with genteel atmosphere. Ancient, but well maintained homes gracefully lined the main street. Estaut is quaint and lively, hosting popular dormitory style Gite for hikers. The two little towns are encircled by mountains. Pick any direction to walk, one would hit the granite wall within half an hour. We stayed at Maison Bergoun, a luxury when compared to the Spartan places elsewhere. We had fabulous dinner and met interesting people while there. We shared the dinner table with an English couple, who are well into retirement age. They were hiking GR10 from the opposite direction and had finished 70% of the whole distance. This was their night of luxury as well since they typically camp along the trail if the sites were available. We were awed by their physical strength and uplifting spirit. Self-deprecatingly, they said they had to do this since one never knows when that biological clock would wake up.
Honestly, on this section of GR10, there wasn’t a day without a trying moment. I felt whenever we wanted to relax a bit, GR10 would nail us with surprises that demanded efforts. There was nothing we couldn’t handle, but there was no shortage of exhaustion either. The next section, the high country, the heart of this trail, will be more captivating and more challenging as well. At the dinner, we realized it would be difficult to secure last minute lodging at Gabas. So we decided to end our journey at Borce.