Refuge d’Ilheou – Cauterets
We woke up to a clear, bright day. Stepping outside the little refuge into the soft morning light, we realized how idyllic this place is! The refuge is situated perfectly by the emerald Lac d’Ilheou, facing the majestic peak. The alpine lake, as clear as a mirror, was formed from the melted snow on the peak. The refuge, like a child, snugged in the bosom of a giant, shielded from the rough blows of the elements.
The familiar sound of bells caught our attention. A herd of goats came for a visit. They scattered on the tender grass around the lake front. Z.Z. was on the front deck, busy filming this breakfast party. Leading the herd was a magnificent patou. He inspected the feeding ground and gazed at Z.Z curiously. All of a sudden, that curiosity turned into alert. Sensing danger, he barked at Z.Z., but simultaneously drove the herd away from the refuge. He climbed to a high place, barked at a couple lazy dwellers, making sure everyone of the herd followed along. In a matter of minutes, the herd disappeared out of sight.
We packed up and said goodbye to our warm hearted caretaker. Half an hour later, we ran into the herd again. In the center of the path, stood that magnificent dog. As we approached, he suddenly lunged towards us with great tenacity and head-splitting bark. We turned around and ran! What do we do? We couldn’t walk around the herd as this was a large herd and they formed a ring around the path. Even if we walk along the edge of the ring, would the patou consider that as aggression as well? Just as we were stuck in this dilemma, a jeep came down the path. We waved wildly at the jeep. There came our rescuer, the refuge caretaker! With hand gestures, I explained that I didn’t have guts dealing with that dog. Before he could answer, we crammed into his fully loaded jeep, sitting on piles of garbage bags and boxes. He was a bit amused. He tried to tell me that if I didn’t stare at the patou and simply walk forward, the patou would not attack. I shook my head: no way I could take this. As he drove the jeep through the herd, the angry patou ran and jumped and almost threw his head into the open car window, giving me a bunch of heartaches. He didn’t stop until we were far down the road. We thanked the kind man profusely and got off his car.
From there, we descended a long way to Cauterets. We were surprised by the number of grey haired hikers on the way up. These folks were hardy! Under the hot sun, this climb was not trivial even for a 20 something!
Cauterets was described to me as a ski town and a haven for sports lovers. It is a large town by local standard. I was a bit puzzled when everyone we encountered, on the street or in the hotel looked like grandparents. In fact, it felt as if we checked into a senior center. But that didn’t bother us. Any place with laundry facility was super. In addition, we were placed on the top floor in a room with a view. By evening, I was convinced we were in fact staying at a senior center and Cauterets in the summer was Pyrenees’ Florida. We decided to splurge at Carrefour, got more than we could eat, and had a feast in our room with a view.