Day 20: Aire de Bivouac at Barage d'Ossoue to Camping La Bergerie at Gavarnie

This morning it was lovely to await the sunshine to reach into the valley and warm things up, as well as ensure a lovely dry tent pack up! It was predicted to be a hot blue sky day for the shortish walk to Gavarnie that I had ahead. I took my time to have a pleasant camp break down, before setting off to negotiate my way around the dammed lake (dam as in concrete dam, I wasn't annoyed negotiating it!). I regained the beautiful GR10 waymarkers and started walking happily along the high grassy traverse of Pic Rond (2347m).

The Vignemale Massif was now becoming much smaller as the distance between us grew, but I had to keep looking back just those last few times. I have a strange relationship with nostalgia, maybe it's normal, I don't know or understand! But I can be incredibly nostalgic for places I've just visited, experiences I've just had. It's a gut wrenching nostalgia, which I get a fair amount in general life, but here on the trail I already get it at times, and I definitely had it strong today looking back at the Vignemale vista behind me! It then took me back to other recent places on the trail, that yearning nostalgia so strong inside me! I know that means I've absolutely loved the physical journey and trail sights and experiences, that's good I thought to myself. But also, I couldn't help thinking it's mixed with other emotions I can't or haven't fathomed yet!

Last night I'd pitched my tent in the imposing shadows of Pic Sud d'Aspé (2924m) and Pic de la Badète (2763m) on the right hand side of the valley as I looked down it. Today's walking took me across to the other side of the valley so I was able to look across at their majesty, and then continue appreciating the other mountains of Les Meyts, Soum de Labassa and Soum Blanc de Secugnat that formed the steep cliffs on that side of the now deep valley.

Next, the path travelled across the flat, grassy pasture of Pic de Gabiet (2716m). This side of the valley, the left as I looked down, had a flat grassy area before the cliffs steepened to my right. There were a couple of deviations up small valleys to cross streams that provided great views of the cliffs on this side.

There was cloud hanging in the lower reaches, but it seemed to be disappearing slowly. However, when you're above it, the views it creates and the feeling it gives you is great. Apart from when you want the full view down to a valley floor that is! Today it just created nice views and feelings!

Although most of my photos are of the macro, I do keep an eye on the micro when I can as well. Or more accurately when something catches my eye! And, an insect I've noticed a lot of is the butterfly. A word that always reminds me of the most difficult stroke I ever had to do in my tens of thousands of hours swimming training as a young child, here is represented by so many different beautifully coloured wings fluttering about the flowers. Sometimes they even flutter along with you walking, which is far more pleasant that the DAMN FLIES! I have never been a fan of flies, but I respect their importance an position in an ecosystem! But, when they follow me, and fly near my ears, and land on my face near my mouth, my respect ends there! I'm just walking through your ecosystem, just transiting, please go do your fly business on all this massive space around tiny little Craig I find myself thinking angrily at them! On occasions, I have started to verbalise this out loud with profanities at tiny insects, as if they'll get the message! Anyway, back to the beautiful and peaceful butterflies!..I just hope the guy or gal I got in the photo is a butterfly, maybe it's a moth?! Go private school education!!

The path reached a short wooded section, a fun little up and down through some pine trees where the heat was creating almost a Mediterranean kind of pine tree smell as I walked through them. Don't think Mediterranean I thought to myself, that signifies the end of the trail Craig!

The view ahead across the upcoming valley was dominated by Piméné (2801m), accompanied by the other peaks that build up to it. A great vista to trek towards and a sign I knew I was close to the end of today's shortish walk.

The path reached the end of the traverse of Pic de Lary (2397m), which was the last mountain of the valley I was coming out of. The path hadn't descended much, it had remained high on the sides of the mountains and had been a lovely walk. I therefore anticipated some steep descent ahead into another impressive looking valley in which Gavarnie sits. I just had to get round the path blocking cows, and they don't move an inch for any trekker! They would win any staring contest, masters of staring you out!

After about a half hour of that steep descent I arrived at the Chalet-Refuge La Grange de Holle (1480m) which looked lovely. It looked like an awesome café au lait stop! I had a a very pleasant hour in the sunshine there, so relaxing. I bumped into a couple I met at Plateau de Lhers, so nice to recognise people. They were finishing at Luz-Saint-Sauveur and wished me 'Bonne Courage' for the rest of my GR10 journey! I was feeling very content and ready for the luxury of a two night break!

Gavarnie is a car free village, and very attractive. The main feature of it is the Cirque de Gavarnie. This is a natural semi-circle in the mountains surrounding the village that are about 3000m wide at the top and reach around 1500m high. The Gavarnie Falls on the cliffs of the Cirque are the second highest waterfalls in Europe (422m high). A stunningly beautiful UNESCO site, but insanely busy. Absolutely never ending streams of tourists!

It was a lovely place to arrive at, however, for some reason my mind descended very quickly into stinking thinking. Sadly therefore, this is the reason that I have no more commentary of value to add for the rest of the day!