Day 38: Wild Camp just below Refuge d'Aula to Fermes les Bouries

Last night turned out to be a cold one! First proper cold feeling I've had overnight since I got the thermal liner and beanie way back in Gourette! It was manageable and I thought I probably felt it as my thin fleece was wet and out of action for the night! As I laid in my tent awaiting the dream of sunshine and blue skies and warmth I heard some music pass by me! Someone must've started very early this morning! This gave me the incentive I needed to start getting ready. I resigned myself to admit the sunshine and blue skies and warmth was not on the way! It started to occur to me that the calf wasn't giving me much pain, but I hadn't taken a step on the GR10 yet!

It was definitely a BROUILLARD day! I knew the magnificent views that abounded around me, it's just that they were hidden behind the whiteness!

It was however very atmospheric! This was my new tactic to accept BROUILLARD, it provides atmospheric walking!

The first order of the day was a climb surprise surprise! The path climbed into the cloud towards Bouche d'Aula (1998m). I was hoping beyond hope I would climb through and out of the cloud as I knew the views of Mont Valier were spectacular from up there!

It wasn't looking good though!

And my sad but atmospheric face continued!

I discovered that looking down to Refuge d'Aula and where I'd camped were the best views of the climb.

Atmospheric.

On days like this a real positive is that you do notice the smaller things more.

Flowers are one of those things! The mountains are easy to notice and admire. The trees are also easy. But the smaller things get, the more of an effort they are to notice on their own.

So I spent some time on the ascent admiring the flowers on their own! Impressive on a different level to the mountains.

The path to BROUILLARD shot!

So, after climbing through the cloud I started to see the upper reaches of the bowl I'd spent last night in. I knew there was an area before the high point of Bouche d'Aula that had great views back to Mont Valier. I lessened my expectations that I'd be lucky enough to get the view today.

Well, I was right about the views back to Mont Valier not being clear today, but what was lost by that was replaced by an amazing experience with slightly cleared cloud. The biggest thing to strike me in the small bowl I was in just before a short climb to Bouche d'Aula was how so unbelievably quiet it was! Quietness is really loud when it is so so quiet - if you follow my perverse logic?!

The occasional high pitched call of a bird I knew not the name of was the only break to this stunning silence. The surrounding views were fantastic as well! I had to stop for half an hour, just to sit and be there.

I was at peace with the lost views of Mont Valier now.

I won't waste words describing the views up at this stunning spot.

The pictures are hopefully worth a thousand words.

It took an effort to peel myself away from there and continue up the remainder of the climb to the Bouche d'Aula (1998m).

There were brief views of Étang d'Areau (1888m) as the descent started and headed towards a rough path down a pastoral valley.

It was not long after this that I saw a sight I must admit I really didn't want to see! It was the nice Spanish guy cleaning his teeth! Oh heck, oh my heck! I just couldn't bear an incomprehensible talking to in Spanish again, I just couldn't! What to do? No idea! Had he seen me? Yes!

I had to make a plan quickly! What I came up with was pure genius! I tried to just walk past him saying hello and continuing, but my conscious didn't allow that to happen! I think the 5 minutes talking to was about the water spring he was cleaning his teeth at and something about the Cabane d'Aula, but I definitely can't be sure. However, just 5 minutes. Progress, not perfection!

Having escaped the talking to, I made haste down a track to Col de Pause (1527m). Nothing of note there, but it did open up a lovely new panorama of green, tree covered mountains ahead. The track down to the Col had offered fantastic views through a gap between Tuc de Fourmiguet (2093m) and Pic de Fonta (1934m) back through to the impressive Cascade d'Arcouzan area where I got so soaked yesterday! It looked like I expected it would in good weather, as things had cleared up nicely.

The track ended at Col de Pause and continued onto narrow path that cut several times across a switchbacking road. It was at one of these that I saw a lady trekker sorting her feet out. It didn't take too long to think she might have a problem with a foot. I did my best bonjour and hoped I could help, even if just for a chat. She did indeed have a problem developing in her foot, and no surprise as she'd trekked loads of kilometres in a short space of time! Funnily it turned out she was the source of the music that passed my tent early this morning!

I didn't know whether to wait or carry on, I don't like to invade other people's days! So I was caught in the limbo of not walking off as I thought that might be rude, and waiting as I thought walking off might be rude. Despite people's opinions on me, I'm actually quite a socially awkward person. I find being around other humans quite difficult. I used to have a coping mechanism for everything in life, but I can't use it anymore and it's stark to me now it was one of the only ways I've been able to feel comfortable in social settings for extended periods of time.

We ended up walking off together, very strange for me to walk with another person! It was good to chat. I discovered she was making distance to meet her partner to finish the GR10 together, which would complete 100 odd days trekking on her journey! GR5 across to GR10, awesome stuff!

We chatted all the way down to Fermes Les Bouriés (807m) where I planned to camp. My new friend's ankle was not good at all, and I could sense she was a similar person to me who would not by herself do the right thing to look after herself with comfort and ease in the mind! So I made it my task to try say it was OK to try get a bus from the nearby village of Couflens, miss the next couple of stages, and recover ready for her partner's arrival. I hoped I had helped, I know only too well that self punishing turmoil in the mind that blocks you looking after yourself as you should! She did get the bus after we'd sat and chatted at Fermes les Bouriés, and I hoped she was OK with doing the right thing!

So, in the absence of any staff at the very simple campsite, I went ahead and chose a nice flat spot to pitch the tent and got myself super organised. I even took the liberty to take one of the many plastic chairs from the camp kitchen over to my tent. I was lovely and comfortable. It was just at that point that the campsite owner came over and told myself and a german father/son trekking team that these areas were reserved for tonight by big family tents! 'Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change' - it was cool, nothing I could do but move tent house!