Cirque de Gavarnie: 4 Valleys and a Sheep

10-22-2007.

Took all of yesterday to drive from Provence deep into the Pyrenees, and ended up in the little town of Gavarnie. Hotel population, one. Beatiful place, and the weather forcast was due to hold so we started scheming a long long day hike for the following day. And that's what we got....

Awoke early and were on the trail by nine (it doesn't get light here until after eight). Headed up up up towards the main cirque - improbably steep cliffs surroundng a narrow valley, water and ice falls everywhere. Halfway up we took a side trip into the valley to the right until it turned into the most beautiful pastoral valley.

After a croissant break, we headed back down into the cirque, passing the colorful trees turning for the winter.

Went all the way to the "cirque" and had some lunch we had packed outside the (closed) Hotel Turon. Then it was up, up, up a fairly sketchy trail cut into the cliffs, with lots of exposure. But soon we were in yet another beautiful valley opposite the one we started the morning in.

After a long, gruelling hike up, we ended at a Col (pass) called Hourquette d'Alans with amazing views back down the the main valley and into a new as-yet-unseen valley on the other side.

From there, a long swichback down into town. A lost sheep thought we were its flock, and followed us all the way baaaaaa-ck. All told, probably a ten mile hike with 4500+ feet of elevation gain. We definitely earned our dinner :)