I get up at about 7 a.m. and it is a beautiful morning. I have a quick breakfast, pack things away and set off. I have to chat with St Christopher and St Medard and just pray for another good day. The Cirque de Troumouse looks very pretty in the soft morning sunlight.

It doesn’t take long to get to Lacs des Aires.

I soon get to Cabane de Virgin. 

I leave my backpack here for a while and walk up to see a whole panorama of the cirque from a little top. 

I don’t enjoy the way down. I either need to go on a road or on a steep and full of loose rocks path. Luckily, it doesn’t take very long. I have a bite when I get to the Auberge de Maillet (still closed this time a year) and find a path that will take me to the Barrage des Gloriettes. It is very warm at that stage, so I put sun cream on to protect my already painful arms.
Just before I get to the dam it starts raining. Initially, it’s not too bad. I had to walk on those loose rocks again as the path disappears somewhere.

 

When I reach the dam – a very civilised thing in the wilderness… – the rain is pretty heavy. I walk for another hour before I get to Cabane d’Esataube and I’m pretty wet. This cabana has two rooms and is quite well equipped. I put some dry clothes on and set the fire in the ‘kitchen’ to dry my backpack and everything that got wet. 

In the meantime, I find huge black bags in the kitchen cupboard and I’m very happy about it. It will keep my backpack dry for the rest of this trip.
It is raining all evening but it doesn’t surprise me. It’s Tuesday and when I checked the forecast for Monte Perdido it was going to be the worst day with snowfall and a possible thunderstorm, so the rain in the valley is quite expected. It should clear up by the morning.