Praise the Lord! – I have survived the night!
I get up at about 6 o’clock, I guess. The mountains around me are lit by the rising sun and the whole valley seems much more welcoming than when I dragged myself here last night.


I make some tea and have a look around. After a small breakfast, I pack everything and set off for the next long walk.
I have a good few patches of snow to cross today – almost from a start. There still no need for crampons, though. Someone walked this path before me within the last couple of days, so I have footprints to follow. This makes my life easier because the path keeps zigzagging and it’s difficult to see which way it leads on the other side of the snow patch.



The whole mountains very much remind me of our Tatry – just higher – and this path of The Lord of the Rings… The good news is that I’m not climbing to Mordor!

The trail climbs up all the time. I’m not walking very fast. I think that 25 km which I walked yesterday worn me out a bit. Not to mention not sleeping at night…

I’m definitely getting higher now. Very soon I should get near the Grotte de Bellevue. I thought for a moment that I can leave my backpack there and climb on Vignemale but the cave will definitely be covered in snow this time a year.

At some point, I could see a few people climbing up Vignemale but now they disappeared in the clouds. It all doesn’t look as clear as it did earlier on, so perhaps I won’t have a chance to get there today. Now it’s not far to the refuge but when I get there eventually I’m pretty tired.

I get a bed (that’s a luxury!) and have a chat with a guard. I don’t like his attitude to people using phones and other devices, and trying to charge them up. They basically don’t let people use electricity for that. I will have to survive till tomorrow, I guess. He shows me the weather forecast which doesn’t look good. There might be a sunny window this afternoon but no one can guarantee anything. For this moment there is no point in going out, so I decided to have a siesta. I wake up after a short nap and there is bright sunshine outside. I’m not going to risk a big climb today – I’m too tired and the weather is too unstable. I decide to climb on Vignemale Petit instead. It’s only an hour from de Bayssellance (guidebook timing and for summer I guess 😉). The crampons are in use this time.

It’s not a difficult climb but after the morning sunshine the snow is wet and I keep falling in every now and again. I don’t complain though – the views pay off every step and every effort.

I spend quite a while on the top – the sunshine is glorious and the views splendid – but I have to walk back eventually. I wish I had skis with me. The way down would be much quicker. However, there is still a little child in me 😂 I just sit on my little backpack and have a fantastic ride down to the pass. I wish that my camera worked like it should – I’d have a great video. Anyway, fun and laughter are priceless.
I have a chat with a guy who stays in the refuge with his son. They are thinking of going to Vignemale very early in the morning if the weather is clear. Only an early morning is a potential option as the forecast for Saturday is really bad. The young chap gets really sick later in the evening – a sunstroke most likely – so they will see tomorrow. For me simply the weather will decide…