In Canfranc, Spanish Pyrenees
The weather has changed only a bit...a light rain on the drive to the trailhead at Formigal.. The trail meandered uphill along a stream to the Ibons (lakes) de Anayet at 7,349'/2,239m. ...View image... A picnic lunch with perfect views of the peaks when it wasn't sleeting or raining on us. Then, a descent to the open pastures of the Valley Canal Roya on a series of switchbacks. Along the valley floor through boxwood and pines to Rio Aragon.
A short drive to Canfranc, an important rest stop in medieval days for pilgrims on the Way of St. James, a Spain section of the long distance pilgrimage route we took through part of France (this section is part of the Arles route). This small market village gave pilgrims their chance to rest after they crossed over the pass of Somport in the Pyrenees. Canfranc was also a command post, protecting the borders and controlling taxes.
We drove over the Somport Pass the next morning to Sansanet, France where our hike began from a parking/picnic area. The big news? A COMPLETELY SUNNY DAY! It was about time. Through beech forests and back across the border to Ibon Estanes (Lac D'Estaens in French), a high mountain lake in Spain. Then a 2,600'/792m descent to Aguas Tuertas and a walk through alpine meadows to the Selva (forest) de Oza... View image... A long 13-mile day but we're all smiling because it was sunny and Inaki is smiling because we've all gotten faster.
Finished for the day, the van transfered us to to the Hotel Uson not far from Hecho, a typical Pyrenean village of cobblestone streets and medieval townhouses with high Aragonese chimneys. The Hecho Valley was very remote until a road was recently built. Some of the people still speak an ancient Aragonese dialect. Since not very much goes on in any of these small villages visited to date, all that was important to me was the sun was shining...finally...
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