higher elevations
- Distance: 19.9km (137.3km total)
- Ascent/Descent: 1151m up, 444m down
- Time: 8 hr 7 min
A typical morning through pastures, a steep climb through woodland, and a march straight up a hill that we declined to do. But then, cool beech forests and moderate trails to the Col de Iraty.
Leaving the gîte, the skies once again looked tropical, with
scattered small puffy clouds. Once again, we didn't want to march
through the heat of the day, so we left rather early around 7:30.
The Spanish women had already left, the Belgian family was
slightly slower getting on the trail than us.
A bit uphill, then a long moderate downhill into a sharp valley that we knew had payback, and then a stupid steep uphill. Nothing really memorable, yet we were surprised we'd already gone 10km in almost four hours and it was 11:15, we both guessed it felt like a bit over two hours.
We were kinda interested in going up to see the neolithic dolmen on the actual GR10, but that was another 400m up a hill and back down again, and maybe 3km more, and I suspect they were just reconstructions, but what do I know? So we avoided all that--today has 1600m of elevation gain or something--just to save some oomph for later in the day.
We stopped at a little cafe, then up the 6km to Iraty. The topo said there were actual switchbacks--perhaps for cross-country skilling in winter?--and there were, so the track was uphill but not that challenging, ending up on a ridge with a chalet or two.
Big dark clouds and thunder appeared in the east rather quickly, so we had a bit more motivation to get the our lodging. We had the dinner option, so the restaurant next door brought us meals, and we sat down in the fancy-ish chalet. The Belgians showed up to share the chalet--and we chatted over beer and wine.