Around the lost mountain - day 2
LAST week – halfway through day 2 – we left the walker (ie, me) at the formidable Collado de Añisclo pass at 2,453 metres. In this week’s offering the remainder of this stage to Bielsa is described.
Standing at the Collado de Añisclo – looking at the 1,000metre descent into the Pineta valley, I was feeling more than apprehensive. The gradient of the slope is steeper than it appears in the photo above and – carrying a heavy rucksack – I initially had doubts over whether I could do it. My legs felt weak and my stomach was turning.
By reading about the difficulty of the descent before setting out on this walk, I think I may have built it up too much in my mind. Subconsciously I’d almost psyched myself out of it before I reached the pass. So when I arrived at the ‘collado’ I was expecting something pretty monstrous, and – looking over the edge – it certainly lived up to its billing.
The problem with the descent from a psychological point of view is that you can see all the way down to the bottom of the valley, 1,000 metres below. I had thought it would be partially tree-covered, with the pines ready to break any potential fall. But there were none – just a scree-covered path slaloming down the sheer slope.
I had to give myself a severe talking to in order to get moving. My main motivation was that one of my ambitions for later life is to complete the GR11
trans-Pyrenean walk – coast to coast – in its entirety. So if I couldn’t get down from Añisclo then I would never do the GR11. For me this was unthinkable, so I got underway slowly, taking very short steps, looking at my feet and trying not to look down to the valley floor.
People reading this who have undertaken this route may think I’m making too much of it. This was certainly the view of a mountaineer who I met later in the trip in France. He and his comrades had just completed a traverse from Pineta to Gavarnie, down some near vertical slopes which had been treacherous, according to his account. When I mentioned the Añisclo descent, he stated that it did not present any great difficulty and it hadn’t caused him any problems. And there I guess is the difference between a mountain walker and a mountaineer. I would class my hobby as mountain walking, which involves steep slopes but generally nothing too vertical. However, a mountaineer plans for the vertical and near vertical – and enjoys it. I digress.
Suffice-it-to-say, I did not particularly enjoy the long descent on the switchback path. It took great concentration knowing that any slip could potentially prove fatal. Again, some readers may think I’m being melodramatic – but anyone thinking of undertaking this route should be aware of the risks.
And, just when you are nearing the bottom – and a pleasant stroll along the river beckons – the route throws up yet more complications. The path bears to the right and becomes fractured. Now it’s not the gradient that slows progress but the rocks. Clambering over them and down them proves difficult on tired legs.
On reaching the river belated thanks can be offered up (skywards). Here the walker has a choice. The closest accommodation is the ‘Refugio de Pineta’ mountain refuge. Turn left for this option. I had already booked my hotel in Biesla so continued straight on to cross the Zinca river. It was almost dry at the end of September, but I have seen it flowing deep and strong in the spring and early summer. The path along the left bank of the river is very pleasant and it is a lovely, easy day walk from Bielsa up the Pineta valley, gazing up at the towering peaks.
However, I was already 10 hours into my walking day when I started the 10km hike – on legs and feet which were really suffering from the previous exertions. Another stopoff option is Camping Pineta (also offering chalets) half way along the valley. I moved onto the road for easier walking, turning off right to pass through the charming village of Javierre for the short run down to Bielsa, where food, shower and bed awaited.
As noted last week, the difficulty of this leg is ‘extreme’ due the nature of the descent into the Pineta valley. It took me more than 12 hours, with 1,000 metres of ascent and 1,900 of descent – and 24 kilomtres to complete.
Accommodation options for Bielsa can be found via www.booking.com and the refuge at www.alberguesyrefugios.com/pineta