Refuge Wallon to about a mile past Refuge de Bayssellance

Last night it was foggy when I went to sleep. I woke at 12:30 am and it was clear. This morning it was dry and clear. I thought for sure we would have condensation but we didn’t. 

Good morning!

After coffee in the refuge we started the beautiful walk up the valley to Col d’Arratille (2528 meters).

We passed the French family as they were taking a break by a lake. 

At the top we met up with Richard and Patsy. They are from San Diego and are also hiking the HRP. 

Then it was down and back up to the Col des Mulets (2591 m)

At the Col du Mulets got our first glimpse of Vignemale  (3298m) the highest peak on the French Spanish border. For the rest of the day Vignemale and it’s glaciers dominated the day. 

At Refuge des Oulettes de Gaube we ate an awesome omelette. This is a really nice refuge. It even had electric plugs we could use to charge our phones. It didnt have a mobile signal which is probably a good thing. 

The next high point was Horquette d’Ossue. There were lots of people hiking up Petite Vignemale (3032m). When we planned the HRP I thought we would hike up some of the peaks along the way. It is supposed to take 1 hour to walk up. I way underestimated how difficult this hike would be. I don’t need to add anything extra.

Horquette d’Ossue

But of course the 11 and 13 yr olds and their dad are climbing to the top of the big Vignemale tomorrow. I will miss seeing them and their positive energy. If they read this I hope they comment on how the it hike up Vignemale was.

Looking down on Refuge de Bayssellance

Refuge de Bayssellance is the highest staffed refuge. Its an awesome place. We got there early enough that we took a long break. We ate peanuts and split a half liter of wine. I’m really liking this Euro style hiking!
We said goodbye to Leopold, Blanche and David and walked downhill about a mile. We set up camp next to a stream. As we ate dinner we watched a herd of izards.