High up in the Pyrenees (8.-18.6.22)

After the gentle hills in the La Rioja region and the flat semi-desert of Navarra, we are looking forward to higher and steeper mountains. 

Aínsa
Located in the southern foothills of the Pyrenees, the town of Aínsa is still relatively low (at about 570 meters above sea level). The medieval town is situated on a small hill and would be perfect for shooting a historical film. However, what attracts us here is not the beautiful old town but the many bike trails. Under the name Zona Zero, a huge trail landscape with tours for every taste has been created here. The GPS tracks can be downloaded for free from the website, so navigation is not a problem. Highly recommended!
The only problem is the heat. During the week we are in Ainsa, the temperature often climbs to 36°C! It's clearly impossible to go biking in such heat. The solution to the problem is to get up early so that we are back by noon at the latest. We will spend the afternoon like dead flies at the campsite.  

Benasque and Pico de Aneto
Benasque is a small, old and charming town located in the heart of the Pyrenees and surrounded by the highest peaks of the mountain range. It serves as our starting point for the ascent of Pico de Aneto, the highest peak in the Pyrenees at 3404 meters. We start our tour at 7:00 am from the parking lot La Besurta (1900 meters). Already here, we are fascinated by the wild landscape. We follow a well-signposted hiking trail until we reach Refugio de la Renclusa (2140 meters) after about 45 minutes. From here, a steep and strenuous ascent begins over a huge scree field with large boulders. There is no clear path anymore. We navigate using the map and the cairns that are occasionally visible. We reach a rocky ridge called Cresta de las Portillones. We cross the ridge and get the first view of Pico de Aneto and the glacier below. Here, we realize that we still have quite a distance to go. We cross the glacier without crevasses, climb over scree again, and finally reach the ridge, called Paso de Mohoma. The ridge is short but quite exposed on both sides, and we press ourselves against the rocks to avoid losing balance. At 11:30 am, we happily stand on the highest peak of the Pyrenees and enjoy the view. The way back is long and strenuous. We are quite exhausted when we reach the parking lot again at 3:30 pm.