43rd Day (19.9.22)

The stage to our last refuge was relatively short. It was announced to take only three hours. So we had a leisurely breakfast and then went down to the cow carcass again, as Paul wanted to take another look at it. However, we didn't stay there long because of the strong smell. So we went back to the hut, saddled our luggage, and started walking. The stage was characterized by large mountain lakes that seemed to aim to show off their beauty. The path to the pass was quite easy, only from time to time it was difficult to recognize the way. As always, we took a short break at the pass and continued walking.

For the descent, we needed more time. Not because it was longer or more challenging, but because we had to stop every few meters to enjoy the scenery. We did this until we reached a rock that stood over a deep, turquoise blue mountain lake, and decided to take another break there, even though our destination was not far away. When we had soaked up enough beauty, we continued walking and could see our hut on the next mountain lake. It jutted out on a peninsula into the sparkling water of the winding lake. We descended to the height of the hut and walked the last stretch along a rocky mountain road. We passed along dams and found dead wood on the shores of the lakes.

When we arrived at the hut, Eva greeted us. She had decided to stay on the hut for one more night to go climbing. We cooked ourselves a lunch at the lake and sat down on the terrace of the hut to play cards. The afternoon passed quickly and after dinner, we had a beer for playing cards before getting ready to go to sleep. Merle and I decided to go night swimming in the lake. Quietly, we made our way to the shore and slowly dipped in. One last time that night, we looked at the incredible starry sky that the Pyrenees offer and a feeling of melancholy came over me. We went back to the hut and went to sleep.