Arreau

June 5, 2014

Hiking to Lake Oo; crossing Peyresourde

Wow. Today was incomparable. I've run through my catalog of superlatives, but I think wow captures it the best.

The day began well - the weather forecast was on the mark for a change, and conditions were gorgeous. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80 at the lower elevations - it felt like the first day of summer today. On the way out of town we stopped at the bike store for an important bit of maintenance - my headset began working loose several days ago, leaving the front of the bike a bit wobbly. Not the best sensation coming down a steep mountain pass. I've been anxious about it over the last few days, and it's a relief to have everything feel tight and secure again.

Today's ride was intentionally short - partly because we wanted to space out the major passes so we would appreciate them more, and partly so we would have time for a detour to take the famous hike to Lake Oo. The hike broke the day up nicely, essentially giving us two 2000' climbs. We made it to the trailhead about 11, left our bikes at an inn for the duration, and set off on the hike/climb to the lake, climbing 1300' in 2-1/2 miles. It was a wonderful hike, and justly famous. At the top, it was a shock to the senses to round a bend and suddenly see the lake and the surrounding snowy peaks, and hear the roar of the huge waterfall plunging hundreds of feet into the opposite end of the lake. After walking down again, we stopped for a blueberry tart break at the inn that had watched over our bikes (giving them our business seemed like the right thing to do after they were kind enough to allow our bikes to stay with them for 4 hours). Afterwards we sat by the meadow and ate the cheese, bread and carrot lunch we had brought with us.

From Oo we biked back down the Oo valley to the road up Peyresourde and resumed our climb. At this point there were only about four miles left, at a steady 8% - not too bad, really. Rachael was at the top long before me though and in fact biked part way down again - she's still trying to regain the extra elevation I gained on Agnes a few days back. As usual, I took my time and gave the camera a workout too. I was mesmerised by the last stretch in particular - a beautiful, open switchback across a brilliant green slope.

The views were great at the top but even better when we continued up a bit further, taking the spur out to the ski area. Here, they were jaw-dropping. The vista became broader, more dramatic and wonderful with each bend in the road. After that, another plummet into the valley and a downriver dash to our hotel in Arreau. Arreau itself is a lovely little mountain village built along the river, full of beautiful houses with distinctive architecture.

A perfect day. Best of the tour.

Net elevation gain: 4,200' today, 72,600' total.

Video clip of the descent: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=73ED18EEC8BA7424!560&authkey=!ANhxycT6fv6Oh4g&ithint=video%2c.mp4