Saturday 6th Oct Refugi de Baiau to Arinsal 11 kms

Up early to find it had stopped raining but a complete white out. We decide to go ahead with an attempt at the high pass anyway as it is early and we have time on our side. It is really cold so we all put on our full on gear. The way is clearly marked which gives us confidence in the mist. As we climb the cloud begins to lift and we see glimpses of blue sky. The path disappears as the terrain becomes more vertical and rock covered. Eventually we are just scrambling vertically on the loose scree towards the top. We suddenly hear shouting from above echoing from the surrounding cliffs. 3 young spanish guys had reached the top before us. They had climbed up from the other (the Andorran) side. As they come down toward us we stop and share information. They are doing the GR11 like us but in the other direction. I wish them luck but i think they may have left it too late in the year to get through the high peaks of Aragon. Half an hour later we reach the top. 2757mtrs. The Port of Baiau. We cross from Spain to Andorra. Its very cold but it looks like some sun is coming and we know that as we climb down into the valley and lose height it will get warmer. Its a relief because we had been waiting nearly 3 days to get through this pass. We drop steeply (1500mtrs over 8 kms) through lightly wooded country filled with waterfalls and the colours of autumn. We arrive in the village of Arinsal in time for a late lunch, book into a hotel and find that, unlike Spain where the rugby world cup doesnt exist, Andorra has french TV so the rest of the afternoon is spent watching the brits beat the aussies. Later we then watch the french kill our hopes too.