Sunday, October 14, 2007
Wednesday 10th Refugi de L'illa to Puigcerda
Woke before sunrise. So cold it is snowing. We are short on cooking fuel so its muesli soaked in cold water for breakfast. We have a short climb up to the lake and then we cross from Andorra back into Spain. We wander downhill into a valley with large Breton horses and pyrenean cattle grazing, the bells around their necks a constant sound throughout the length of the Pyrenees. We reach the bottom of the valley at Cabana de Esparvers. A sign indicates a change in direction and we start winding up towards a mountain pass in the distance. An hour and a half later we reach the pass. There is a stone pillar which indicates a border with France. We realise that we have walked to the wrong pass. As we think about where we went wrong, another walker arrives. He had seen the same sign as us below and had made the same mistake. The weather had turned bad, very cold with either snow or rain coming. It was too late to turn back so we crossed through the pass and into France and headed down into the valley without a clue as to what there was below. In one day we had walked through 3 countries. 3 hours later we reached the bottom of the valley and walked into the french village of Porta. It was raining hard and we entered the only bar open. I ordered 3 beers and asked where we were. About 18 kms north of Puigcerda. Together with Vicente from Burgos, the other lost walker, we caught a taxi to Spain. It means that we have arrived a day earlier than expected and I had arranged with friends Olga and Albert to stay with them over the weekend in their house in Vilallobent near Puigcerda. No problem, we would stay tonight and thursday night at a hotel and friday and saturday night with Albert and Olga. A really good rest for body and feet.
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