Sunday 25th (?) Gabas

After such a lovely night I set off up the valley and it was cloudy. As I gained altitude I started seeing glimpses of sun shining on mountain tops. Then I was above the cloud level.
A steep climb brought me to the Col de Ayous at over 2000m. What magnificent mountain scenery there was all around me.
From here it was down to a large refuge a above a lake with the Peak Midi de Oisseau behind it.
I spent a couple of hours here taking in the view, washing self and clothes and having my picnic lunch.
Being a lovely sunday there were lots of day walkers arriving and enjoying the area.
It was a long walk down to another lake and the car park, then a road walk down to Gabas.
There were several hikers at the bar, some going east and some west on the GR10. The local cheeses, Oiseau something a hard cheese was on sale so I had to buy some. The Pyreneean hard cheeses are excellent.
I left and walked along thd busy road until I turned off across a bridge into the forest.
There was a scary section with several hundred metres with a safety wire to hold onto, I did not look down.
Soon after this I came up on four French walkers who I had talked with at Gabas. One young woman was freaked out at the crossing of a stream running down a steep rock slab. I passed them there.
A little further over a bridge I found a level site for the night and set up camp.