Refuge des Oulettes de Gaube - Petit Vignemale - Refuge des Granges de Holle
- Distance: 24km
- Duration: (with breaks): 10h 45min
- Elevation gain/loss: 1100m/1740m
This was my first night of wild camping. Alone. Well, let’s just say it was an experience, a sleepless experience 😄 I went to bed early, no problem. Decided to keep the outer mesh of the tent open as it was a clear night with stars above the mountains. Beautiful.
Around midnight, I woke up in complete darkness and could not sleep anymore. Every little sound would send my heart rate sky-high, the open mesh showed me the dark void looming above my tent. Screw the stars, this darkness is bloody scary.
I closed my tent and tried to calm myself down. Rationally, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m not even that “wild” camping, there are plenty of others nearby and the only other visitors might be mountain goats. You like mountain goats, Simona! All this self-talk was in vain. After what felt like an eternity, I decided to put the earplugs in and try to sleep. Eventually, it worked and I managed to sleep a bit with occasional wakeups and disappointments that’s it’s not morning yet.
Honestly, of all the pre-trip anxieties, I didn’t think that I would be afraid to sleep alone in a tent. I guess that my main worry was just being out there in nature all by myself. So the next morning I decided to NOT wild camp if I can avoid it. Let’s just stick to campsites, we have enough challenges here.
Anyyyyywaaaay. It’s day #2 and it was a long day. Many kilometers, many experiences. It started with quite a long climb to Hourquette d’Ossoue (2734m), which is the highest pass on GR10. I’d say it’s not that difficult, just long. The only tricky part is close to the top where there is loose gravel (a common characteristic to many passes of the Pyrenees…) and the path might be a bit confusing. In August there’s no snow anywhere near the pass, so it’s really doable.
Once at the top, I noticed that many hikers headed even higher, to the Petit Vignemale (3032m), which is no more than 30 extra minutes of climbing. After a couple of minutes of internal debate, I decided to go there as well. Adding an above 3 km mountain to this trip was too tempting to pass. Just like most of the fellow hikers, I ditched my backpack at Hourquette d’Ossoue, took some water, and left for a bag-free climb.
It was awesome to just quickly hop from rock to rock without an extra 9kg on my shoulders. If you thought that the views would be amazing at Hourquette d’Ossoue, Petit Vignemale was on another level. I could see far into the valley of yesterday with Gaube lake in the distance. The glaciers of Vignemale opened up and I finally spotted some snow 😊 In the picture the glacier river looks as if it is next to me while it’s still far away and so grand. I was very glad to take this side hike.
After admiring the views for a while, I headed down hoping to still find my bag (who’s going to steal extra weight in such a remote area anyway?!). My next stop was Refuge Baysselance, only 15min below Hourquette d’Ossoue pass. It is the highest manned refuge in the Pyrenees and also a great place for a lunch break.
In the afternoon, the sun was blazing in full force, so I was glad that at least I didn’t have to climb up (for now). Once again my sun hoody was an irreplaceable piece of gear, saving me from overheating as it was reeeeeaaaally hot.
On my way to the valley, I passed a few caves that are still used as bivouac places. I could not imagine anyone staying there for a night, but later in the day, I met two guys who actually planned to camp there before climbing Vignemale (the real one, not petit 😉). So people sleep there. People are crazy.
Overall the descent was very pleasant. Occasional stream crossings and the views kept me busy. For such a picturesque place it wasn’t even busy. Once at the valley, I reached Barrage d’Ossoue, where I could not resist at least dipping my feet into the lake for a little refresh break. It is possible to camp next to the lake in a dedicated aire bivouac, but I passed this option. Not gonna camp alone in nature, not ready for another sleepless night again.
As I arrived at Barrage d’Ossoue quite late in the afternoon, I was hoping that my destination, Refuge des Granges de Holle, was no more than 2 hours away. Without a phone signal, I could not check the distance left and so all I could do was keep on hiking.
This last section was constant ups and downs as I was traversing countless hills. On my way, I passed a few cabanes (little cabins where is it sometimes possible to stay overnight with your own gear), that are good for camping, but again, I was determined to not camp alone tonight.
So I kept on walking 😄 On my way to the Refuge, I met two French hikers and walked with them for a while. Unfortunately one of them had some knee pain, so I left the guys to walk slower and headed forward.
You cannot imagine my relief when I finally saw the refuge and knew the day is almost over. I arrived there at 18:35, so even had to hurry with all the chores (tent, shower, dinner) before it gets dark. And yes, I was camping again, but camping next to the hut felt ok.
As I settled in my tent after dinner, the thunder announced itself with a distant rumbling. What will this night bring?…
Day 2 tips
- If you consider hiking Petit Vignemale too, add ~ 1.5 extra hours. It is definitely worth it, just keep in mind that the day is already rather long even without it.
- It is possible to bivouac next to Refuge Baysselance, just make sure you pick somewhat a sheltered spot as it can get windy up there.
- Phone signal is available ~ 2 hours before Refuge des Granges de Holle.
- Camping at Refuge des Granges de Holle is not free (I paid 8 euros for a single tent). It is also possible to have dinner and/or breakfast at the refuge, the staff will even ask if you’d like it.