Gîte de Saint-Justin - Bareges - Lac d'Aubert
- Distance: 18km
- Duration: (with breaks): 9h 00min
- Elevation gain/loss: 1460m/560m
Today I woke up full of energy. A short day #4 was exactly what I needed to regain all the energy and drive to hike further. As a warm glow of early morning sun slowly moved through the hills, I walked out of the camping of Gîte de Saint-Justin, grateful for the peace and quiet I got from it.
I left the camping at 07:00 not because I love waking up at 5:30, but because I was hoping to score some early breakfast at a boulangerie in Bareges. As a hungry hiker, I got seduced by a deal of 5 crepes for 5 euros (while 1 crepe was 2 euros, what a deal!) and boy, I was full after one… Ok, maybe one and a half 😄 anyway, unless you really eat a lot, don’t take this deal on your own, you likely won’t be able to handle all those crepes!
High on sugar (and groceries), I left Bareges and through silent valleys headed towards Neouvielle nature reserve, which is famous for its numerous lakes. Upon entering the park I was greeted by ski lifts instead of lakes, but let’s hope that this is just a necessary part to cross before the views.
So a few sentences ago I was talking about silent valleys, peace, and quiet. All that was quickly forgotten as I joined “a train” of hikers heading the same way I do. I met people with big bags, small bags, no(!) bags, bags with baguettes sticking out, people with kids, with dogs, young, old – it seemed that everyone was hiking in Neouvielle today. So until Lac Dets Coubous, I was balancing between being polite and firm while sharing the narrow path zigzagging up a mountain.
Despite the crowds, I enjoyed the views as I climbed higher and saw peaks that yesterday hid behind clouds. Today clouds were still hanging low, but it was a cool type of low 😄
Once I reached Lac Dets Coubous, I realized that now I was in one of those “cool” clouds and could see the lake in waves. After a short break there, I went further up the trail, hoping to dodge the clouds. Would be a pity to hike the rest of the day in a mist!
The trail was getting more rugged and rocky thus slowing me down. However, soon I also found out why this nature reserve is so famous. There were lakes everywhere. I mean it. Every 15 – 20 minutes I came across a new lake, while still passing a previous one. For someone who has a soft spot for lakes in the mountains, I was in paradise 😀
The lakes definitely made me slow as I took numerous breaks and dipped my feet in the water to cool down. So when at 14:00 I realized that I’m not even over the pass, that was the time to speed up.
Reaching the top was not that difficult, I only had to pay attention to a few steeper sections as the path was a bit loose. Once at the pass, I was blown away by the views, I really had to catch my breath.
Mountains covered with a thin layer of clouds on one side, two deep blue lakes tucked between peaks – on the other. Damn, this was the most beautiful view of the whole trip.
Energized by the views, I descended into the valley like some mountain goat, hopping through the boulder fields with no problem. Although I was camping at Lac d’Aubert, I took a small detour to Lac d’Aumar for a quick swim. After a long and sweaty day, this will be my shower.
As Neouvielle is a nature reserve, wildcamping is forbidden except for a few bivouac places: Lac d’Aubert, Lac d’Oredon, Lac de l’Oule and Cabane d’Auloueilh. Lac d’Aubert was my stay and it was packed. You could actually drive up the lake, park your car and stay there for a night. I saw people “moving in”. Seriously, huge tents, mattress pumps, fluffy pillows, fridges of food – they had it all. It was difficult to find a quiet spot!
This is also where I met the same GR10 hiker from yesterday. I found out that he (Nikolai) hiked with another girl (Romana), who turned a solo Pyrenees hiker after her friend got injured two days ago. Actually having someone to chat about the trail and experiences of the day – how awesome is that! With all the experiences of the day and my leisurely tempo, I had to hurry though before the sun hid behind the mountains. Diner, read and sleep – that’s the plan.
Day 5 tips
- It is a popular section, so if you want to enjoy the trail all to yourself, start early.
- It can get busy at the bivouac spots, so if you arrive there early, you might be able to “reserve” a more secluded flat spot.
- At Lac d'Aubert there were no facilities, except for a toilet. As for drinking water, I got mine from a nearby stream after filtering it (I used Katadyn BeFree).