Day 26-31: 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees. | before Jasse du Fouillet to before Lac des Bouillouses

Tough Girl
Sep 27
5 min read

Closing in on the end, but the adventure is far from over. These days brought some of the toughest climbs and most rewarding moments 🌄.

Day 26🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats:

Weather: rainy and wet 💦 again

From: before Jasse du Fouillet

Start time: 7.50am

To: Refuge des Étangs de Bassiès

End time: 5.30pm

Accommodation: Refuge - bed

Terrain: forest, grassy, boulder fields, wet rocks, road

Cicerone guidebook stages: end of stage 36 and 37

🥾Km: 14.69 + 7.17 ‎ = 21.86

🥾Miles: 13.6

🦶Steps: 16,380 + 8379 ‎ = 24,759

Ascent: 950m + 760m ‎ = 1,710 m

Descent: 922m + 329m ‎ = 1,251 m

Total Distance 640/955km 67% Done ✅

💰Costs: €34 supermarket

€23 dinner at refuge

€22 sleeping at refuge

€3.50 hot chocolate ☕️

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

Enjoyment: 7/10

Fatigue: 2/10

Ease of terrain: 5/10

⭐️Highlights: 1hr of sunshine - during the middle of the day. Being able to buy food, dry my tent etc. plus reaching the refuge & being able to do a full reset. Sleeping in a bed, no need to get the tent out. Had a shower, washed my clothes, got fed. Charged all my electronics and had an early night. Win - win - win 🏆

🏔️Challenges: some of the boulder fields were nasty - wet, slippy, you really needed to concentrate. Plus the mist was coming in. I was cold and wet and it was mentally very tiring.

💭Thoughts: the next few days are a bit awkward because of the weather, the distances, food resupply and the terrain. It’s making it really hard to plan. Which is stressing me!! 😱

Day 27 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats:

Weather: dry and sunny ☀️ finally!

From: Refuge des Étangs de Bassiès

Start time: 8.15am

To: just before Goulier

End time: 8.45pm

Accommodation: camped

Terrain: alpine, forest, slate, rocks, grassy, narrow mountain tracks

Cicerone guidebook stages: 38 and most of 39

🥾Km: 34.14

🥾Miles: 21

🦶Steps: 37,622

Ascent: 1543m

Descent: 1870m

Total Distance 674/955km 70% Done ✅

💰Costs: €0

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

Enjoyment: 10/10

Fatigue: 2/10

Ease of terrain: 5/10

⭐️Highlights: the descent from Refuge des Étangs de Bassiès - incredible alpine scenery and crossing a very cool stone bridge! Plus the final descent before sunset - very exposed, but the views were phenomenal.

🏔️Challenges: very long time walking on my feet (10hrs+) they were damp/wet so I’ve got 2 new sore spots to deal with.

💭Thoughts: getting to the final push now! 70% done. The body has adapted, now it’s all about the mind and the mental side of the challenge.

Day 28 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats:

Weather: dry - started to rain after I reached the Bothy

From: just before Goulier

Start time: 8.30am

To: Cabane de Balledreyt (1600m)

End time: 5.50pm

Accommodation: Bothy - bed ish

Terrain: grassy meadows, rocky, forests.

Cicerone guidebook stages: end of 39, 40 &

🥾Km: 23.59

🥾Miles: 14.7

🦶Steps: 28,023

Ascent: 1717m

Descent: 1442m

Total Distance 697/955km 73% Done ✅

💰Costs: €14.60 - 4 scoops ice cream, 2 snickers, 2x mars, 2x banana, 1x milks chocolate bar.

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

Enjoyment: 8/10

Fatigue: 5/10 - felt very tired today. Maybe the none stop wind on the ridge was draining

Ease of terrain: 5/10

⭐️Highlights: wasn’t expecting a little shop on route! Nice surprise to have some icecream and buy a few more essentials! Plus the Bothy was very well stocked with food & essentials (honesty box policy)

🏔️Challenges: the rain is coming, and this is very exposed walking. camping would not be a good idea. I got bit by maybe a hornet 🐝 (it was massive) and super painful. I’ve taken an antihistamine and am monitoring the swelling (back of my left calf)

💭Thoughts: I think I’m pleased I stopped early as I was feeling tired. But I also wanted to cover more ground. It’s a difficult one as I didn’t want to be caught out in the rain and the potential thunderstorms and wanted to be under a roof - not a tent. Maybe I can push it more tomorrow- depending on the weather. Fingers crossed it’s dry in the morning.

Day 29 🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats: unexpected rest day - due to bad weather

Weather: rainy - windy - rainy

From: Cabane de Balledreyt (1600m)

Start time: Unable to leave

Accommodation: Bothy - bed

💰Costs: €20 - caprisun, vanilla puddings, chocolate bars,

⭐️Highlights: there was food in the cabin I could buy

🏔️Challenges: the weather. I got all packed up, but was unable to leave the Bothy. The bad weather, the lack of visibility, it wasn’t great. I don’t know if it was the right decision to stay or not. A lot of mental back and forth.

💭Thoughts: I think I’m pleased I’ve stayed. More hikers have appeared throughout the day - all super wet - and desperate to get warm and dry.

Day 30🥾Trekking the GR10 - Through the French 🇫🇷 Pyrenees: Le Sentier des Pyrenees.

ℹ️Stats:

Weather: dry - cool ish 17degrrees

From: Cabane de Balledreyt (1600m)

Start time: 8am

To: Mourguillou Valley

End time: 8.15pm

Accommodation: camped

Terrain: forest, boulder fields, grassy meadows, ridge line walking, technical terrain.

Cicerone guidebook stages: end of 41, 42, most of 43

🥾Km: 33.67

🥾Miles: 21

🦶Steps: 38,367

Ascent: 2362m

Descent: 2295m

Total Distance 730/955km 76% Done ✅

💰Costs: €3.50 soda pop

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

Enjoyment: 10/10

Fatigue: 1/10 - felt great

Ease of terrain: 6/10

⭐️Highlights: so pleased with the distance I covered. A very cool stone archway on one of the ridges. Incredible views. Perfect camping by a river. Flat & grassy. Plus about an hour from town, and can get resupply tomorrow and then carry on.

🏔️Challenges: everything went super well. A perfect day! Which was needed after the previous day. It gave me a confidence boost.

💭Thoughts: phenomenal day. The walking was outstanding. If I can do another big day tomorrow that would be great. I want to stay ahead of the rain if that’s possible 🤞