Thunder and Lightning in Ordessa NP, Spain
- This topic is empty.
-
Here is my account of a short hike with my son in Ordessa NP in July 2013.
Day 1.
We parked at Col de Tentes, Gavarnie and set off in the early afternoon. It was immediately apparent that we were not going to get the nice sunny weather that we have experienced on previous trips.
As we headed down from Port de Boucharo, the clouds darkened, thunder rumbled and it started to rain. The worst of the rain was off to the west of us, but we still needed our rain jackets. By the time we reached the bridge at Bujaruelo in the bottom of the valley, the rain had stopped.
There is a tiny commercial campsite here, but we walked down the GR11 path where we were lucky to find a clearing in the trees next to the river where we camped for the night.Day 2
We continued down the GR11 path beside the Rio Arra river.
Eventually we came to the junction with the bottom of the Ordessa valley. The path goes under the road and then crosses the Rio Arazas.
From there we continued up the GR11 into the Ordessa valley.
After a few km, we took an increasingly steep path up the south side of the valley to gain another path called the Faja de Pelay. This follows the 1900m contour along a band of limestone on the valley wall which offers great views of the whole valley.
The path goes through the trees above the cliff on the right:
Eventually we reached the head of the valley, from where the only way was up.
Up we went, until we came to the Refugio Goriz. We bagged a camp spot and then went into the Refugio to reserve a place for dinner at 7pm. The food was traditional, with choice limited to take it or leave it, but very tasty and almost limitless: fresh salad, a pork and bean stew/soup, followed by sausages. We were too full to eat the desert!
The evening sky was clear so we hoped for good weather for our planned ascent of Monte Perdido the next day.
Day 3.
We were woken at 3am by the sound of crashing thunder. It grew louder and louder, echoing on the cliffs as the tent was lit up green by flashes of lightning. Then the rain started. Heavy plops at first which slowly increased in frequency until it was a continuous loud drumming on the tent. No water came through the fly and the bathtub was watertight, but the rain was so heavy that the water could not drain as fast as it came down. We were slowly surrounded by a shallow puddle and the splashes from the rain was coming up under the fly and through the no-see-um mesh. Eventually the thunder grew more distant as the storm moved off and the rain eased then stopped. We drifted back to sleep. There was some more rain at 7am and I got up at 8am to survey the scene. Thick clouds were right down to about 200m above us. Plans for Perdido were abandoned. As we ate breakfast we decided that we would continue with the walk planned for tomorrow. The clouds slowly lifted as we packed up and set off.
Soon after, more dark clouds appeared from the west.
As the first rain drops appeared we put on full rain gear and just in time. More thunder and then torrential rain followed. We stopped and sat it out, fortunately it only lasted 15-20 min. We set off again, hoping we could cross the ridge before the next storm. As we climbed, the clouds lifted and then started to break up – we were in luck! Soon our pass came into view – the Breche de Roland at 2807m.
Legend has it that Count Roland Smashed the gap in the rock with his sword after being defeated in battle.
We had a late lunch at the top and then headed down back into France. Note the waterfall below, this is the same one as in the last photo.
As we passed the Refuge de la Breche de Roland, we noticed the clouds darkening again and the familiar routine followed: thunder and heavy rain for 20 min then stopping. We passed some Spanish youngsters who were not at all happy on the steep snowy path and had clearly not been shown how to use ice axes. We passed the adults later who were doing nothing to help them. I would have said something if I spoke Spanish. We continued down to Port de Boucharo that we had crossed on the first day. I had noticed a nice camping spot on that day and we headed down to it and set up camp. It was a nice evening as the sun came out.
Day 4.
We headed back up to the pass and to the car. We drove down to Gavarnie and parked. As we had time to spare, we set off along the track to see the famous Cirque de Gavarnie. The waterfall was in full flow with the recent rain and provided a fitting end to our trip.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
