After we explored some villages of the pre-Pyrenees by car, I decided to spend the following couple days exploring some more on foot. I had been especially eager to go into the hills on the opposite side of the main road since it is an area that would be completely new to me, and I noticed on our maps that the GR 15 runs through that area.
The first day of the Semana Santa (Easter) holidays, we explored ancient villages and new trails at the base of the Pyrenees.
What does it mean to have an unsuccessful hike? Running has objective measures of success and even the DNF or did not finish. But what about hiking? If you are doing a hike to a specific destination, I suppose not making it there could be considered a DNF, but you still went hiking, right?
For New Year’s Day 2022, my partner selected a route to Pico Musales in the Pyrenees. I think primarily because it was new to him and also because it’s popular ski mountaineering route flagged for beginners. However, since I am so very new to ski mountaineering, it made sense to check it out before tackling it on skis.
The Faja de las Flores is one of the most beautiful, classic routes in the Ordesa Valley (Valle de Ordesa), located in the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. While I do love the evocative name, Monte Perdido—Lost Mountain, it’s also a fantastic place to see some color in the fall and I really enjoyed a fall day hike we did there last year. So we headed back there this October.