Walking again

We wasted no time in getting out into the mountains again - we headed for our favourite valley on an Autumn day that was made for walking - pure blue skies, warm in the sun, cool in the shade, a gentle breeze floating through the valleys from the north. The first part of the walk, low in the valley is through thick beech forest, along the Risseau de Pombie (Pombie Creek), an enchanting walk through shady, mossy forest with little grassy glades from time to time, the creek gurgling happily and tumbling down over rocks a few metres away through the forest. As we came out of the forest at the limit of the tree line we crossed a small stone bridge and came across a flock of sheep (Brebis) all with bells on making their way noisely across the mountain, looking for the remaining summer feed - no shepherd in sight. At this stage late in the season the sheep are all dried off and are allowed to roam high up in the mountains unattended. Apparently there is usually a shepherd in one of the mountain huts who will keep an eye on a number of mobs and the owners visit regularly to check. There are lots of stories about bears !!

We walked then through a wide open valley with a hint of the desolation and cold of winter whistling through - up to the Lac de Pombie and a mountaineering cabin on the lake at the base of the Pic De Midi ( the highest peak around here - 2884 m ) There were people swimming in the lake - how, we don't know as the water is very cold, but it was a beautiful warm, sunny day. After the Lac we continued up to a high pass from which we had a stupendous view down our favourite valley - the Vallee de Magnabaigt. We walked through hard, rocky country with the Spanish peaks in the distance - all brown and rocky with bare peaks all around, when we reached the pass, the view down the other side goes forever along the Vallee d' Osseau to Pau and possibly Paris - the Vallee de Magnabaigt in the foreground is a high suspended valley, green with a clear stream running all the way through the valley, trees, dark green on the western side, blue peaks in the northern distance and a massive drop at the northern end to the Valle d' Osseau. On a small ledge just below us there was a little mob of horses, bellies full of sweet summer grass, dreamily standing in the sun, one sat down slowly and rolled luxuriously on this little, grassy ledge above the world - what would we have given to swap places !! The Vallee d'Osseau beyond was full of white fluffy clouds with sharp blue peaks poking up through the soft bed of cloud - absolutely stunning !!!

The walk back was equally memorable, the clear, clear blue sky framed by peaks and ridges - brown, grey and yellow ridges stark against the blue, and so many different blues !! As the light changes toward late afternoon the mountains change as well, shadows move quickly across, the forest becomes darker and the sky above stays blue, blue, blue. The air so clear everything is sharp and distinct, ragged ridge lines against the sky. A mob of sheep high on a peak above us, the sound of their bells floating across the valley - a walk like this makes our hearts sing and the reverberations stay with us for days after !!!

" I gazed and gazed, but little thought what wealth to me this show had brought" Wordsworth.