A clear morning meant finally a chance for some pictures of the Cirque de Gavarnie. Here’s a view from the village. Lots of fresh snow from overnight
One more look a little closer to the cirque. There’s a trail that goes along the valley floor deep into the cirque. I’ll have to do that next time. You can see…
A view looking the other direction past the village. The browns of Fall were beautiful and definitely a different color palette than SoCal or the Sierras.
Heading out of town on my way to Ordesa. The drive took me down and out of the Pyrenees and into France towards Toulouse before returning up and over the…
Gorgeous drive. Also one of the most narrow, twisty roads I have ever been on. With intermittent fog and rain to make it even more interesting. The road here is…
After driving almost 45min up the narrow mountain road in the fog and rain, I hit a dead-end. The road is closed. What the hell?!?! The only other option on the…
Even though I was way behind schedule, the beautiful drive kept my spirits up. It rained most of the way, and snowed in some areas.
Fresh powder on the Pyrenees. I think I could handle living here in the South of France.
After an almost 5 hour drive (that was supposed to be 3 1/2), I finally made it into Ordesa canyon. The final few miles from Torla were particularly narrow and…
My first trail choice for the day was Faja de las Flores. But I did not have the right equipment for it, and it’s pushing what I would be comfortable doing solo…
No, that definitely looks closed. The Faja trails here follow narrow ledges along the cliff walls with drops of thousands of feet. I realize now that this one…
On the Faja de Racón trail climbing steeply through a beautiful Birch forest.
Any hopes of a clear day are over as the rain starts to pickup again. As with Gavarnie, there are no culverts, and the trails quickly turn into cascades. Which…
The deep earthy brown colors are a much different look than the grays of the Sierras. I absolutely loved the colors here.
A closer look at the canyon walls. The Valle de Ordesa is like a cross between Yosemite and a mini Grand Canyon. The canyon is about 11km (7 miles) long and…
La Cascada de Cotatuero, an impressive waterfall and cascade that dominates the Northern side of the canyon.
A little closer view of La Cascada.
You always get a better feel of a waterfall with video. You can also see a light snow starting to swirl around. For best performance, you can view the video on…
My first encounter with a Chamois. It’s a goat or antelope sort of species common in the Pyrenees. They were evidently once hunted to near extinction (for their…
The canyon walls are amazing, but unfortunately barely visible in the fog. What was once a light rain is now becoming snow.