On 6 August 2013 I had the pleasure of bumping into Uli (with the beard) whilst I was walking the GR10 route across the Pyrenees. We realised when we parted a few days later that we'd probably never meet again, and that may well be the case.
It was something of a surprise, therefore, to receive a message from Uli today. He is starting a Pyrenees HRP walk (that's the high level one that Sue and I walked in 2004) on Monday, heading from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. I do so wish I could go with him, but I'll just have to accept a vicarious trip on this occasion, by following his progress here.
Whilst Uli was a faster walker than me, he and another GR10 hiker, Peter, kindly waited for me during the ascent of Pic du Canigou, on a day when the summit was engulfed in cloud and the scrambly route of ascent was rather slippery. We are pictured above on the 2785 metre summit of that iconic mountain. It was close to freezing - a bit of a shock, as t-shirts and shorts had been de rigeur for several weeks by then.
The three of us stayed more or less together until lunchtime on 9 August. We are pictured below, just outside Arles-sur-Tech, before Uli and Peter headed on to Moulin de la Palette and I headed gently down to Amelie-les-Bains for a welcome rest.
Good luck on this year's adventure, Uli, and do take care. We will be with you in spirit.
1 comment:
I remember Canigou well. That ascent was quite exciting especially as there was nobody else about but when I popped my head over the top it was like Blackpool on a bank holiday with many more folk toiling up as I descended the other side by the "easy" route.
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