Sunday, December 17, 2023 - Ascain
A hike a coworker had recommended to me was La Rhune, one of the taller peaks in the region that gives an excellent view over SW France and the coastal border with Spain. When I mentioned on Friday that I might make the hike this weekend, someone added that I should be sure it will be a clear day, I should have a good trail map, and that the mountain should be free of brouillard (fog) or else the hike won't be worth it. Upon getting out of bed, I did a quick check online about weather conditions (things looked clear near the mountain as opposed to the dense fog covering Dax) and rediscovered my password for the All Trails app.
And I'm glad I had the app. The trails are clearly marked on the app's map but they're not always apparent on the mountain; I'm pretty sure I lost the trail on the climb back down like 3 times. By no means was this the most difficult or technical hike ever, but there were definitely some really steep sections, plenty of muddy slick spots, and a lot of flysch to scramble up. Overall, I found the hike well worth it and the view was absolutely phenomenal! Plus, the drop in temperature and cool mountain breeze as I cleared the treeline was exactly what I needed for attacking the last 1.6 km (mile).
From my parking lot, I walked past a bunch of classic Basque style houses, this one even had a peloté court at the back!
Oof, looks like a long way up
The lower areas of the mountains were very wet
But as I worked my way up, things dried out a bit
The area is kinda touristic, here's a restaurant at what was roughly 1/4 of the hike. But there's advantages to having such amenities for a hike.
This section was really steep; I'm not sure a picture can do it justice but I was leaning all the way forward while attacking the climb.
I'd been hearing bells ringing in the distance; turns out there's horses left to graze all over the mountainside with bells attached to their bridles.
A view to the water from the 1/3 point.
This ground looks so soft and appealing, though I'm sure it's actually quite moist and rocky; still, interesting to see mounds forming.
My took me onto the sunny side of the mountains, with a view of even more mountains
More horses, just chilling.
This flysch was interesting enough to merit taking a break from the climb; almost to the halfway point!
I've no idea what kind of raptor this is, but it was patrolling the skies and periodically "wiggling" its wings to "hover" in place while the strong winds kept it aloft.
It's hard for me to tell where the natural ends and the man-made begins for some sections of this hike; but I'm willing to bet that this is a mix.
905 m = just shy of 3,000 ft
The view from the top was spectacular, I couldn't have asked for better visibility. Ok, maybe I couldn't asked but I wouldn't expect it to get much better.
An interesting map pointing out landmarks in a 360 around the summit
To the north, in the distance lie Biarritz, Bayonne, and even the beaches of Capbreton and Hossegor
Looking south, we can see Irun and Hondarribia, then we can just barely make out some taller buildings where we can find San Sebastian.
In addition to restaurants, there's even a train to the summit from Ascain; I'm guessing it only runs in the summer.
We can just barely make out the snowy peaks of some of the Pyrénées. On y va?
It was really peaceful at the summit. Plenty of sun but cooler temps and a constant breeze such that warmer clothes were required. The whistling of the wind as it passed around this tower was soothing.
Taking advantage of the restaurant at the peak! I had packed a cheese sandwich but decided to also enjoy a nice café au lait and the lady at the counter managed to sell me on a box of turron. Good thing she did: made of almonds, sugar, honey, and just enough egg to hold it together, it is delicious.
After passing by all those horses on the way up, I'm surprised this was the first sign I saw about them.
To the left: bay of St Jean de Luz (will have to visit it sometime in 2024), and the tiny white dot before it all converts to a curving beach is the light house of Biarritz
It was a steep, rocky climb down in the shadow of the mountain. A little bit of color on the rocks helps to lichen the mood.
Looks downright inviting
I'd seen a few large blocks like this. I'm guessing their remnants from man-made buildings but I suppose its possible that bits of concretions were nestled amongst all the flysch when the mountains were formed.
Anybody home?
The people on the rocks on the ridge were singing "Last Christmas" and the sound carried really well over to me.
It looks like an ant from all the way down here!
Adieu, La Rhune! Thanks for the great hike and vistas.
Found a bit of traffic on the drive home
After the hiking, I'd hoped to do a load of laundry at the hotel but found the lobby closed for the evening so I wouldn't be able to purchase machine tokens. Oh well, guess I'll be cleaning my clothes tomorrow morning before I hit the road for vacation. I've developed a rough framework for my vacation but am continuing my trend of putting down railroad tracks right before I plow over them; maybe on a low energy day I'll have the time to reflect and scheme further out.
So, here's the plan: it's a road trip around the Pyrénées! After renewing my car rental contract tomorrow, I'll make my way to the Grand Tourmalet (apparently the tour de France passes through this pass?) where I'll stay for a few nights. The ski resort there is called La Mongie and sports a telépherique to an observatory called Le Pic du Midi, which on a clear day should give a spectacular (if not slightly hypoxic) view of the mountain range. I'm an incredibly amateur skiier so I'll stick to les pistes vertes and see about maybe a snow shoe trail (randonée en raquettes) or an intro to cross country skiing (ski de randonée). I know my skiing/snowboarding friends are shaking their heads at skipping the opportunity to fly to the slopes of the Alps, but I feel it'd be a missed opportunity to not spend time evaluating the Pyrénées if I'm already right here.
Other items on the agenda but not yet fleshed out: at least one abandoned Cathare castle near Narbonne plus an obligatory stop by the Mediterranean, cross into Spain to spend time in Figueres, a couple days in Barcelona, either spend time in Zaragoza or blow through to spend more time in the desert of Bardenas Reales, then swing by Pamplona before coming back up the coast to home base in Dax. It's a bit ambitious and calls for many hours of driving but I think it should make for an interesting trip. (For those who might ask "you're skipping Andorra?", literally every European I've asked about Andorra has said that there's nothing special there unless I wish to buy some cheap cigarettes or alcohol).
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