42 - Uneasy lies the head that a crown wears - Aiako Harria and Hendaye

Sunday, 21 January 2024

My worst fear has come to pass: the hotel’s wifi isn’t working… 🤣  I went to speak with the manager today about it but the lobby was closed; hopefully the issue is resolved soon.

Today’s big ticket item is a hike at les Trois Couronnes (the Three Crowns), though they're called Aiako Harria in Basque and Peñas de Aya in Castellan.  These are a series of peaks that complete the set of mountains dominating the landscape in this region.  That set includes: Larrun, Jaizkibel, and les 3 Courrones.  As I hiked Larrun back in December and Jaizkibel last week, I figured it’d be good to cross the crowns off my list while the weather is nice.  And it was certainly great weather today: some clouds in the morning but clear skies in the afternoon with temperatures in the 50s F. 

The drive to the hike brought me into a natural park of Spain and included some serious curvy inclines; I ended up hanging behind a cyclist attacking the hill for a few minutes until I could see well enough to pass; to his credit, he kept pumping and never let up.  I was worried I’d run out of fuel while driving up to the hike’s parking lot: I think this new car estimates driving range based on instantaneous fuel economy and I was horrified to see the number plummet from 120 km to 50 km over the course of 5 minutes…  But I did finally make it to the destination with fuel to spare. 

The parking lot was full (it wasn't particularly big).

I was worried that after driving so far up that this hike wouldn't have much verticality left to scale.  Oh, you sweet summer child...

Trail markers starting out clear, always a good sign

While reading about this hike online, I found a recommendation to conduct the loop backwards.  The guide that said this reiterated that the hike isn’t dangerous, just that some of the steeper inclines are easier to ascend than to descend.  I discovered the other advantage to this approach is that I had a nice hike in the woods to warm me up for the steep sections.  There are three peaks (listed in order my reverse loop would visit them): Erroilbide, Txurrumurru, & Irumugarrieta.  

A sneak peek of where I'm headed.  This walk in the woods alternated between bright or shady due to clear skies.

Crossed several little streams / cascades

Plenty of little cones and seeds scattered the ground

I've seen ferns growing out of trees in other parts of Landes but not too much in Basque country

Hang in there, tree!

Two things caught my eye: the creeping vine that scaled the wall and the overhang to put out foliage and then the tree growing out of a tiny hole.

"What's in the box?"  "Pain" 

As I rounded a bend, I discovered a large group of families taking a breather.  At this point, the trail turned and started to climb out of the woods and I started to notice vultures wandering the sky.  This section wasn’t too steep but brought me past the tree line as I approached the base of the 1^st crown.  

Oh neat, you can see San Sebastian from here!

This is where the fun begins

I'm sure these trees are much more vibrant in the summer; for now they were barren aside from a few cones

If not for scattered piles of horse dung, this grass looked awfully inviting to lay down in

"Smile!"

Follow the fenceline through the trees

Started to notice shadows from vultures soaring above, they seemed to just be milling about and following the currents

That must be Erroilbide

Either the vultures are doing some sort of gathering over there or something tasty expired.

If you didn't see pottoks, did you really hike in the Basque region?

It was at this point that I thought I started to comprehend what the guide had meant about being easier to climb than descend: things alternated between rocky or muddy and I needed to use my hands to steady my footing.  And then the trail turned again and I was on all fours crawling up a stone 60 degree slope with some ice not yet thawed. 

Less of that soft grass of more scratchy brush here, but at least it wasn't a huge hedge of prickly gorse

No more clear, three color marker; now I have to settle for a mundane red dot

Those vultures are still circling over there

Hmm, it's starting to feel like I'm getting pretty high up and this trail is close to some steep slopes...

A little bit of ice here in the shade, not insurmountable

Hmm, ok, gonna need to get my hands dirty to shuffle up this

oops, I missed the turn.  This looked like the trail until it suddenly stopped...

Vulture!

Ok, I guess I missed a turn on that icy rock, but where was I supposed to go?

Ah, I was supposed to make a 90 degree turn.  Good thing this faded red dot is super visible 

I encountered two climbers descending just after I finished that section (I had to double-back partly down the slope because I missed the trail which involved a sharp left turn up a narrow set of “steps”).  They spoke French so we conversed for a bit, they said that while this section was steep and the mud and ice made it tricky, further up the mountain were some even steeper sections.  We parted ways and I eventually made my way to the first peak:

Keep going, you're almost to the summit!  Remember, this is section is harder to descend than to climb!

I was greeted with an excellent view of the surrounding area: I could see snowcapped mountains further inland as well as the French/Basque coast from Hondarribia all the way up to Capbreton.  Much of this view I had also seen when I hiked to the summit of Larrun but a new addition to this landscape was an unobstructed view of San Sebastian.  There were also vultures flying really close to the peak, on some of their passes I feel they must’ve been no more than maybe 4 feet off the ground.  There was another group of French hikers here; after I snapped my pictures we conversed for a bit and they invited me to help them finish the bread and cheese they’d packed.  They had opted to climb the three crowns in a there-and-back line instead of a loop; they got started on their return trip while I finished resting with some water, cheese, and the sandwich I’d packed. 

The peak of Erroilbide plus a vulture swooping by

I didn't realize there was a lake/reservoir around here

The view from Erroilbide

A view towards San Sebastian, Jaizkibel, and Irun/Hondarribia

Two more peaks to go

But first some gifted brebis cheese

It was quite comfortable up there in the sun with a light breeze to keep me cool.  The grass here was soft and not too damp.  

I could just barely make out the stone tower I visited during my hike partway up Jaizkibel last week

Moving from one peak to another involved a fairly narrow trail that snaked its way up and down rocky patches.  This hike is definitely not advised for those afraid of heights or suffering vertigo: I kept telling myself that a single fall here wouldn’t mean certain death, only likely death.  But aside from the call of the void to the left and right of the trail, some of the rock formations I slunk my way through were really impressive. 

Hmm, see if you can spot the red dots...

At least these are big chunks that act like steps or ladder rungs.

I can just barely make out my new buddies in the botttom right, they got pretty far ahead while I took my meal

At the mid-way point between Erroilbide and Txurrumurru

The angle to San Sebastian changed a little but the view overall hasn't moved much

Pretty impactful rock formation to walk by but don't look down

Gotta go down to go up

Eventually, I reached something that gave me pause, il y a quelque chose qui cloche.  Thus far on the hike, it’d made sense to me that doing this hike’s loop in reverse had allowed me to climb up some of the steepest inclines I’ve ever tackled, but I think all of that was child’s play compared to what awaited me on the climb to Txurrumurru.  Fortunately, a couple of other hikers were right behind me, so I let them go ahead and they confirmed my suspicion: this part of the hike wasn’t so steep that it was like rock climbing, no, this part of the hike WAS rock climbing.  Good thing I tried bouldering at that gym in Brooklyn before I left for Europe 😅

Hmm, I don't like what that ring hold implies...

Bon sang!  Elle n'est pas une randonée, c'est de l'escalade

For a moment, I considered turning around but I realized this was an issue of picking between the devil I knew or the one I didn’t.  I did know what awaited me if I turned around: while tedious to descend I was sure it was possible.  On the other hand, I’d followed the guide’s advice and I’d finally discovered the reason for the recommendation, I took it as an affirmation of the climb being possible (though I started to doubt their description of the hike not being dangerous).  When I’d tried bouldering at a rock climbing gym in October, I’d surprised myself with how well I’d managed with just muscling through.  So with fresh arms, I decided to see this hike/climb through. 

I wasn't willing to look down, but I'm ok with looking back after having crossed that point

Anticlimatically, once I crossed over the section with a ring handle (some trailblazers had done a good job of carving out good hand holds and even some divots for feet) I ended up having to wait ~10 minutes for people to descend the next section.  Kind of unfortunate to psyche myself up and then wait, but seeing other people coming down reiterated to me that ascending must be possible.  

I just watched 4 people come down this without dying, so it must be possible to climb up it.

Reflecting back on this, the climbing part of this hike (and this was by far the most rock climbing in the hike) wasn’t necessarily all that physically difficult for me: I don’t think my arms or legs were ever at risk of giving way from being too tired.  But I did find it mentally taxing and stressful: knowing that it was just sky behind/below instead of a cushy mat really pushed me to be sure of my holds and footing.  I’m so glad that the approach to this section was dry, I don’t want to think about what trying to climb with muddy boots would’ve been like.  But with the climb complete, I found myself at the summit of Txurrumurru.  It was certainly a nice view, but I hadn’t shifted all that far from Erroilbide so it was mostly the same 😅.  At least this view had the pride that I conquered my first “live fire” rock climbing exercise, right? 

 

The view from Txurrumurru.  Different enough to justify the bouldering, right?  Right?

The marker for Txurrumurru was this little bird

The last peak, Irumugarrieta, along with Hendaye, St Jean de Luz, and the sandy banks of Les Landes curving off into the distance

After a few more pics and catching my breath, it was time to move on to crown #3.  What goes up, must come down but fortunately the descent here wasn’t nearly as steep as my ascent on the other side.  Still, I was down low with my butt to the ground as I sidled my way down to where the trail followed along the ridge. 

Looking back towards Txurrumurru

At several of the small points between the major peaks it was unclear to me whether I was supposed to climb over them or go around them.  Once I crossed through this window I spotted a trail coming down from the other side...  That's ok, they seem to play it fast and loose with trails around here; so long as I make it where I need to go then I guess I was "on" the trail

The climb to Irumugarrieta felt more like a traditional hike: I used my hands to support and stabilize myself but my knuckles weren’t white for fear of my feet slipping and sending me tumbling into the abyss.  And that’s 3/3 crowns completed!  The views of the surrounding area didn’t change much between the three peaks but I suppose the view of the peaks themselves changed with my transversal.  Fortunately, the hike back down from crown #3 was very straight forward and was a short, pleasant walk in the woods. 

A more noticeable change in the angle towards San Sebastian here from Irumugarrieta

An unobstructed view of Hondarribia, Irun, and Hendaye!

I survived!

The view from Irumugarrieta

A cross marker for Irumugarrieta

Overall, I’m glad I did today’s hike at the 3 crowns.  Rather, I’m glad I successfully hiked them.  It was truly sublime to sit atop Erroilbide and eat while the warmth of the sun balanced the chill of the wind.  And I take a bit of pride in having literally climbed my way to Txurrumurru, but I think I’ve found my limit for adventure.  Looking back on it, I can’t believe I went through with it…  Again, in the grand scheme of things, I’m sure this was a very tame section of bouldering but in the moment I was fighting for my life.  So while the 3 crowns have some great views (of both the area and the rocky trail), I don’t think I’ll return until I’ve gotten more practice/confidence in my rock climbing abilities: I got lucky today that it was a short scramble with forgiving handholds.

Pottoks and Jaizkibel

A close up of the three crowns

"Dangit, Ted, turn around!  This would be a great photo if you'd stop being a horse's ass for just 5 seconds"

After rock climbing, I'll leave cave spelunking for another day...

Three crowns but with a lot of little teeth in between

Can you spot the napper?

Just a reminder that things off the trail get steep quick

Ah, back to a wide hiking trail.  What a strange relief

Like a flight passenger kissing the tarmac upon landing, I never thought I'd miss walking in a mossy wood

Some sort of cistern here?  My Castellan isn't good enough to read this yet

After I made it back to the car, I downed about a half liter of water and made my way to a gas station to slake my car’s thirst as well.  If you’re close to the border of France and Spain, be sure to fill up in Spain: I filled up in Irun for ~1.3€ per liter but in Hendaye (France) it was ~1.7€ per liter.  

So long, les trois couronnes!

The sun was getting ready to set so I made a quick stop by the town of Hendaye, which I had seen across the way last weekend when I visited Hondarribia.  Hendaye strikes me as a nice resort town but it still feels lived in.  Of course, basically all I did in town was take a walk along the beach, but I think I got a good flavor of the city (and it’s a pretty nice beach!). 

I was struck by the trees here, so green and vibrant in the middle of January

They managed to give some of the larger buildings in Hendaye a Basque flair that still felt authentic

A sunset walk on the beach to close out the day

There were plenty of surfers out but the waves here seemed pretty tame; maybe that was the point

It didn't take long for the Atlantic / Bay of Biscaye to cool my feet off

The crowns loom just in the distance

The shallow sandy beach here made a nice mirror 

The lighthouse at Hondarribia just turned on!

Jaizkibel's eclipsing the sunset for Hendaye

And I guess bonne soirée, les trois couronnes

I returned to the hotel to discover that the wifi issue still hasn’t been resolved; oh well.  I had a couple video calls with family and friends and had a jar of cassoulet for dinner.  Afterwards, I munched on some bread with piment d’Esplette butter (I’d bought the butter thinking it was cheese – it was right next to a bunch of cheeses) and I could definitely taste the pepper in the butter 😋.

A cassoulet Landais, featuring a bit of duck

I could definitely taste just a hint of spiciness and a good chili flavor in this butter