Day 21: Germs-sur-l’Oussouet to Gerde

September 26, 2019 – Departed 8:45 – Arrived 17:45

Tonight I am camping in Gerde, just outside of Bagnères-de-Bigorre (apparently I have been in Bigorre for a while, not Béarn anymore). It’s a three star campground, it even has wifi (although not very good), camping ain’t what it used to be. But for me it’s also an opportunity to take the tent and the air mattress out of the bag, they have not had much use since I started this trip. Plus the forecast is good so I am not taking inconsiderate risks. The camping is called La Pommeraie, which means it has some apple trees, some pear trees too, and some of the fruits are quite decent.

I arrived late here but only because I spent a couple of hours visiting Bagnères, more precisely the part of the Musée Salies devoted to Pyrenean life. It has tons of artifacts and tools related to things such as how thread and fabric were made, how slate was cut, etc. The curator offered to walk me through the two rooms and gave life to every object with very interesting explanations. I spent more time there than I intended to but it was worth it.

As for hiking today, it was smooth. There was a mix of small paved roads with hardly any traffic, forestry roads, and paths through forests and pastures; some climbs and descents, and from some of the high points some very nice views of the valleys below, of the Pyrenees to the South (with a great view of the observatory at the Pic du Midi) and later, after switching to the other side of the mountain, of the plain and Bagnères.