Day 4 at Aigüestortes National Park, Spanish Pyrenees.

Day 4, probably the shortest day of the eight days of the  Aigüestortes National Park trekking tour at the Spanish Pyrenees.

In front of us, a short walk, and there’s no hurry to get to the Ventosa i Calvell mountain hut, so we can leave Refugio Restanca a little later.

The walk has a total of 6Km, with 600m of ascents and 400m of descents.

Although it is a short distance, we start the day with an unavoidable and memorable uphill. It is a 2,5 Km hike with 500m of elevation gain.

This uphill is a critical section of the route because it will tell me how prepared the participants are, or not, to face the mythical ascent of Coll of Contraix on the day after.

On Day 5, the ascent from the Ventosa i Calvell hut to the Coll of Contrix is, the most challenging part of this trekking tour in physical terms. It happens on the day after the current day, and I need to be sure the guests will overcome that obstacle.

In case I realize that facing the Coll of Contrix uphill will be a problem, from the mountain hut to where we are going, I can still have ways for a plan B. It never happened so far.

During Day 4, I frequently notice some fatigue on everybody, so it is also essential to have a short active day with some time to relax.

By the forth-day of the tour, people are starting to get used to a certain routine. Still, everything is different from their everyday lives, and that adds up to that overall tiredness.

At the end of this day, there will be plenty of time to rest and recharge batteries.

The memory of the previous day’s ascent is still present.

Among those who already have some experience in a trekking tour such as this one, this uphill stretch is not a problem. They know that after a nice warm-up, everything will become easier.

However, for the less experienced hikers, that conscience is not yet deep enough, so I can feel their anxiety.

The difficulty is not only on the uphill hike by itself but also on its type of terrain.

Part of the trail is made of large stone blocks one has to walk on.
Balance is needed, and the walking poles surely help a lot.

This combination of terrain and physical difficulty will also be faced tomorrow but on a larger scale.

With the right pace and a lot of caution concerning the terrain, all the participants successfully cross this obstacle.

At the highest point of the journey, the Coll of Crestada is the right moment for a quick bite. Before leaving each mountain hut in the morning, we collect a lunch box provided by the hut, as part of their services.

In each mountain hut, one can have dinner and breakfast in the dining room. For lunch, you will get a bag with a sandwich, possibly a boiled egg, fruit, some candies or a granola bar, and a drink.

From Coll of Crestada, where we eat something, onwards, there are several possibilities of trails. The most beautiful route coincides with the shortest, which makes it the simple choice.

On the way to our destination, we pass by several lakes.

The constant, along this walk, besides the postcard kind of beauty we have here, is the background landscape over the mountain range called Besiberri.

It is a vision of a postponed dream to climb the route along the ridge of Besiberri North. Other interests/needs have been crossing the path of my life, and the dream has always been postponed but never forgotten.

After eating something, everything seems lighter we get an extra smile. We are ready to face any walk until the next mountain hut.

Rested and relaxed is the best way to fully enjoy the beauty of Estany des Monges. Its turquoise water spread with the mountains as background.

By the end of the morning, we are almost at the Refugio Ventosa.
There is no point in arriving there so early, and we don’t want to finish the journey without stopping for the well-deserved lunch.

The chosen place is the waterfall between Estany de Travevessani and Estany Negre.

The sound of the abundant water falling through the rock is therapeutic, relaxing, and stimulating.

It’s easy to lose track of how long we’ve been standing, and suddenly the GPS device tells us we’ve been standing longer than the time we’ve been walking, it’s hard to believe.

We go back on our way and quickly reached the Refuge Ventosa i Calvell.
As we get to the mountain hut, it’s time for a celebration …. beers everyone.

As it was said, the walking day ends early, about three pm we can be at the mountain hut, even if we wander around and had many stops.

This is the day when we can do a phone call from a specific rock where there is mobile phone coverage.

The appeal becomes irresistible, and there is always someone in the group that doesn’t resist the temptation of connecting with the outside world.

The curious thing about the situation is that you need to be at a specific point to have mobile coverage.

A few meters before that big rock, there is not a single trace of cell phone coverage until we sit at that spot and banggg … you start being bombarded with text messages and other beeps, those are the sounds of civilization.

Although it is not easily visible from the mountain hut, we are three kilometers from the Embalse de Cavallers.

The Embalse de Cavallers is a river dam close to several camps and car access to small villages of the Vall de Boí.

After enjoying a nearby waterfall scenario and a bath/wash in the open air, it is time to return to the mountain hut.

The mountain hut is an excellent site with friendly service for a hut, but the toilets/bathroom are its downfalls. It has no hot water and is away too small for so many people so, I guess I don’t need to describe it further.
Anyway, I can’t explain why this is one of the huts where you definitively can better live a mountaineering environment.

The kind of people, the conversations, all part of that feeling.

While we are waiting for dinner and after having all things prepared for the day after, some people play cards, others have some drinks with recently made acquaintances.

Like us, some groups will face the Coll of Contraix on the day after, and others did it already during the day.

One way or the other, the big adventure acts as a conversation magnet.

Each one talks about his expectations, achievements, or misfortunes.

After four days of trekking, even the less experienced trekkers already have something to tell, and they don’t miss their opportunities.

I love to observe, more than to participate. The excitement in my guests’ faces is part of the reason I do what I do, and I feel fortunate to be there.

Tomorrow will be another fine day of this trekking tour.

David Monteiro