Day 16: Refugio de Góriz to La Larri

Almost 20km, 1250m elevation gain >2000m descent.

So the forecast for this day was for storms most of the day. The leg from Góriz to Pineta has two options - a steep descent then steep ascent and then even steeper and longer descent to the valley floor from high up in the mountains; slow, arduous but safer is inclement weather. The alternative is a scallop shaped route that bypasses the first descent and ascent but requires some climbing and use of a ladder and pegs etc and the Góriz ranger was warning people away from this route due to the storms this day. I was in two minds - on the one hand, it was risky and I have no intention to wind up being rescued or injured or worse, and as I’m ahead of my schedule already it would be possible to burn a day and just stay in the refugio another night. On the other, I am not a complete novice when it comes to hiking in the rain and wind, and steep scrambling. Certainly the Western Arthurs hike was abysmal conditions for the entire trek and was more technically challenging and more exposed than this. In the end, I decided I’d attempt to go on via the first (longer) route and see how things went. I met a hiker JM from Luxembourg who was also keen to hike as a duo to cut down on risks for this leg. We kept up a pretty brisk pace despite the hail that started to rain down 15 minutes after we left the refugio. At the bottom of the first descent, a young lady from Switzerland, L, joined us and we managed to reach the high Col just as the clouds shifted and the lightning stopped and had some unreal views during the exhausting 1.5km descent to the valley floor. Technically, there were some slippery and steep sections requiring chains, and the whole cliff face and saddle was very exposed. In the end, though, it wasn’t as tough as I anticipated and certainly the Western Arthurs expedition ranks more difficult in my books (due to the conditions we had on that hike, more than anything). The leg ends at a refugio but I was feeling good, so L stayed at the Refugio and JM and I continued on another hour or two to an unbelievable high valley with waterfalls dotted along all the vast walls. This was one of the most special places I have camped (and as it turned out, possibly illegally - though unintentionally - we might have crossed back into national park land where wild camping is prohibited; nevertheless we left no trace as per proper wild camping protocol). It was unreal to have a cold swim in the steam, eat my instant ramen from the pot and spot deer in the dusk emerging all along the valley walls.