As well as being lucky enough to know some good friends in good places, we also have a good network of friends who go to exciting places - and usually places that are off the beaten track. Our friend Alex had given us a tip off about a good peak to climb, having been mountaineering in the area recently. 'It's like a mega version of Snowdon's Crib Goch' she said 'and over multi-coloured rock bands'. It sounded good to us, so after stopping to purchase the necessary map and supplies in Panticosa (a cool little town), we drove up to the end of the road to Balneario de Panticosa. We found a patch of shade and began sorting the kit we'd need for a few days in the wild.
It was late in the afternoon by the time we set off and the sun was beating down relentlessly as we began the steep climb. The valley was a beauty though. Pine trees provided shade and a crystal clear river tumbled down over smooth granite crags.
It took one and three quarter hours to reach the the Bachimana Reservoir, where we took a short detour to purchase an ice cold drink at the Refugio de los Ibones de Bachimana. We sat on the terrace and looked down at where we'd come from - it was well worth the extra few steps for the sit down and re-fresh.
Before we got too comfy, we crossed back over the dam and traversed around the western side of the reservoir.
Energy levels started to lag as we climbed up to the 'Os Azules' lakes. We were temped to stop at the first one, but pushed onto the second, which turned out to be a great decision.
There are a couple of small glaciers feeding the lakes, so the temperature of the water was 'bracing' to say the least, but we were both super keen for a dip to freshen up before the sun hit the horizon - we had to be quick!
Feeling cooler and fresher, we then scouted around to find a place to spend the night. There was a super flat area by the lake, but two tents were already up, so we went up onto a little hummock to the west for some solitude and found the perfect bivi spot. Comfy thick grass, behind a boulder meant that it was sheltered from the wind and someone had also built a little wall around it too! As we unpacked our rucksacks a flying saucer passed through the valley!
Then just to top it all off, a herd of about 20 chamois that were grazing up the valley, ran right past us and up the hillside. Amazing. We got straight into our sleeping bags to warm up from the swim as the shadows soon crept across the lakes and the temperature began to drop.
Once again, we had the lightest and most technical bivi kit available (mostly thanks to Rab Equipment - ta!), but in the absence of any lightweight cups, had to carry up a porcelain mug from the van kitchen! Recognise it Dudley?!
Dinner was a delicious feast of fresh veggies (chopped and prepared in the valley) and hot cous-cous (great bivi grub as it's super quick to cook and requires only a little water and fuel). As darkness fell, we studied the multi coloured mountain above us and wondered 'would it go?'. It looked miles away still!
Looking at the GPS data, we noticed that we'd climbed over 1000m since leaving the van. No wonder we felt so tired after eating.
The stars came out one by one and when I woke in the night, I stayed awake for a while to study the skies. There were so many stars and so bright, that I could barely make out the normal constalations. The Milky Way was like a cloud above us and shooting star burst out here and there. I also counted over fifteen satellites pass overhead, one of which was incredibly bright - a space station perhaps?...
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