25 June - 1 July: Pyrenees, and a shock to my system

Sat - Flew with Malcolm from London City Airport (very pleasant experience) with CityJet to Pau, picked up car and drove just under an hour to Gite near Laruns.  We cached 2 cars at the end of the walk for day 2.  Paul cooked a great meal with the rest of the crew  (John, Martin, Terry and Rachel)

View from Gite down valley towards laruns

Sun - Amazingly remembering commitments from the night before, we all got up by 7, breakfasted and left by 8 to drive to the next valley via a delightful high pasture to park at the start of the Chemin de la mature.  Set off walking at 9:20 along the cut out path in the cliff face (constructed in napoleonic times to bring down trees for ships masts - but how did they do it round the corners??)  through woods, then into a high valley. It was hot, I was sweating profusely, and feeling tired and breathless. I stopped a couple of times and drank 1/2 ltr each time and had a snack, then had to have a 'No 2s' by the side of the path.  I d'dnt feel any better.  After a longer break for lunch where I ate an apple and a slice of quiche the others set off, but I was feeling very lethargic, just couldn't be bothered to get going,  I struggled along, managing a few paces before I had to stop, blood pounding in my ears, completely exhausted.  After a minutes I got going again, and it kept getting worse, I just had no energy or desire to go on.  If there was an option to turn back I would have done.  No chest pains, so not  heart attack, but I was seriously worried that I had some sort of heart failure.  John and Malcolm waited for me, and we decided to go on slowly, Malcolm carrying my pack which helped a little.  It was almost 'call for the helicopter' time.  I felt nauseous and was heaving, then eventually at one stop vomited up lunch.  I felt a little better and continued stop/start to the col where the others were waiting.  With 4 doctors there, and experience of walking conditions, we decided it was either a d/v virus or heat exhaustion.  The rest went on to the refuge which we could see 300 metres below, and I continued stop/starting.  Paul ran back with a 1ltr of rehydration fluid they had made up, which I drank some.  What a relief to get to the refuge.  I sat on the terrace quietly, sipping a can of coke and the rest of the rehydration fluid, whilst the others downed their beers - they knew I wasn't well as I couldn't face a beer!

 Very slowly I started to feel better, managed to eat the dinner and drink lots of water.  Very small pee, so the heat exhaustion/dehydration theory seemed likely.  Into bed by 8.

Evening view of Pic Midi D'Ossau from Refuge terrace

Mon - Slept well, woke up feeling better, but not 100%.  I had lost my confidence in my ability to walk uphill.  I decided to walk out the easy short route via the lakes to the cars, which took me 1:30hr at an easy pace - it was nicely graded downhill.  Drove back to Gite, showered and just stayed indoors all day lying on the sofa reading and dozing.  Still not my usual energetic self, but not going to die!  An excellent dinner at a local hotel (foie gras, confit canard) though I didn't feel like joining in the repartee that much.

Tue - Still not 100%, so with John (who was suffering a knee pain) we went up the gondola and took the Train d'artouste to the lac, gaining 2000m with no effort, then walked up about 300m to the refuge, taking it slowly but nothing like the Sunday experience, still not confident in myself.  The others walked up the side valley (my planned exit route) and arrived before us, with enough time to have a couple of beers already!

Back on the beer

We joined their outside table and drank the refuge out of Buds before dinner, served outside in the sunshine, it was the best refuge experience we have had.  Great craic, especially when Rachel was told we called Terry and her Terry and June, then Terry said he had been mistaken for Julian Clary so they are now Julian and June.  Rachel's 'woof woof' joke had me in stitches, but it all wasn't as funny in retrospect so I blame the beer and wine.  The hut was small (with an outside sleeping tent) and we were inside on mortuary shelves.  Big thunderstorm during the night and rain which meant when I got up to pee I just performed at the door, justifying it by the rain washing it all away.

Wed - John decided with his knee to walk back to the train, I went on the the rest up the col enroute to potentially climb Balitous, but half way up a boulder field which went al the way to the top I decided I had had enough and wasn't enjoying it, still not my usual self, so I about faced, back to hut then went down the way the others had come up, which had a 100m of 'passage orteg' with steel wire ropes to help you round a rock face smooth ledge - it would have been better to climb up than down, but I had no choice, I was relieved when it was over, and from the col it was down hill for 3 miles to the car though a steep valley then wood.  Back to Gite by 12 to find John (with key) hadn't arrived so popped into Laruns for a coffee and to eat my sandwiches for lunch.  John and Paul (who had returned from the col to the train where they had to wait for the first on till 11:30!) arrived about 1pm and we cleanup and bought some wine and toulouse sausage for dinner to go with the heated up (lots of) remains of the Sunday dinner.  The others got back about 4pm, and we drank and ate the rest of the evening.  Heated debate at dinner about green issues, the environment, China and how we as individuals could affect the outcome, the a general agreement that we couldn't so "we were all f..ked anyway so might as well enjoy life".  I didn't feel inspired, lay on the sofa most of the evening and just listening in.

Thu - Malcolm and I caught the 12:50 flight back, and an easy tube ride to Chorleywood.  Mrs M and Nigel got back from Stamford at 6:30 and we went for a Sathi - Nigel was the most animated and social I have every seen him.

On reflection, I had not been 'up for it' after my episode, and had done nothing to help around the Gite. Mostly I just sat on the sofa.  This is NOT my usual self, so I remain worried.

Fri - Went to doctor's - BP was high (lower reading 100) and he booked me for blood tests and an ECG a week on Monday.  Said I should avoid major exertion till we checked me out, I didn't tell him about the cycling!

Put tandem on roof of car, got cycling gear sorted and laid out casual clothes.  Printed off maps and loaded routes onto Garmin.  Time seemed to wizz by.  In pm sat on sofa (this is getting a habit) watched wimbledon (Tonga lost and Murry doesn't look as good as Nadal) and typed up this blog.