Day 10: Camping San Nicolás de Bujaruelo to Refugio de Goriz

I drank seven litres of liquid today, took a bus and had a hot shower.

Packed up and away by 7am, I headed down the valley with the trails to myself. My first objective was the bus stop at the end of the road into Ordesa Canyon, where there is a regular shuttle bus to Torla-Ordesa. I needed to resupply as I had almost run out of food.

I visited both supermarkets, although neither had much choice. I bought 4.5 litres of an electrolyte drink claiming to contain salts and minerals to help with hydration. It was a bit late to stay hydrated, but perhaps I could at least become properly hydrated again. I also visited the pharmacy for more tape to help my feet, then stopped at a café for chicken and chips, having effectively skipped breakfast. I spent about three hours in the village before catching the bus back up the canyon to where I had finished walking that morning.

Before setting off again I called into the park information centre to ask about camping beyond Refugio de Góriz. The ranger marked several suitable areas on my phone map, then we started talking about tomorrow's route. I said I was going to visit the Brecha de Rolando and Taillón, she then asked why not Monte Perdido, Spain's third-highest mountain.

Before I knew it she had marked the route to the summit on my map and was showing me photos on her phone. It was almost as if she knew I was going to climb it before I did. Tomorrow's objective was decided.

The next four hours were spent climbing through Ordesa Canyon, a spectacular limestone gorge carved by the Río Arazas, with towering cliffs, waterfalls and broad terraces. Fortunately, much of the first two hours were shaded by trees. The final two hours were much harder, climbing steep zigzags in full sun to gain the remaining 940 metres of ascent to Refugio de Góriz at 2,200 metres.

Góriz felt positively luxurious. After checking in I was told I couldn't pitch my tent until 8:30pm, so I made the most of the facilities. I had a drink, stored my rucksack in a locker, used my token for a four-minute hot shower, charged my phone and cooked my noodles in the small kitchen. Two hot meals in one day.

I even solved the spoon dilemma by washing it properly under running water with washing-up liquid.

At 8:30pm I pitched the tent and relaxed as the sun set over the canyon. Hikers were still arriving at the refuge as late as 9:30pm.