Day 20: Just above Encamp to Camping Pirineus

It was a very warm and humid night. I hadn't noticed the sky through the canopy of trees, but shortly after setting off I discovered why. The heavens opened, accompanied by thunder and lightning - not ideal weather for a day of high mountain passes.

I asked a couple of passing runners if they had seen the forecast. They said the thunderstorms weren't expected until the afternoon.

Today was far more scenic than yesterday, although it still took five hours to reach the first pass. I stopped several times to shelter under trees from the rain. My waterproof jacket was on and off all morning before I gave up. I was either going to be wet from sweat or from rain, and the rain was at least providing my first shower in three days.

There were two mountain passes today. The first took me back into Spain, while the second welcomed me with the coldest, wettest and windiest conditions I've experienced so far on this trip. That was followed by a long descent. I was sure the guidebook described it as all downhill, but descents in Spain usually include a fair amount of uphill, and this one was no exception.

Lunch was a brief stop between rain showers. I perched my rucksack on a rock rather than putting it in the wet grass. Just as I was making a salami sandwich it toppled over. I caught the rucksack but sent the salami flying in every direction. Circular slices have an impressive ability to roll. I applied the five-second rule, although I didn't start counting immediately.

The spot where I'd planned to camp had a small stream, but it was full of horse and cow hoof prints, along with enough other evidence of livestock to make me think twice about drinking from it. Instead, I added another 5km at the end of the day to reach a commercial campsite in the valley. I arrived at 7pm, too tired to make use of the swimming pool.

The scenery changed towards the end of the day. The mountains became broader and less jagged. It finally feels like I'm getting a little closer to the end.