Day 6: Zuriza to Refugio de Lizara

A windy night meant not much sleep. Every time I woke up I looked up to check whether the tent was still standing over me.

Another day walking with Matyas. We first climbed to the col before making our first summit of the trip, Chipeta Alto (2,175m). It was an easy grassy climb from the col, although it looked much more impressive when we looked back from the valley at its steep eastern face.

The scenery really started to step up today. Beyond the summit the route crossed wide alpine meadows surrounded by limestone peaks, before dropping into a broad glacial valley. There were long stretches of open grassland, rocky outcrops and scattered pines, with high cliffs closing in on both sides. The flatter valley section gave us a good look at the landscape ahead, although the lack of water made the day feel harder than it should have.

I stopped for lunch while Matyas carried on to a small lake. By the time I caught him up he had abandoned that idea and was sitting in the shade, too tired to make the extra walk down.

The afternoon was a relentless climb, but with plenty of variety. Every corner seemed to reveal another valley or another line of rugged peaks. We filled our bottles at the spring before the final descent towards Refugio de Lizara. Matyas stopped at the refuge for a drink while I carried on to find somewhere to camp and get dinner on. I left a few sticks on the trail to mark where I was, so he could find me later.

When Matyas arrived we decided the spot was still too exposed to the wind, so after dinner I packed up and moved the tent to a more sheltered pitch. Hopefully that means less wind and more sleep tonight.

This is our second night away from a water source, so there has been no opportunity to wash either clothes or myself. I haven't had any complaints yet, so perhaps I don't smell after all.