Soum de Caubarole (2386 m) walks

In the Ardiden Massif, two high-altitude lakes, two peaks and you. There are places we don’t talk about too much, for fear they might change. The Cirque de Litouèse is one of them. Up there, at over 2,000 metres above Luz-Saint-Sauveur, time seems to have stood still: first, the Lac de Bastampe, so picturesque with its island in the middle and its calm waters… Then, after a discreet pass between large granite boulders, Lake Litouèse comes into view: 42 metres deep, with waters so crystal-clear that you feel you can see right to the bottom. In days gone by, black trout used to live there! Above, the rocky, sun-drenched cirque beckons: first the Pic de Litouèse (2,420 m), from where the reward is immense – Gavarnie, the Vignemale and the Pic du Midi lined up as if to greet you, then the Soum de Caubarole (2,386 m). At the lakeside, a well-maintained hut guarantees peace and quiet. It’s one of those circular walks, with unforgiving slopes that will test your legs and stay with you for a long time!