USAC Excursion #2: Gavarnie.
Weather update: Rainy and cold. But who's really surprised?


So this was USAC's second attempt at an excursion. Unfortunately, it was still raining. Misting, actually. Regardless, it was fun and clearly, absolutely beautiful.

We started off our adventure with the Beret museum in Nay, France. The picture to the right of the stream with the house in the background is at the beret factory. The factory is one of, I think, 2 left in France that still make the beret the old fashioned way. It's a tiny spit of a town nestled into the foothills of the Pyrenees. I learned that the Beret originated in Bearn (the region I'm in), and the most common colors for the beret are brown or black, depending on if you live more towards the mountains or more towards the sea. Red is worn for special days. However, there was one man on the video we watched that said that brown was for holidays, and he wore brown all the time, because he said life was a party. Good thought, but I like the red better anyway. We also went to eat, and had a wonderful three course meal of salad with duck, chicken, and a wonderful tart for dessert. This little fox fellow was part of the decor in the restaurant. He was one of about 3 dressed foxes.

After that, we drove about another hour to the foothills of le Cirque de Gavarnie. Gavarnie was a tiny town that is apparently very popular for hikers. It was a beautiful hike at the beginning, very level and pleasant. Towards the end, it got a little steeper. And the last 150 meters were torture; it was a slate/ gravel mountainside that you were supposed to climb to get to the waterfall. To be honest, not all that pretty. But I am competitive, and I couldn't stop just halfway. So yes, I climbed all the way up, and just about slid all the way down (I only fell twice...). I really don't have any more to say, but I put up a lot of pictures! There's Jennilynn and I (we're neighbors), and a lot of the trail along the way. Enjoy~