Backpacking and mountaineering is a journey where the destination is the present moment to moment embodiment of the now. 

being in the alpine is a serenity that accentuates the trickle of water, the whistling wind that blows through the grass, the chirping or a marmot, and the texture of the ground below my feet. 

Why not make the story profound, full of curiosity, adventure, and discovery..

That is the story that I like to tell. 

in the Spanish Pyreenes there is a prolific section called the Carros De foc trail. 

This 35-40 mile circumnavigating loop has a concentration of beautiful lakes, mountains, and some incredible scenery. 

This region reminded me of the Sierras in a lot of ways

One of the main differences is that the carros de foc trail doesn't get higher than 8900 ft which is a lot lower than 14000

There are a few of non technical obstacles to overcome. 

One obstacle is that you can take side trails and get a bit more into route finding your way to destinations. 

If you want to cut down the trip or get to a destination before a storm there are ways around 

Another is that you want to make reservations for the refuges far in advance

camping within the national park is forbidden but if you are able to score some stays at refuges that that will be the way to go. 

you can carry a lot less and not have as much to worry about. 

there is also a high saddle that you have to scale which can be a bit dangerous with snow and ice. 

towards the end of June there was enough snow to posthole our way up the 35 degree slope. 

people were using crampons and ice axes to get their way up but we made due. 

This is such an incredible place to go but we cut the trip short due to storms and the desire to summit aneto

we had to get ready for the summit which turned into a very interesting experience.

I recommend bringing micro spikes in the June timeframe in case you have to scale up snow,  

I also recommend reserving the refuge 6 months in advance so you can bring a lot less on the hike 

Espot is an excellent launch place to start the trip but you can start and stop at many of the cities around the trail.  You can also take a bus back to your start point. 

I would bring water drops to filter water 

There is plenty of water on the hike which is a huge help. 

I can see why this region was rated one of the best hikes in Europe. Have a blast on this trail

please reach out if you have any questions on how to prepare for your trip.