Page 56 - 2016 AMA Spring

Cpl Paul Burgon speaks about the Vichy Regime on the St Girons bridge from where escapees would begin their route.
Day 2: Saint Girons town (391m) to the village of Aunac (766m). The day started off with a continental breakfast and as much jam and bread as you could get, ensuring everyone had plenty of fuel in the tank to complete the 27km trek (which seemed even further). We started off with a brief on the Vichy Regime, by Cpl Burgon, on the bridge in the town of St Girons, where our fellow escapees would have jumped from the southbound trains as they started their escape. After a few roads and tracks we reached forest areas as we moved further into the foothills. Following the paths of the escapees through forest and farm land we stopped in a woodblock corner to eat dinner before Cpl Barnes-Smith gave a presentation on Louis Barrau, a French teenager, killed by the Vichy French police for aiding escapees. After a little history we continued on our path through the foothills
The Group dressed for the bad weather on the Col de La Core, just before hacking through the muddy forest to La Cabana de Subera.
The Group around a Chemin de La Liberte monument in Aunac.
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to the Pyrenees mountain range. After a final stop to fill water bottles in the Village of Aunac, and to rest sore legs we made our way through the village to the gite d’ Etape for the night in the hospitable safety of a French family.
Day 3: Aunac Gite d’ Etape (766m) to La Cabana de Subera or the Shepherds Hut (1499m). The day started early at 0600 by tucking into a breakfast of bread and marmalade dipped into bowls of coffee. A novel way to eat breakfast but we were assured that it was the way that the French do it so ‘when in Rome’. After a short admin session we headed off at a sensible pace from the village, West to the Col de la Core, the path taking us across some of the Grande Route (GR)10 route. The weather began well but once at the col, when the height increased, the weather got worse.
Rain and fog slowed our progress but a hardy attitude and good clothing allowed us to progress further to the Cabana de Subera, our camp site for the night. The Shepherds hut proved a useful place to dry clothes and prepare food in a sheltered location, after a very muddy route through the forest and fields. The stream nearby allowed us a great opportunity to get back to nature with some natural ablutions and a good foot soak. Although the surrounding mountains looked foreboding every one slept well knowing that the next day was the most difficult and challenging of the trek.
Day 4: La Cabana de Subera (1499m) to Le Refuge des Estagnous (2245m). Today was to be the hardest day of the trip. It promised plenty of steep climbs from the start, complimented by a cold temperature
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