In February, one of my friends told me there was a hike to Izourt Lake she had always wanted to do, but never could, and she asked me if I would go with her. She had read a blog that explained the path to follow and she suggested driving there one Saturday, when the weather was good. Of course, I said yes.
Driving To The Pyrenees
My friend Gabriela was the one driving because she had organized the whole thing and her car was equipped with the right tires to drive in the snow. Only an hour and a half away from Toulouse, this place is wonderful!
I was excited to see the mountains, I don’t see them often and I’m always very impressed. Gabriela was afraid that there wouldn’t be much snow. As you can see on the pictures, there was in fact enough snow!
We parked in a small village, next to an electrical plant. There was a lot of snow and some black ice on the road, so we were glad we had the right tires. There, we saw only two other people: a couple who arrived at the same time as us (with their dog). They had to install chains on their tires.
Finding The Path To Izourt Lake
We tried to follow the directions Gabriela had found on the blog and either they were unclear or we were tired, but we got lost twice. First, we tried turning right and walked in the snow up and down only to find out that it was not that way.
Then, we turned left and followed the shoe and paw prints to be led… nowhere. Gabriela decided to go “into the wild“, crossed a tiny river and walked in deep snow. I didn’t feel confident about this difficult path and retraced our steps. I finally saw a sign and found the path. It is complicated seeing it when it’s buried under the snow. I called Gabriela who dove in the snow to catch up with me (I’m exaggerating, but it was very deep).
If you try this hike during Winter, take the right clothes. We had hiking shoes and warm clothes that don’t make you sweat and dry fast. Despite the snow, it was really hot and I had to put my sweater in my bag.
Going Up The Mountain
Once we found the path, it got easier on the brain, but harder on the legs. It keeps going up and up and up… Every time we thought we were there, we were not. Gabriela kept saying “We’ll be there in 30 minutes, I think!”. And we were not. It became some kind of joke. We were both exhausted and had a bit of a headache (we forgot to wear a hat and the sun was strong). We were hungry too, but we wanted to eat at the lake.
Fortunately for us, there was not too much black ice. Otherwise, our hiking shoes wouldn’t have been enough. However, there was a lot of snow! At one point, one of my leg fell in the snow up to my knee. I tried to go up, but my second leg fell at the same level. For about 10 minutes, I was trying to go back to the path and kept going deep in the snow. Finally, the ground got harder and I managed to climb back up. Gabriela had gone ahead and I couldn’t see her anymore. But I knew that she was not far. In my opinion, you shouldn’t do this hike on your own.
When we did arrived at Izourt Lake, we were so happy!!! I honestly was not sure anymore if we would see it or not. But here it was, covered in ice and snow. The couple and their dog were there. The guy had snowshoes.
We stopped in the shadows to eat our well-deserved lunch!
Admiring Izourt Lake And Befriending A Snowman
Once we got some energy back, we took the time to contemplate Izourt Lake under the sun. It was completely white and here and there, we could see the tiny tracks of some animal that crossed it. Sometimes, we would hear a noise, and it was snow melting from the roofs of a few buildings at the top of the lake.
A few weeks before, in Saint-Chamond, I had been frustrated not to build a snowman. So, I made one there in a few minutes. The little guy was so cute!! We left him in front of a pretty nice view on Izourt Lake.
Sliding Down The Mountain On My Ass
I thought that, after eating, I would feel ready to hike back to the car. But the reality was that I was really tired. So, slowly but surely, I made my way back, Gabriela still walking fast ahead of me. I fell on my ass at a spot with black ice. The couple was near us, and their dog sat next to me. Adorable! I felt ridiculous, but at least, I had a friend.
After that, I started sliding down some portions of the path on my ass, sometimes involuntarily, sometimes on purpose. It was simply faster.
When we reached the car, I changed clothes and ate some biscuits. We had done it! Gabriela drove us back to Toulouse and we witnessed beautiful Winter skies, with pink and blue. We arrived in the city right before the night.
To see more photos of France, you can visit the gallery France.
