- Duration: 8.5h Distance: 18 Km. Difference in level: +1,450 m. – 1,600 m.
- Location: Pyrenees mountains, Aragon, Spain
- Condition: Lots of altitude meters make this a pretty hard trail. Technical difficulty level is low to intermediate.
Introduction
Back in June we hiked from Linza refuge to a camping spot at Borda Bisaltico. Most people hike from Linza refuge to Gabardito refuge, but since this is a very long hike, the camping makes for a good alternative. From the camping to Gabardito Refuge, you need to hike for an additional hour. This route is part of the 6-day trail “La senda de la Osa”, a 104 km circular hiking route.
We are always traveling with a tent and always depart with the idea: “let’s see what the day brings”. In other words, we weren’t sure that we would go to Camping Borda Bisaltico at the start of the day (there is an option to split this day in 2 hiking days). Therefore, we left later than we probably should have (around 9:30 am) and arrived at 7:00 pm.
If you are interested in hiking this trail, simply make sure to bring a GPX, arrange lodging (or bring a tent) and make sure to wear good hiking shoes or solid trail running shoes.
The start of the trail
The trail starts with a relatively long stretch of roads, this took us around an hour. Even though this part definitely wasn’t the most interesting, we did already get to enjoy some of the very nice views around us.
After the easy part, we start with the first climb of the day. On our way up, we get to enjoy some really nice scenery.
You can expect the typical trails when going up. The trails are covered with loose rocks and some parts can be a bit steep, but never at a point where it feels dangerous or risky.
Don’t forget to look back when you reach the top. Actually, this is a great place for a first break.
Starting the descent
The first part after this is flat, but it’s only a short time before we start our descent. Make sure to be on the lookout for marmots and chamois. We spotted a good amount of marmots on this part. Sadly no chamois, but we did spot a lot in nearby areas, so there is a good chance you can spot one here as well.
The descent isn’t too hard and we reach a deserted hut at after this. We considered spending the night here because it was already pretty late and we still had a long distance to go before reaching the next resting place.
However, the inside of this hut/refuge was inhabited by bats and the ground was covered with bat feces. Not exactly a 4-star hotel. Also, we still weren’t sure that we were already done with hiking that day, so we decided to keep on going.
The final stretch
This means we had to start our second climb of the day. This time, we climbed almost the entire way in forest-area.
A nice change in scenery, but the climb was more demanding than we first expected. Eventually we do reach the top and decide to take a short break.
However, the skies don’t look very friendly at this point, and the threat of rain makes us pick up the pace.
We start to get close to our destination, but we still have a good amount of miles in front of us. First we start descending towards the village of Echo. At this point the rain actually started, but not too hard so we didn’t mind too much.
Once we reached Echo, we started our last stretch towards the camping Borda Bisaltico.
It’s a short climb, but at this point every climb feels pretty long. We reach the camping at 19:00. After a shower, we get to enjoy a nice steak (the steak here is really good) some wine and a well-deserved bed (they have camping space, but also the option to rent a room).