Hiking up the "Lost Mountain"

Monte Perdido - the "Lost Mountain", with its 3355 meter high peak is situated on the border between Spain and France. I kind of stumble upon it when passing by a side valley. Suddenly it says something about a national parc and I just follow the signs... I kind of felt like hiking a bit anyway, so why not here?

The mountain is not so lost after all. Thousands of tourists come to "Odessa and Monte Perdido National Parc" every day. But only a couple of hundred (!) make it to the top. It isn't terribly difficult and I doubt that people really have much of an altitude effect (as warned of in th Lonely Planet guidebook).
The effect is rather nice: you walk up to the top and... look around 360 degrees :)
Monte Perdido is the third highest peak in the Pyrenees and so your view is splendid.

On the way up one passes through the magnificent Odessa Valley with a real beautiful waterfall. The refuge at 2200m altitude is fully booked and another 100 odd tents are set up all around it. I didn't bring my tent all the way up, only my sleeping bag and mat - well, I could just hope for no rain. During the day there is a thunderstorm. Not a good sign. But luckily the sky clears and I sleep under a tent of thousands of stars!