Back in late August, I returned to Lac de Gaube with the goal of making it all the way up to the Refuge de Gaube—and that’s exactly what I did. The refuge was fully booked, so my only option was to bring a tent, sleeping bag, and an inflatable mattress, as I wasn’t keen on doing the round trip in a single day. I must admit, I don’t sleep quite as well in a tent as I do in a refuge, but it’s certainly more convenient.
That said, I’m quite happy with the camping gear I bought. I chose each piece to be as light as possible within my budget. While the full setup isn’t ultralight by any means, it’s still manageable enough for me to carry along the F5 and a few carefully selected lenses.
Speaking of lenses: as usual, I brought the 55mm Nikkor Micro f/2.8 and the Sigma 24mm f/1.4. Unfortunately, the Sigma’s autofocus doesn’t pair well with the F5, so I simply use it as a manual lens. It works flawlessly on my D850, though.
From Bordeaux, it’s quite a journey, but once you reach Cauterets you can take a bus to Pont d’Espagne, the trailhead.
The first step is to get from Pont d’Espagne to Lac de Gaube. Instead of hiking all the way there, I decided to take the ski lift, it’s a 10 min walk from the Pont D’Espagne. I wanted to make sure I had enough time to capture a few good shots without feeling rushed. To be honest, I’ve never been the biggest fan of ski lifts—they always make me a little nervous, dangling high above the ground with nothing but the cable holding you up. Still, I figured it was better to push past that fear than let it get in the way of the experience.
After the ski lift ride and a short walk, you’re greeted by a fantastic view of Lac de Gaube.
On the right side of the lake, you can see the trail I took to make my way across.
This first film shot is actually a stitch of three frames taken on Agfa AVIPHOT 80. This film stock was originally made for aerial photography and is mostly known for its excellent sharpness and extended red sensitivity — which explains why it has been rebranded so many times. Just to name a few: RPX25, RETRO 80s, ADOX HR-50, Leica MONOPAN, Svema FN-64, and FPP Dracula. No matter which of these names it goes by, I’ll just call it what it really is: Agfa AVIPHOT 80.
After finishing that roll, I loaded up my favorite ultra-slow-speed film: SVEMA Direct Positive (Svema Mikrato Ortho Film). Unfortunately, I didn’t give it enough development time, which produced very thin positives. Next time, I’ll make sure to check the positives under a red light, since the film isn’t sensitive to red. Fortunately, the results were still salvageable.
This film is so slow that, even with a tripod, it can be used for long exposures without the need for an ND filter. In fact, long exposures are practically the only way to shoot this film and get acceptable results.
After about half an hour of climbing, the path brings you closer to the river that feeds into the lake. I decided to set up my tripod and take some long exposures of the river flowing down toward the lake.
After taking a few shots, I decided it was time to find a spot to set up my tent. I walked a little farther and was struck by the beauty of the view. In the distance, I noticed a plane — it seemed like the perfect place to camp. Many of these high-altitude refuges are resupplied by helicopter, but the one I saw didn’t appear to be carrying anything. It might have been part of a search and rescue mission.
The next morning, I woke to the sound of the river flowing. I packed up my things and made my way to the refuge, which wasn’t far. I’d chosen to sleep a little farther away to avoid being disturbed by flashlights and late-night noise.
The rising sun cast intricate patterns of light and shadow across the jagged edges of the mountain crest.
Half an hour later, I reached the refuge but chose to continue toward the glacier. It was a warm summer day, and I could hear the ice cracking under the heat. The sound was almost eerie, but I cautiously moved closer, keeping a safe distance.
After getting a bit closer, I decided to head back to the refuge, sit on the terrace, and enjoy a well-deserved beer.
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