A hot day. I am nearing the end, where the valleys are lower and drier. Today I would be descending to Arles-sur-Tech where it was forecasted to be 100 degrees F.I started my walk in the forest. The path did not climb or descend, but rather countoured around the mountain while staying at around the same elevation.A couple hours in, the trail started to ascend. I struggled up to the col in the heat as the sun got higher in the sky.I descended the dry grassy slopes to Refuge Batère, where I found David, an HRP hiker from Manchester I'd met 3 weeks ago near Gavarnie. I ate a meal of hot pasta in the heat, and then continued on toward Arles.The 3hr walk down left me sweaty and tired. I pitched my tent in the hard ground at the Arles Camping, and quickly headed to the grocery store before they closed.David and I got a dinner at the only open restaurant. Later, Dan showed up after walking 38 km! He had been doing some long days to catch up after getting sick. We had some pizza to celebrate the reunion. I had a cold shower afterwards to cool myself down before bed. Tomorrow we start early to beat the heat!

Cortalets to Arles-sur-Tech - 27.02km and 383m gained, 2075m lost