The Pyrénées: the colossal mountain range which forms the natural border between France and Spain, separating the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe stretching from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean. In contrast to the Alps, which possess a huge number a deep glacial lakes, the Pyrénées have an large number of small alpine lakes and a large number of alpine torrents – very similar to both Norway and Sweden. Arguably the most distinctive feature of the range is the abundance of semicircular precipitous cliff cavities, so-called cirques. From a mountaineering point of view, the Pyrénées are distinctive due to both the rarity and high elevation of mountain passes (cols), which makes any traverse non-trivial. So when it came time to plan a summer hike, they seemed like the perfect choice.