The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- 3 april 2009 -
La Rhune in the clouds

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 esfr-trip-track-20090403.kml
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Today from Col d'Ibardin until the foothills of La Rhune.

Weather: hazy with limited sight, less windy then yesterday. On the Petite Rhune low incoming clouds.
After 7 pm - on our camping spot - there's some sunshine and La Rhune becomes visible.

For explanation of the gps-coordinates and other cartographic backgrounds:
see my cartography page

tijd: 9.45-16.30
Onderweg 6.45uur
gelopen: ± 6uur
935m omhoog 642m omlaag 1577m totaal deniv.
gefotogr. 12 palen

According to visugpx
- distance : 11.42 km
- cum. elevation gain : 749 m
- cum. elevation loss : 455 m
- total elevation:  1204 m

- altitude maxi : 681 m
- altitude mini : 149 m
- altitude average : 381 m
Jan-Willem trying to get everything back in his backpack.
After walking back to Coll d'Ibardin we find

Bm012

 on this peculiar place, a platform, in fact the roof of a carparking.
Looking back at a Venta, a typical bordershop just over de esfr-border in Spain. Tobacco and alcohol are cheaper then in France.
Bm013, just before the tree.
Bm013

We pick up de GR10-trail for a while.
Looking back at the venta's of Coll d'Ibardin.
And a close-up from the place where bm013 stands.
After gaining height on the GR10, we pick up the borderline again.

Bm014, there a few bm-like stones nearby with an unknown origin.

Bm014, looking back, Coll d'Ibardin still visible.
Bm015
Bm016
Bm017, a little bit to the left of the path, before the rocky part to the right.
There should be an unnumbered cross nearby (according to the Procès-Verbal) but we couldn't find it.

A few meters to the east of this marker,  a purple waymarked path starts and descends.
This path follows globally the border, first to the left of electric wires up high, later to the right of it.
and terminates at a tarmac minor road in Spain. Watch the purple arrow on the tarmac.
We descend that curving road untill Venta Isola, continue on the path besides the Venta (back on the Gr10) and soon we come across

Bm018
Bm018 and on the other side of the stream bm019 visible.
Crossing of the river
Bm019, on the othter side.
Both markers 018 and 019 on both sides of the stream.
We contine on the side of bm019, walking back along the river.
and climb on the GR10-trail until the point where we expect bm020.
Actually, bm020 is located about 50m above the path.

Bm020, looking back at the hill (with bm017 on top) which we descended earlier.
We continue on the GR10 until a crossing of paths, we follow the branch to the south (where as the Gr10 heads northeast). By the way: there's a fountain at the crossing according to the map, however it's covered)

We climb this path, leading to a cabin called Yasolo.


to the ridge where we find

Bm21, left of the path.
with this strange hole,  with no obvious  function.

It's the first of a couple of renewed bordermarkers of this type with such a peculiar hole.  The last one is bm032.

See  tomorrow for the other similar markers.

In 2011 I learn from Charles Darrieu that these  holes were drilled at purpose for a metal pole  to facilitate the  placement of the markers..
We continue along a path underneath the rocky ridge.  It's a path we follow, not a forest-road  which we spot a bit lower. Finally we get back again on the ridge itself.

The path continues on the other side of the ridge (the north-side) and passes underneath the summit of  La Petit Rhûne.

After the Petit Rhûne,  I left the trail and climbed to the ridge to

Bm022


Following the ridge,  over the rocky part and descending,  I reach a pass with

Bm023

I meet again Jan-Willem who stayed on the trail underneath the ridge.
From bm023, we take a clear trail in the direction of Les Trois Fontaines.  We stop to camp near a stream.

(N43 18 52.6 W1 37 53.4)

In the vicinity - in the direction of GR10-trail - we find on our evening stroll a  refuge, a backpackers-cabin. Is not indicated on the map.
And after 7pm, the sun breaks through and  La Rhûne becomes visible.
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