The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- saturday 11 september 2021 -
Corinne's last bordermarker: bm311

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Summary: part of a series of 11 daytrips in september 2021 in the western half of the Pyrenees. This is day 4.

Today: I am invited to join Corinne Gourgeonnet at her visit to her last bordermarker, bm311.

Weather: mostly cloudy

track-20210911.kml
(click to open this trip in Google Earth or copy link to Google Maps; click right on this link to download gpx-version). The gps-track has not been manually  corrected which explains the inaccuracy and misalignment at some points. For cartographic backgrounds: see the cartography-page

Gps-waypoints of all bordermarkers (most recent version):
kml:  esfr-bordermarkers-all-waypoints.kml
gpx:  esfr-bordermarkers-all-waypoints.gpx (with elevation added by gpsvisualizer.com)
According to Garmin Basecamp (uncorrected track with elevation added by Gpsvisualizer.com):

Distance: 13,6km
Max-height: 2448m
Min-height: 1400m
Elevation: +1259m -1259m
Total elevation: 2518m

Start 9:29  Finish 17:06
Total time: 7:38
In the very early morning I have packed my tent on the camping in Arette and drive to (close to) Col du Pourtalet.

I have to climb to Col d'Arrious and the nearby lake of Lac d'Arrious. That's where I will meet Corinne to do together the last 1,5 km to bm311.


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Enough waysigns


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and maps available.


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This zoom-in shows the route and the position of bm311.


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The route to Col d'Arrious is part of my GRPdesBF-trail from coast to coast along the bordermarkers.

From Col d'Arrious, there is an alternative descent to Refuge d'Arrémoulit: the famous Passage d'Orteig.

I consider it as too risky for my target group: walkers with a full backup who follow the GRPdesBF in a multiday trip.


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Th first part of the climb is through the forest.


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Leaving the forest and


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then a long and steady climb up the valley on a good path.


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Passing a shepherd's cabin


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with some shelter underneath the rock.


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A view back.


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My destination is Col d'Arrious but there is also a direct tral to Col de Sobe where bm311 is.

I will show better where that branch starts on my way back.


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Approaching Col d'Arrious.


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Having arrived at


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Col d'Arrious.


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About 150m to the SE is Lac d'Arrious.

It took me 2:15 hours to get here.


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That where I wait for Corinne.

She will arrive at the scene with a touristic train to Lac d’Artouste which leaves 2 hours of climbing to bm311.

After 6 years, she is about to  complete her quest to find and photograph each and every bordermarker along the French-Spanish border.


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She is however not alone: of course she brings her son Arthur (see this link).

But to my big surprise there is also Michel Molia (see this link)), the famous discoverer of the 408III-IV-submarkers.


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Together we walk the last 1,5km to


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bm311.


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Mother and son posing


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and then the three gentlemen cq musqueteers.
And this very last bordermarker deserves a celebration


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with a bottle of


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champagne!

Corinne was moved and that is understandable. She has enjoyed so much all her adventures along the border, mostly done as solo-trips which has been an experience in itself. And now it is all finished, as if you have reached the destination of a long, long pilgrimage…


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For Michel, it was also a final trip. He is eighty years old and it’s been enough for mountain walking. In a way, he celebrated his own farewell trip with the same champagne.


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By completing all esfr-bordermarkers, Corinne enters the Gallery of Honor of men and women who have done them all. She is the third woman who has accomplished this and the first one to do them solo. The list is now (as far as I know):

1. Javier and María-Jesús Sancho-Esnaola
2. Charles and Josette Darrieu
3. Jacques Koleck
4. Myself
5. Michel Molia
6. Alain Gillodes
7. Corinne Gourgeonnet
My last pictures of

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bm311.


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And then we return. This is the bifork or junction of the 2 routes to bm311.


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Corinne enjoys silently


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a last view - together with Arthur -

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to the magnificient Pic du Midi d'Ossau.


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Was this Corinne’s farewell to the bordermarkers? Well, she confided to me in secret that she thinks of doing a multi-day stretch of my GRPdesBF-trail next year. And Arthur stated casually that he will start ‘doing’ bordermarkers when he has grown up. We will hold him to it.
Passing the Lac d'Arrious


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and at Col d'Arrious we say goodbye.

They will descend to Lac d'Artouste and the trainstation


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while I return to my car.

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This is the bifork mentioned above. I tried this direct trail on 9-9-2009.
Back at the road and to my car.


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I intended to sleep at a camping in Laruns but I couldn't find an open one. So I drove on, over the foggy Col d'Aubisque and Col de Soulor to


camping Mialanne in Arrens-Marsous where I arrive at 19:45, almost in the dusk.

I'm surprised to see that I was here before on 2-9-2014.

It has been  a good day and I am still impressed by the impressions of today. I enjoy my Cassoulet out of a tin can.


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