The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- tuesday 29 may 2018 -
Bm374-382 revisited

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Summary: part of 6 day-trips in the Pyrenees, near Bagnères-de-Luchon and in the Basque country, together with Jan-Willem Doomen

Today: a trip redoing bm374-382, part of the project to visit every bordermarker at least twice. In this case also checking the GRPdesBF-route.

Basecamp: camping Las Espalias in Bossost.

Weather: sunny

track-20180529.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
According to Google Earth: 13km, max-height 1898m, min-height 1291m, elevation: +941m -941m

Start 9:31 Finish 15:42
Col du Portillon with bm366, our starting point.


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I have spotted on the maps an alternative approach to the cabin in the open field N of bm373.

It follows this easy dirtroad starting at Col du Portillon. It makes a large half circle of 2,5 km


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before it arrives at this bifork.

We take the fork to the left which climbs in the forest to


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the field with the cabin.

This picture: arriving at the field.


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The field with the cabin.

Conclusion: the dirtroad we took today is perfect for a more gentle approach to the cabin as part of the main route of the GRPdesBF.

Henceforth: the route via bm367 to 373 to the cabin has to become a variant.


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Zoom-in to the cabin.

At the cabin the main route and the new variant 367-373 will meet.


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I can already show how this will be in the new version of that GRPdesBF-stage.

Red = main route
Blue = variant via bm367-373
As said before (yesterday) the field consists of two parts: a eastern one (with the cabin) and a western one.

Now we know where we have to enter the forest: the SW-corner of the eastern field.

That's where this forest road/trail starts,


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soon arriving at this bifork. Go straight on (and not bending to the left) which


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is in this direction.


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The trail gets narrower and arrives at the upper field.

This picture: you can already see the open field.


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Through the field to its NW-corner.

As you can see, there is a strip of forest to cross to reach the upper hillside.


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From the NW-corner climbing on a trail to forest-edge uphill.

Yesterday we went wrong somewhere and now we identify that spot. We erect some cairns to help you not to make the same fault.


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Now we are at the open hillside.
We have to take this side-track to continue in the direction of bm374.


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It brings us to this passage,


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descending in a sort of valley with at the other side the trail climbing again.


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Looking back at this 'valley'.


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Now we climb SWW towards the tree, no trails anymore to help us.


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Beyond the tree, there is this cabin which is


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very very basic inside. Also no watersource around.


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Jan-Willem remains behind while I continue for a few bordermarkers.


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Bm374 is 75m SW of the cabin on a small hilltop.


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Bm374


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Zoom-in to Col de Barèges (bm356) and Port de Vénasque (bm332)


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and a view to to where we came from with the lower field with the cabin.


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I continue along the bordermarkers.

Bm375

Besides the bm the base of a former bm. The current bordermarkers on this ridge date from the 1950-ies.

The old (masonry) markers had disappeared and the French and Spanish government decided to replace them. But at some places we still see remnants of the original ones.


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Bm375, backside


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Bm376


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Bm376, backside


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Bm377


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Bm377, backside


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Bm378


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Bm378, backside


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Bm379


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Bm379, backside


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Bm380


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Bm380, backside

In the very distance the cabin.


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Better to spot on this zoom-in


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A high-voltage line crossing the borderridge.


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Bm381


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Bm381, backside

Note the small stone in the background.


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Corinne Gourgeonnet spotted in june 2019 a cross at his backside.
Only one bm to go which is close.

The next one (bm383) is at the mountaintop ahead and we will cover bm383-385 tomorrow.


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Bm382

Tomorrow we will come across an information board which tells us that the pass at bm382 connects a common grazing field of 450 ha, divided over France and Spain.


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Bm382, backside


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I return to the cabin and a herd of sheeps start to follow me and it takes some effort to get lost of them.


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Almost back at the cabin.


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Descending to the 'bowl' and to the forest as we came.


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From the edge of the forest looking uphill.

Jan-Willem stands where you have to go left.


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Building some cairns along the route.


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Back at the upper field, looking back at the NE-corner where the trail in the forest starts.


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Back at the cabin for a well-deserved coffee-break.


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We take the same road back = descending from the field to the forestroad and walking back to Col du Portillon.

Along the forest-road this upper field whith nice bivouac opportunities.


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Along the road this watersource .

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The Canadian barrier with


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just beyond it this watersource.

Both sources might be of use if you want to camp at that upper field mentioned a bit above.

If you decide to camp around or sleep in the cabin: there's a stream at the N-side of the field.

We return to the car and the camping.


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