The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- wednesday 4 september 2019 -
Checking the access to bm330bis, returning to my car

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Summary: part of a series of 11 trips in august-september 2019 in the Pyrénées-Orientales, Andorra and the Hautes-Pyrénées. This is day 3 of trip 8.

Today: third day of a 3-daystrip, after my visit yesterday of bm330 and going hence & forth to Señal de Viadós, I return to my car while checking the route to bm330bis.

Weather: splendid

track-20190904.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 Garmin Basecamp (uncorrected track):

Distance: 12,0 km
Max-height: 2260m
Min-height: 1237m
Elevation: +89m -1109m
Total elevation: 1208m

Start 8:53  Finish 15:01
Total time: 6:09
I had a good night's sleep.

From my bivouac-spot this view to the access to Port d'Aygues-Tortes (bm330) which I climbed yesterday.


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Today I will return to my car and do some GRPdesBF-checks

This picture: descending into the valley


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with


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this small barrage.


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I spot a burnt circle, a bush set on fire by the shepherd of yesterday evening.


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From the small barrage there's a pipeline - covered by cement - going horizontally along the mountainside.


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The trail itself crosses this pipeline


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at this spot to descend further. But I continue on the pipeline.

Why? Because that's part of the connection between bm330 and bm330bis. And I want to check that again.


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There are - along the horizontal pipeline - 3 spots where pipelines connect with the horizontal one.

This is the first one. As you can see, parts of the horizontal pipeline are covered with earth and stones.


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This is the second connection.


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And now I'm getting closer to the third one. And that's about where you have to climb the mountainside to proceed to bm330bis.

That is to say, if you come from bm330. If you are coming from the valley (from the north), there's another access possible and more convenient.


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This is the third spot, as you can see, it's a double pipe connecting to the horizontal pipeline.

As said before, about here you can easily climb E towards bm330bis. That's ± 450m altitude meters to tackle.


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Looking back from the double pipe.


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I don't climb to bm330bis but continue on the pipeline


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and spot in the deep (zoom-in) the cabane of Prat Caseneuve.


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This is where the pipeline enters the mountainside.

At this point you can also climb to bm330bis, this time along a streambed going E uphill.

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The 'end' of the pipeline.


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And from that spot looking E uphill along the streambed.


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And now these 2 options shown on Google Earth.

Coming from bm330, the red route is the most obvious. Coming from the N (via the cabane), the blue route is more convenient.

So: where the double metal pipes enter the concrete pipeline -> climb  the hill in eastern direction for ± 400m untill you reach a stream(bed). Then follow the stream uphill, picking up the cairns which will lead you to Port de Clarabide.
Enough checking. I start with my descent to the cabane.

This picture: I have descended a bit and look back at the end of the pipeline.


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I pass underneath a rockwall where there are


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traces of a trail.


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Looking back at that rockwall with its trail underneath.


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Further on, looking back with the route towards bm330bis indicated.


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Zoom-in of the previous picture


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At the bottom of the valley with the cabane.


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Inspection of the cabane which offers


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a lot of space.


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Beyond the cabane, again looking back to the route to take to bm330bis.

That is to say, if you come from the cabane.


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But it shows better in this zoom-in


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and this zoom-in.

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I wonder if - when coming from the lower valley, from Refuge de Soula - an access via the Lac de Pourchergues is easier.

I got to bm330bis on 3-9-2010 via that lake but not on a safe route. I discoverd too late that I was climbing to Lac de Clarabide and then crossed a rockslide. Not to repeat.

Let's show the various options to get to bm330bis on Google Earth:

On this map, it doesn't seem to make much difference if you climb to bm330 via the lake or via the cabane. The lake is of course a nice scenic treat in between but is the yellow route manageable? Let's show that on a picture of my trip of 3-9-2010:

Well, it might be steep but manageable.
But what was the usual access in the old days? The Carte d'État-Major (1820-1866) shows it:

And that's the route via the cabane, not via Lac de Pouchergues.
Note 1: the toponyms on the map have changed since then: the Port de Clarabide is now called Port d'Aygues-Tortes and Port de Benasque has changed to Port de Clarabide. That explains how the original bm330 was forgotten and a new one was carved at the current Port de Clarabide. See this page (at the bottom) for more information about that.
Note 2: we see no trail leading up to the old Port de Clarabide. Apparently it was not much used in the old days, the Port de la Pez (bm329) being a faster access to the spanish valley of Viadós.
Now my work is done and I proceed peacefully down the valley towards Refuge de la Soula.


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The valley consists of several plateau's. This is the descent to lower level.


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Further on, looking back to that shift in level.


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The refuge de la Soula comes in sight and I take my opportunity


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to have a lunch in the sun.


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The last part of the descent is in a narrow valley (the "Gorges de Clarabide")


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where a century ago a lot of work had to be done to carve a path which could be used to transport building materials uphill for the electrical facilities to be built.


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Zoom-in to the chapel along the path.

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A chapel devoted to Maria, built on that path.

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The "Gorges de Clarabide" are the only access to the upper pastures and to the borderpasses of Aygues-Tortes (bm330) and Clarabide (bm330bis).

One wonders how that access was before the new path was built. The old Carte de Cassini is not accurate but shows clearly a route up the Gorges towards Port de Clarabide.

We spot also the route to Port de la Pez (bm329) but surprisingly no trail to Port d'Aygues-Tortes (bm330). Apparently it was not much frequented, the Port de la Pez being faster to get to the spanish valley of Viadós.

Further on, the trail gets into a forest, descending along many lacelets and passing this giant pipeline whch descends to the power plant at Pont du Prat.


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Having arrived at the start of the various trails.


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Around the electricity facilities near Pont du Prat, there are several interesting information boards.

The main facilities at the bottom included lodgings and a school for the workers and their children, a small village on his own.


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Industrial history: the huge efforts taken to build the 'téléfériques' needed to transfer building materials and supplies up the mountains.


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This board tells about the system of


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barrages, waterways and pipelines.


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with a very interesting map of the pipelines.


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Showing the approximate route to bm330bis when coming from bm330.
Back at the parking where my loyal blue car is waiting for me.


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The camping in Saint-Lary-Soulan has shut down but in Vignec I find a camping which will serve as my basecamp for the next days.

The next day, the weather is cloudy and cold. I take a day of rest.


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