The
bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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friday 10 september
2021 -
Reconnaissance of an alternative route to bm271
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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 3.
Today: from Col de la Pierre St-Martin a rconnaissance of the route to Col des Anies.
Col des Anies is both a gateway out of the karst platea and an in between for an alternative route to bm271.
Weather: cloudy, sometimes sunny
Basecamp: camping in Arette
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Why I am doing this reconnaissance today?
(click map to enlarge)
It's part of an investigation of the different routes to bm271.
On 5-9-2020 the route via Le Pourtet proved to be tough and long
The route via Col des Anies is longer but possibly faster because of easier trails. I will try that today.
The route from parking de la Contienda promises to be the best. I will try that one next week on 19-9-2021.
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According to Garmin
Basecamp (uncorrected track with elevation added by Gpsvisualizer.com):
Distance: 13,3km
Max-height: 2172m
Min-height: 1764m
Elevation: +961m -962m
Total elevation: 1923m
Start 8:37 Finish 14:56
Total time: 6:20
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| Camping Arette where I arrived yesterday.
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| In the early morning driving to Col de la Pierre St-Martin with
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| bm262.
Probably the bordermarker I have photographed the most throughout the years.
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| Bm262
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| Bm262
In the background a trail. That's the trail - yellow waymarked - which will bring you to Pic d'Anie.
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| Bm262
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| Bm262
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| Around 8:45 I pick up the yellow trail which starts close to bm262.
First crossing a grassy terrain with a view to Pic d'Arlas and Pic d'Anie.
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| Zoom-in to Pic d'Anie.
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| Geting closer to Pic d'Arlas.
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| From the trail a view to the SW.
A route from Parking La Contienda arrives at a field and then bends to climb the rocky terrain to continue to bm271.
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That is to say: on the maps (OSM and TopoPirineos).
I will try that route on 19-9-2021. |
| I continue in hazy/foggy weather
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| A waysign in between,
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| I have to continue in the direction of Pic d'Anie.
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| Then I'm getting a bit confused: there seems a new route - yellow waymarked - over the rocks.
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It brings me to this signpost.
It took me ± 1:15h to get here.
In the background the bifork as it used to be (and still can be used as such) of the 2 routes to Pic d'Anie.
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| Zoom-in
Left is to the Col des Anies and that is the HRP-route. That is the one I will try today (yellow waymarked).
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| Now looking at the signpost from the old bifork.
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| Zoom-in
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| to the yellow waymarks.
I don't understand well why they changed the route at this point.
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As a comparison, this picture of the old bifork taken on my trip on 5-9-2020 with Carlos & Conchita Roca.
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| Back to today: I enter the crevasses of the karst plateau
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| on an ondulating but well trodden path.
Progress is fast, faster than on the route via Le Pourtet.
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| Later on it arrives at
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| more open terrain.
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| Sometimes patches of clouds drift in,
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| turning into foggy spells.
For the first time I notice a red-white waymark.
I check the trail to ± bm270 for a while. I walked that one on 8-9-2010 and on 29-8-2012.
In fact it is also an alternative access route to Pic d'Anie.
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But in fact I'm looking in vain for a small monument. It must be further along the trail.
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On 29-8-2012 I saw along this trail this sad monument. The little statue represents a couple embracing each other.
Jon Álvarez Suárez and Naiara Larrinaga Velasco - a Spanish couple of
37 and 40 years - died here on 11 july 2011.
Only dressed in shorts and T-shirt, they were surprised by bad weather,
merciless on this altitude and terrain when you're not prepared.
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| Back to the main trail: it brings you to this point: a red-white waymark and a yellow cross.
We are more or less at Col des Anies now, there is no distinct pass discernable in this terrain.
I took ± 1h to get here from the bifork.
The red-white trail descends further into the valley to Cabane du Cap de la Baitch.
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| But the yellow route continues to Pic d'Anie.
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| Yellow waymarks
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| and cairns guide
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| you to this
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| T-junction.
To the right is
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| to Pic d'Anie on a distinct trail.
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| But from the T-junction there is also path going left, in the opposite direction.
Note the yellow cross on the rock.
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| On the maps that's a another route downhill towards Cabane du Cap de la Baitch.
But it soon gets rocky without a clear track or waymarking.
So I prefer the earlier mentioned red-white descent from Col des Anies.
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| Back at the T-junction and looking in the direction of Pic d'Anie.
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| I return and look back. You can see the T-junction and how the trail continues along the hillside towards Pic d'Anie.
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| Now back at (approximately Col des Anies) with the bifork better shown.
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| Zoom-in to the red-white waymark and the yellow cross.
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| And further back at the first bifork cq T-junction.
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| Zoom-in to the yellow waymarks.
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| The trail brings
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| me back
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| to the very first bifork with the new signpost.
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| Returning and going underneath the rocky hill of bm267.
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| This is at the foot of Pic d'Arlas where the trail passes.
A source with the name Fuente de la Contienda and which is the only water source on the vast karst-plateua.
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| Back at the car, returning to the camping in Arette.
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