PYRENEES ADVENTURE 2012 (Part 10) continue

Monday 2 July 2012

Portarro d' Espot - El Pic del Portarro

It was around midday when we reached Portarro d' Espot, plateau located at 2,435metres in the Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, in Catalonian Pyrenees. I would describe the difficulty level of this route, which takes you from Espot to Portarro as moderate, however it should be attempted by hikers with good physical fitness. If you decide to take your dog with you, make sure he also has the right fitness and stamina for it. Don't forget to equip him with walking boots, (I used Ruffwear, so far the best hiking boots for dogs on the market), the climbs over sharp rocks at some sections could seriously hurt his paws, and your best friend might have to spend the rest of his holiday resting in the crate. There are plenty of fresh water streams for your dog to rehydrate, but I recommend to bring some extra water supply mixed with electrolytes. Even the toughest dog will struggle out here, especially on a hot summer's day ascent.

Tiredness starting to get to Nero

 Once we reached Portarro, the going became easy. Rocky path faded into more of a dirt road, and the entire area was covered in short alpine grass (sharp as needles, so avoid sitting on it), with few different types of alpine flowers growing in places. In the centre of the plateau was a small alpine lake. Perfect spot for Nero to cool off on a hot summer day, and have some high altitude fun! Once I removed his boots, he ran as fast as he could and just throw himself in it, splashing water all around. I've never seen him happier. He was jumping in and out of the lake, swimming and diving, which attracted group of hikers to come over and take pictures of him. He looked like a small grizzly, learning to catch salmon in the stream. After half hour of pure fun, I towel dried him, geared him up and we walked across the plateau to the other side, to enjoy the view of lakes Llong and Redo. Still having a plenty of spare energy, I decided to climb the El Pic del Portarro peak, raising above the plateau at the altitude of 2,736 metres. It is a steep grassy and rocky ramp, and from the plateau to its top takes another 45 minutes. Knowing, that this going was gonna be hard for Nero, I have decide to leave his backpack behind, at the plateau. 

A small path will lead you all the way up onto the peak, however it's not clearly marked, so don't be surprised if you step off from the trail couple of times. When you climb, avoid putting your hands onto the grass, its razor sharp like needles edges will cut your palms. As you climb higher towards the peak, the rocks will start to expand their size and most of them could be lose, so again, avoid holding onto them trying to pull yourself up. Instead use your trekking poles for support, and if you do need to support yourself leaning, sitting or pulling up on the rocks, double check their stability, before doing so.

As we climbed higher, the sun got hotter and hotter, and I could feel it burning all my exposed skin, slowly. Nero was going well, at times losing his balance whilst trying to pull himself up, but the extreme heat was getting to him, too. During the whole climb, Nero was going very closely ahead of me, waiting for each and every command given by me, asking him to stop or to progress. He was extremely responsive to everything, and very careful the whole time. We made it up in 35 minutes, with only one short stop to refresh ourselves. At the very top we sat down, enjoyed the magnificent views and took few pictures. Nero found a large rock, slid slighly under it to escape the heat of the day, and had a short nap. Once other hikers reached the top, each and every of them came over to greet Nero and to take a photo of him. Half an hour later, we made our descent. Going down is always more difficult and more dangerous, and it wasn't any different in our case, so I had to pay extra attention to Nero. Until half way down the mountain during the down climb, he walked closely behind me, so that I could support him whenever he needed. Once we hit the easier section of the path, he went ahead leading me and the group behind me, safely back down to the plateau. As a reward for being such a good boy all the way up and down, I allowed him to have an hour of fun in the alpine lake, once more. He just loved it!!!!!!!

On the top of Portarro (2,736m)

To be continued.....

PYRENEES ADVENTURE 2012 (Part 10)

Monday 2 July 2012

Ascent to El Pic del Portarro (2,736m), Catalunya

Today we're off to explore Portarro d' Espot (2,425m), which lies at the very heart of Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park in the Catalan Pyrenees. The name " Aiguestortes" which means twisted waters, comes from the numerous meanders of the local rivers. If you decide to enter the park on foot, you must drive from the town of Espot to the car park Prat of the Pierro, located around  4km west of town. The other way of entering the park is by public transport from Espot to Lake Sant Maurici. The public transports are white Jeeps. You will easily find them parked on the streets of Espot. I'm not sure how much they charge for transport or whether they are free of charge, but once you choose to go with them, they will not only drop you off at the park, but also collect you after hike and take you back to Espot. We drove into the car park from where we entered Aiguestortes on foot. If you take the park jeep service, you will save yourself 16km hike to the lake of Sant Maurici, but if you have enough strenght and energy, it's well worth to walk it. The views along the way are spectacular!

Lake Sant Maurici

 It was 8.45am when we've set off from the Prat of the Pierro car park towards Lake Sant Maurici. From the car park we headed uphill for about 50m and then took the signed board walk trail to our right. This takes you through a stand conifer and birch forest. At the end of the broadwalk the trail crosses the stream and continues upwards. Keep a watch out for rock sparrows, which are common in the open areas. Here the first sight of a high mountains in a far distance can be enjoyed. Whilst I was busy taking pictures, Nero sneaked off for a dip in the stream. Of course, he jumped in with his boots on. Oh well, they will dry and get wet again, many times today. And in such a hot weather, they will keep his feet cool, at least!

After a kilometre walk through the open space, you will turn left onto a woodland path going steeply uphill. Follow the path for about four kilometres and it will lead you to the hermitage of Sant Maurici. Here the road separates into two different paths. One signed posted to the Lake Sant Maurici, other to Portarro. Set into the hill to the right, and after another kilometre you will reach the Lake of Sant Maurici, surrounded by high mountains on all sides. It's a sight to behold! After viewing this breathtaking scenery, and waiting for Nero to finish his alpine swim, we hiked back down the track we came from for about 500 metres, then turned right towards signed mountain hut (Refugio Ernest Mallafre), about 20 minutes away. If you're tired, this is a great place to rest for a bit, and enjoy cup of tea, coffee or a small snacks served by the warden.

 Having rested behind the hut, whilst Nero was busy catching and carrying large rocks out of the stream, we took the track westwards for about 200m, turning sharp left at the first junction, then right at the next junction, following the sign for Portarro d' Espot. From here it is a steady pull uphill for about 90 minutes, with the previously grassy terrain changing into mostly rocky path. I was worried about Nero's paws, even though he was wearing his boots, because the rocks here we large and sharp. The path also became more narrow with steep drops on the left. One wrong footstep here could send you scooting downslope onto the rocks below. Nero was attached on the leash, but amazingly he was keeping to the centre of the path. Only occasionally he moved to the edge, to take a look onto the beautifuly blue lake stretching below in the valley.

On the far side of the stream the trail traverses a scree slope for about 200 metres before becoming easier again, and you will soon reach the lake view point of Mirador De l'estany. You are now at 2,180 metres. The view is fabulous in any direction-well worth the effort! From here there are two trails, one dropping downhill towards the lake returning back to Espot, and the other continuing uphill to Portarro. Straight from this point the terrain become rough pull uphill, for about 2 kilometres. Then it ease up again up until a small wooden crossing points over the wet grassland. From here it start to climb uphill for few kilometres on sharp rocky terrain. Through this section Nero struggled a bit, taking his time trying to find a way to avoid the larger rocks. Tiredness and heat was also slowly getting to him. I found a place to sit and rest, making sure Nero had enough shade to lay in. I moved a large rock and he slid under it. I gave him electrolyte boost, and myself ate two energy bars. Nero took a short nap, and once we moved on, we continued uphill for another 1-2km until we reached the top of Portarro d' Espot (2,435m), which is a plateau with spectacular panoramatic views located below its surrounding peaks, with the highest peak of El Pic del Portarro (2,736m).

To be continued.....

PYRENEES ADVENTURE 2012 (Part 9)

Monday 2 July 2012

Trip to Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park continue

At around 7.30am we arrived in a town of Espot. Espot is the gateway to Aiguestortes and it's located in the Pyrenees mountains in Lleida province. It's a rather small and quite town with few hotels and restaurants, yet it's a tourist area because just outside of Espot you will find one of the two entrances station can to the National Park Aiguestortes. Ski station can be find nearby,  it's  called the Superspot and it's located about 8 miles from Espot. In a winter it allows a practice of all kind of winter sports.

This is a beautiful area worth of exploring if you are a nature lover, or if you just wanna relax and have fun for a few days. It's a perfect place to see unspoiled nature, wildlife, lakes and enjoy the fun of winter sports during winter months.
There are two main access location to the National Park, one could be found in northern part of Espot, the other which is the main entrance, could be found in the southern part in the valley of Boí-Taull.

 

Our trail was starting from the car park at Prat of the Pierro, which is the northern entrance. We’ve got a bit lost at first, but soon we found the right signpost for the above mentioned car park. From Espot we drove following the route for another 10 minutes to our destination. Once we reached the car park, a local person from the small tourist office stopped us at the very entrance, directing us as where exactly to park our vehicle, and providing us with maps of the trail. She also asked if I’m going to hike alone, not taking notice of Nero at first. Once she spotted him, she just smiled and requested me to come down to the tourist office, once I park my car.

I did as she said, parked my car and walked down to the office along with Nero. She couldn’t stop smiling at Nero, asking me if she could stroke him. As always the little Belgian Casanova had to put on his charms, making himself being all cute and cuddly. She asked, if I’m planning to complete the entire route all the way to the highest peak of El Pic del Portarro. When I said yes, she gave me few extra maps, and just noted that the walk takes 10hours return, and it could be a difficult going for the dog. Then she smiled again, and wished us a good luck! 

 

Back at the car, we both got ready. On this hike Nero wore his socks, boots and a backpack with his water supply, electrolytes and K9 first aid. At the easy sections of the route, I’ve let him walk on the retractable lead, but for the more difficult and steeper parts I packed in a special climbing rope leash and harnesses. Not knowing the terrain that lay ahead, it’s always better to be prepared well, just in case. The weather was beautiful with prediction of all day blue sky and 30 degree Celsius in the valley, and around 25 degrees on the peaks with only slight breeze blowing. But still, mountain weather can’t be trusted, so I packed in extra layers of clothing! 

It was just after 8.30am, when we've set off on a trail from Sant Maurici to Portarro d' Espot. I will add description of the trail in the next blogpost....

To be continued....

PYRENEES ADVENTURE 2012 (Part 8)

Monday 2 July 2012

Trip to Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park

Loud sound of an alarm clock on my bedside table snapped me right outta my sleep. For a moment, it felt like I didn't know where I was, and what was happening. I really am not the best example of a morning person, and getting up at 4.30am, anyone would probably struggle, beside the dog. Nero was up and ready, hovering around the room back and forth trying to get his toys out of the suitcase. When he couldn't get the suitcase open, he would come over trying to give my face a good morning wash. Then I heard him running downstairs. In less than few seconds loud noise of a falling chair carried through the cottage, followed by very familiar sound of Nero's squeaky rubber chicken. It sounded like thousands cats being strangled. Right away, I knew he found it and was now trying his best to get it out from a small bag, in which I hidden it last night. I've put it inside, zipped the bag up and hanged it over the chair. With the chair now being knocked down to the floor, he was working his way into the bag. Cursing out loud, I reached for switch on the bedside lamp and was ready to get up. My feet haven't even touched the floor yet and he was back upstairs. The look on his face just cracked me up. Tired, looking half angry, his eyes filled with great victory. His whole mouth was stuffed with the chicken, with only part of its legs hanging out. The more I laughed at him the sillier faces he was making. What a goof!!! He always finds a way to get me outta bed, that's for sure.

petrol stations with two types of diesel to choose from

Once up, I grabbed a quick shower, fixed some healthy breakfast and packed our rucksacks with water supply, some energy bars, enough for whole days trek and extra clothing. I opened up the terrace doors, and slowly the first signs of day light began to come through. It was 5.45am. We packed all stuff in the car, turned the GPS on and began heading for our day trip to Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. As we turned out from Figols into the mountain road, the sun slowly started to rise over the horizon. I pulled over at the side of the road on the highest located place above Figols (1080m) and enjoyed the magnificent sight! The time on my watch showed exactly 6.00am.

We drove from Figols to the town of Espot, located in the Espot Valley, east of the river Noguera Pallaresa.
The municipality is one of the entrances to the Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. From Figols it takes about an hour and 30 minutes drive. Roads still pretty empty at this hour, with occasionally a track or a police patrol car passing by. The weather started to immediately get warm once the sun climbed over the peaks, and settled on the picture blue sky, with temperature already reaching 24 degree Celsius. It was amazing to observe how the sun worked its way slowly into the valleys, giving the surrounding landscape a soft colouring. Half way into our journey the overall landscape of rather typical mediterranean climate began to radically change. The mostly dull colours of previously dry land turned into a green living paradise. Steep hills were covered in pine trees, cows were grazing near the streams on a fresh green grass in the valleys, and grey coloured mountains were proudly stretching their, in places snow caped peaks towards the sky. The air was crisp and the temperature was only 14 degree Celsius. However, the blue sky above promised a beautiful day.

Espot

To be continued....

PYRENEES ADVENTURE 2012 (Part 7)

Sunday 1 July 2012...continue...

Sant Pere de les Maleses

Rather unexpected outbreak of meditarenean thunderstorm forced us back to seek shelter in our car. The rain was so heavy, that even if we wanted to drive off, we simply couldn't. Having no other choice but wait for it to pass, we snuggled in and kept our hopes high. To our astonishment, less than 15 minutes later, the sun came out, the skies cleared, and you'd have thought we had imagined the storm. After aditional 15 minute wait, I decided to take a second chance and explore the area. It was shortly after 7.20pm, when I grabbed my daypack, Nero and we started to walk. This time, the weather was absolutely beautiful, the air was cooled by the rain, and as you walk above 180m, you could feel a light breeze blowing in from south. However, the earth under our feet remained parched. The amount of rain that fell, was nowhere enough to rehydrate the land. Seem that summers here are extremely dry.

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The going here wasn't easy, some sections were quite steep and the small sharp rocks made it slightly uncomfortable for my dog to walk on them. Knowing the terrain was gonna be this rough, I would have equiped Nero with his walking boots. Strangely enough the little guy did not seem to be bothered by it at all. He kept on happily going ahead, leading the path like he was the tour guide. Around 45 minutes into the hike the path became narrow and steep, leading us through dense forest into thick bushes down to the stream. Once at the stream, the path continued  ahead, so we had to cross over. It wasn't very difficult, but it was a very slippery going! Once on the other side of the bank, we struggled for another few minutes through a "jungle" and then we came to it's end. In front of us laid ruins of what once used to be Sant Pere de les Maleses Monastery, built under the dramatic cliffs of the Congost de Collegats. The monastery being objective of this walk, and it's main value are the spectacular views over and into the ravine itself as well as the surrounding countryside. As one enters the ‘secret’ barranc of Sant Pere there is a sense of walking back into pre-history; a sensation increased by the brooding cliffs and the ever present vultures circling overhead and landing on their roosts.

Nero on top of the ruins inside the monastery

ruins of the monastery

Nature: The Congost de Collegats cuts through the Boumort massif, which consists of deep limestone strata interspersed with conglomerate rock, resulting in dramatic ‘tor’ structure, e.g. the Roca de l’Eslugueta, above the village of Hortoneda, which dominates the landscape to the south east of the Congost. Thanks to water erosion the limestone cliffs provide habitats for nesting birds, especially vultures. Griffon vultures roost here and the walk is ideal for viewing them. Bearded vultures can often be seen. Red and fallow deer stray across the river from the Boumort Reserva Natural, taking advantage of the swathes of uninterrupted woodland, mainly black pine that thrives of the limey soils. Along the riverbank herons can frequently be seen along with kingfishers and other waterfowl, and there is a noted population of otters and even genuine wildcats! Returning to geomorphology, the other specific feature of the walk, La Cova de la Serpent, is encountered near the apex of the trail, over 200 metres above the river. Indside, the mystery of the name is revealed; in the ‘ceiling’ of the main chamber there is a lesser chamber whose ‘floor’ has collapsed. The sinuous form of this chamber make it look serpentine indeed!

From the monastery we had to backtrack a bit, for about 10 minutes and follow another path down toward a ford over the stream towards the ‘Cova de la Serpent’. At the ford, the stream crosses smooth shelving rocks . I've noticed few rock pools just upstream suitable for bathing! Once Nero spotted them, he couldn't resist not to jump in for a short swimm. The current in the stream was a bit strong, and it was amusing watching Nero being gently slapped against the rocks now and then.

 Leaving the ford the path had set off uphill to the right. The yellow daubs forsake it permanently from here on but the cairns continue and the path is unmistakable from here on. At the top of the slope the trail entered a area of burned forest. At about 200 metres above the river, it is vertiginous indeed! The Cova de la Serpent is towards the end of this fairly level section, following a steep zigzag climbs to the only nasty bit of the walk; a short exposed section right under the cliffs with no handholds – but it’s only a few metres! Here Nero had to walk on leash right behind me. Any small mistake and we both would plunge into the ravine. Continuing onward, the trail lead us steeply back down to the ravine, where we reached the main road between the two tunnels. We followed the old road, which goes along the riverbank, all the way back to the car park.
 It was exactly 9.30pm when we returned back at the starting point, and that meant the route took us less than 2 hours to walk. I must admit, we walked quite fast. If we had more time, I sure would stop a lot to photograph most of the breathtaking scenery. The sun began to slowly set and we stayed to watch it going down. It was a sight to behold. What a great end to long and exhausting day.

Nero swimming in the ravine

water and electrolyte refreshment

natural ravine pools

Back at the cottage, we ate some dinner, soaked are sore feet (my feet and nero's paws) in a mix of different healing salts and warm water, and went early bed to get enough sleep for next day's long hike to the peak of El Pic del Portarro (2,736m) at d' Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park.