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!
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| 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.....
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