The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- 29 august 2010 -
The wrong pass

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 esfr-trip-track-20100829.kml
(click to open in Google Earth or copy link to Google Maps;
click right on this link to download gpx-version)

Summary: part of a 11-days backpacking trip from Cauterets to Loudenvielle ‘doing” bm315 to bm330. Day 5: tackling the Port de la Canau with bm321 taking a whole day: I started with the wrong pass.....

Weather: Sunny and warm, no wind
For explanation of the gps-coordinates and other cartographic backgrounds:
see my cartography page

Start: 8.00, break: 12.30-13.15, finish: 16.45, net walking time: 8 hours
 
According to the gp-tripteller:
Distance: 8,9 km
Time moved: 3.19h
Time standing still: 5.13h
In total: 8.32h
Total ascent: 1041m
Maximum height: 2668

According to visugpx
- distance : 5.92 km
- cum. elevation gain : 736 m
- cum. elevation loss : 599 m
- total elevation:  1335m

- altitude maxi : 2564 m
- altitude mini : 2032 m
- altitude average : 2383 m
I started with the wrong pass although I checked it on several maps and the gps-arrow was directing to that pass. Moreover I couldn’t at first find the route back below. In all that steep solitary climbing, I think I pressed myself a bit too far.

This picture: looking forward at the slopes to climb.
But this is a better picture (of yesterdag): view of the borderridge with somewhere Port de la Canau with bm321.

I carefully studied the maps but still choose the wrong pass.

Move the mouse over the picture to see where the Port de la Canau really is.

And this is a printscreen from Google Earth with how I found my way by trial and error.

As I got closer to the left pass = th wron pass (in fact Col de Gabiédou), the arrow pointed distinctly more and more to the east and the waypoint of bm321 got further away.
By the way: on my way up, I stumbled upon a distinct white waymarked trail. I followed it for a while untill I lost it.
I tried a short-cut to Port de la Canau but it got too steep.

I descend enough to hop over to the right grassy slope and start climbing again.

I find back the white waymarked route which is nog longer a real track. That white trail puzzles me, it must be a more direct trail from the plains of LLanos de la Larri to Port de la Canau.

I have to return some other time to investigate that trail which is probably easier and more direct then how I walked yesterday.
Later on I loose the white trail again but it doesn’t matter, it’s just going up, climbing is heavy by lack of a real trail.

I guess it would have taken ± 2 hours directly from camping spot to bm321, now it took me 4 ½ hours.

On this picture: almost at the pass, the bm already but faintly visible.
Bm321 is painted in gold paint, I’ve seen that a lot in the western Pyrenees. 
Bm321
Bm321 at the other end of the pass.
Then in 1½ hours down to the Cirque de Troumouse where 
I camp for the night. Very silent day, didn’t meet anyone.

Camp H2237 N42 43 28.7 E000 05 37.9
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