The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- friday 6 september 2019 -
Redoing bm326-328

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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 trip 9.

Today: redoing bm326-328, this time from Hospice de Rioumajou. My basecamp is the camping in Vignec in France.

Weather: splendid but cold in the morning and on the ridge a chilly wind.

track-20190906.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: 23,0 km
Max-height: 2633m
Min-height: 1379m
Elevation: +1468m -1457m
Total elevation: 2925m

Start 8:23  Finish 18:29
Total time: 10:06
Starting from the parking Frédencon at 8:15


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It's 4km walking along this dirtroad.

You can drive with your car up to the Hospice but I'm a bit (too?) careful with my car.


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The end of the valley


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with to the right a camping field (for bivouac).


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An information board


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with a nice map of the main walking trails towards Spain: the Port de Plan (bm327) and Port d'Ourdissétou (bm326)


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and some information on the Hospice.


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The Hospice de Rioumajou.

Behind it you can see a green plateau: the Balcon d'Hospice which I will climb tomorrow.


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I've seen the "No kill"-signs more often in the Pyrenees and this one gives an explanation.




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Just beyond the Hospice a trail (red-white waymarked) starts and arrives after 400m at this bifork.

To the left is towards Port de Cauarère (bm328) and Port de Plan (327). That's the one I take.


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No red-white marks anymore but yellow.


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A bridge brings me


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to a steep ascent through the forest


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until I arrive at this open space.

The yellow path continues to Port de Plan


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but I continue towards Port de Cauarère.


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No painted signs anymore but the trail is obvious with enough cairns to keep you on track.


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Later on the hillside consists often of gravel, its soft surface and the incline makes it a tough climb.


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A view back


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Another view back


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Getting close to the Port.

There are some tricky parts on these steep gravel hillside, you could easily slide into the 'abyss'. Take care.


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Almost at the pass.


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At the Port de Caurère


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But bm238 is about 60m to the south, up the flat borderridge


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A view back


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And a view to the east into Spain


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Zoom-in. If you descend into Spain you will get to a river valley.

At the other side of the river, a trail climbs to Señal de Viadós. From there you could traverse directly along the mountainside to Port d'Aygues-Tortes (bm330). That passage I tried a few days ago on 3 september.

My own GRPdesBF-route however makes a half circle to the south passing the refugio Viados.

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Bm328 is on one of the first rocks


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Bm328


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Bm328


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Bm328


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Bm328


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Bm328, looking down to the actual Port de Caurère with


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some artistic beautifications.


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I continue south over the borderridge.

Ahead, there's a remarkable rocky hilltop


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which you pass easily underneath.


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Getting closer


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and passing underneath on this trail


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Continuing. There's a hilltop (Tuquet de Caurère) ahead but you don't have to climb it.


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Looking back


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and looking forward.


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Further on, this view back. You can see how you can pass underneath the summit of Tuquet de Cauarère.

Note the cairn, there are some along this route.


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Now the Port de Plan gets in sight


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with (zoom-in) the Port d'Ourdissétou also in sight.


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In the background the massif of Monte Perdido (I think)


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Surprising: two bikers, how in heaven did they get here?


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Close to bm327.

Note: bm327 is not at the pass (lowest passage) itself but about 300m NE at the ridge. But that's where the trail passes the border. At its lowest part it's too steep on the Spanish side.


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Bm327


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Bm327


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Bm327


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Bm327


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Bm327


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Bm327, backside


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Bm327


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Then I descend into the valley towards Port d'Ourdissétou.

In the first part a descent along a streambed, then over the grassy hillsides, using cattle tracks when available.

This picture: viewing back


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and this one viewing ahead.

I don't take a route straight across the valley but around the lowest and swampy part.


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Further on, another view back


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A marmotte warning his mates


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Steadily I'm getting closer


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Another view back


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with this zoom-in of Port de Plan


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Having arrived at Port d'Ourdissétou. The final climb was tough.


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This plaque is about the Camino leading to Santiago de Compostella.


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Looking down to the Spanish descent of the path


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Like in the cases of Port de Caurère and Port de Plan, the bm is not on the pass itself.

In this case bm326 is ± 100m to the NW.


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Bm326


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Bm326


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Bm326


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Bm326


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Bm326


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Bm326


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Bm326, from above


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Then I return back to Hospice de Rioumajou,


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take a lunch-break


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and continue downhill.


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Getting into the forest


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and arriving at the spot


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where a branch climbs to Balcon d'Hospice.


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Blue is to Port d'Ourdissétou and orange is the fainted waymark which once led via Balcon d'Hospice to bm325.

Tomorrow I will do a reconnaissance if that route is still waymarked. Spoiler: the answer is no.


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Sign waypointing to Balcon d'Hospice.


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Close to Hospice de Rioumajou. Then the last 4km to my car, it's still cold in the shadow of the valley.

It's been a tough trip.


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