Tour of Cirque de Campuls

A glorious day out in the mountains. I had a late start (after a late night finishing the plumbing) but by 10.20 was on the hill heading for the cabane de Campuls. It was icy as climbed into the cirque above the cabane and soon put on my crampons. They stayed on my boots for the whole day.
The Etang d'Ayes was frozen and I continued to climb up to the smaller Etang de Bellonguere where I caught the first of the sun. The icy crystals were sparkling and the combination of warm sun and cold air magnificent.
From here I followed a vague ridge steeply upwards to the east before striking south along the ridge to the corniced summit of Pic de la eyre Blanque (2176m). The snow here was hard as ice and great care was needed as only the tips of my crampon oints could penetrate the snow and give me grip. Good practice of "french crampon technique". After lunch on the summit I contemplated descending to the cabane d'Eycheil where I stayed with Susie, Jasper and Ruby last spring - but the snow here was soft and balling up under my boots. So instead I stayed on the ridge and descended northwards to Tuc de la Seube and then Col de Auedole, before the descent on GR10 back to the car.

My only company the whole day was an Isard.