Carros de Foc - day 4

Another long stage in hot weather. By day 4 everyone is usually "in the zone" and we made good steady progress to the first of today's 2 cols - Col de Monestero.

The final 200m are on steep loose shifting scree. Most people seem to do the Carros de Foc in the anti-clockwise direction (opposite to us) so there were quite a few people descending. A french lady dislodged a large stone about a metre across which slipped down the slope towards Ruby to shrieks of horror from the lady. It didn't slide far and Ruby kept her focus.

eE were planning on staying at the Refugi Colomina so to avoid all of us making the detour to the Refugi Josep Maria Blanc, Susie and Ruby stopped for lunch whilst Jasper and I without our rucksacks made a "fast and light" dash to the refuge and back. The sign said 50 minutes down and 1hr back - we did the round trip in 1hr 15. The setting is beautiful - a real shame we didn't stay there on our trip.

Ruby and Susie had pressed onto the Collado de Subaro but Jasper and I soon caught them up. The other side of the col is quite different, a granite moonscape devoid of vegetation and with many dams mostly holding back lakes which were as much as 30m below there full capacity!

After a couple of hours we finally reached the Refugi Colomina. Recently refurbished and very comfortable.

Carros de Foc - day 3

We only had a short climb today (300m or so) to the col, shortly after leaving the hut the clouds came in giving us some great ethereal photo opportunities.

The clouds cleared at the col and the rest of the day was downhill, past the 

Carros de Foc - day 2

First day of the Carros de Foc circuit and a fairly tough one with 4 cols to cross. Spanish refuge breakfasts consist of a small cup of instant coffee and a selection of cakes, sweet biscuits, nutella, jam and if you're lucky some bread. Glad we brought some meusli to augment things! The weather was glorious with scenery to match. The first three cols were climbed in quick succession and by lunchtime we were at the Refugi Colomers. 

The water level behind the dam was shockingly low

Once we'd left the Refuge we had a stiff climb to the Coth deth Tuc Gran de Sendrosa which in the heat was quite exhausting particularly for Susie and Ruby. Fortunately it was mostly downhill to the Refugi Saboredo and a well earned beer and hot shower. The refuge has been recently enlarged and the top level of the dormitory has a magnificent picture window with views to the mountains. This was our favourite hut of the holiday. 

Carros de Foc - day 1

Jasper and Ruby arrived from the UK on Thursday for our trekking holiday the following week. We had arranged house/pet sitters in advance (Jan and Pauline from New Zealand) and they arrived yesterday so we could brief them on how to look after the sheep, cats, chicken and vegetable garden. The weather forecast for the holiday has looked pretty awful all week and last night it tipped down! We set off at 9.00 bound for Espitau de Viehla, an abandoned hostel (following a fire in the 1980's) beside the southern entrance to the Vielha tunnel. There's space to park here and its the starting point for the climb up to the Estany Tort de Ruis and thence onward to the Refugi de Restanca where we would start the "Carros de Foc" (Chariot of fire) a nine hut circuit in the Aigues-Tortes national park, which we hoped to complete in 5 days.

The rain stayed away and the weather improved throughout the day. It was 23 years since I was walking here last, though much of the way I can still recall well. Are packs were lighter than on previous treks as this year we had opted to stay in refuges and pay for evening meal and breakfast.

Ruby found the going tough, despite our nagging she hasn't done much exercise this year, but she soldiered on and made it through the day.

After lunch at the Estany we made a long descent towards the hut before a steep uphill to the hut which was reached across a dam. Last time I was here I slept in the ruins of the old hut (now demolished). 

The hut was busy, but the meal was good and filling. A large french group from Pays Basque decided to sing through the evening at full volume (when everybody else was trying to sleep) and were quite inconsiderate when they finally decided to come to bed waking everybody up. 

Skies and butterflies

Approaching thunderstorm

Swallowtail butterfly

Hummingbird hawk moth (freeze frame)

Preying mantis in the polytunnel

Cagateille circuit plus Cabane de Lacarde

Scarce Swallowtail butterfly

We'd intended doing a long walk today perhaps to Pic Montabone but a soirée at Philippe and Sophie's meant we weren't in bed until the early hours and so we were late getting up! We headed upto the Cirque de Cagateille anyway and decided to do the Etang Alet / Hillette circuit but in the anticlockwise direction and to visit the cabane Lacarde (which I've never been to but is used in winter when making the ski ascent of Pic Montabone).

The circuit seemed tougher in this direction (or maybe it was the heat). Overhead we saw a couple of pairs of Lammergeier Vultures (I'm sure these are on the increase as we see them almost every trip), as well as plenty of griffon vultures and a couple of marmots.

At the little lake behind the cabane Lacarde we ate lunch and cooled off.

Cabane Lacarde

The descent to the Etang Alet to join the regular circuit

Etang Alet

Etang Hillette

Susie took a dip in the Etang Hillette which was surprisingly warm, then it was down, down, down. 7 hours for the trip and we saw remarkably few people, no-one until we were nearly at the Etang Hillette.

Susie on the short scramble below the Etang Hillette