Pic des Trois Comptes

We set out from Pla da Lau at 9.00 and made quick progress up into the vallée de Peyralade. No problem crossing the river after the cabane and the even the climb upto the cabane de Barlonguère went fairly easily. 

Cascades in La Cassade

Just below the cabane de barlonguère

It was hot by now and it was a relief to reach the Port de Barlonguere 2400m and get some fresh breeze coming up from the Etang Long far below. Here we turned right and after the following the ridge for a few hundred metres we dropped to the right to make a col to the right of Tuc Blanc 2588m;

Tuc blanc from the Port de Barlonguère

The views from here are spectacular - particularly into Spain towards Aneto, Posets and the Encantats. We dropped to the col at 2524m (the last I was here was 25 years ago), where susie took a rest whilst I nipped up Pic des Trois Comptes 2689m. The views from here are even more spectacular.

Pic des Trois Comptes

From the summit looking towards Pico Aneto

From the summit looking towards the East summit

I rejoined Susie at the col and we returned to the Port de Barlonguère, this time on the other side of Tuc Blanc with great views towards Mont Valier and Pic de la Pale de Clauère above Etang Long.

We descended steeply to Etang Long and skirted the Lake, watching the trout rising for flies in the crystal clear blue waters.

We ate the last of our lunch at the outfall of the lake gazing down to the Etang Rond far below, past which I descent lay. From there the normal route down past the Cascade Nerech and finally after 9 hours of walking the car. About 1750m of height gain and a grand day out.

Etang Rond from above...

...and below.

Cascade d'Arcouzan

We'd planned a long walk up to Barlonguère, but a poor nights sleep and continued hot and humid weather persuaded us to have a lazy morning and in the afternoon we strolled up the Vallée d'Estours to the cascade d'Arcouzan.

Glacier d'Arcouzan

Cascade d'Arcouzan

Yesterday, we had an enormous but brief storm, which dumped over 12cm of rain in an hour including some prolonged hail downpours with hailstones the size of marbles. The road and the path to the gite were rivers, the pond overflowed and we had water in the house and gite...as did all our neighbours. The plants in the garden were shredded by the hail or flattened by the water and wind. Half a mile away the storm was nothing exceptional.

Shots of lightning over Valier

Pujada

Every year on the Port de Salau there is a meeting of people from either side of the col - from Catalonia and Ariège for an exchange of gifts, culture and a general celebration. This year we decided to go with Alun and Breezy. 

We were late, setting off at 11.00 and it was blistering hot all the way up which took a little over 2 hours. On the port it was much cooler with strong wind blowing, something of a relief. Plenty of independent Catalonia flags and over 200 people.

Some more little experiments with my new camera last night.

Gite guest with a drone

Plenty of Cep

Etang Garbet, Etang Bleu and beyond

 

Bear??

Guests staying at our neighbours gite, reported that their dog went crazy during the night barking and barking but when they opened the door it wouldn't go outside, but they heard something large running away through the undergrowth. Next morning they found some very large bear tracks outside the gite, which they photographed and showed to John and Sandrine. Rain the next day washed the tracks away so we haven't been able to see them and the guests have left with their photos. We're being extra vigilant with our sheep.

What lies beneath

Once the hearth and fireplace were finished it was time to lift the floorboards. The boards are supported on concrete sleeper walls with battens cast into the top of each wall. The battens had rotted away and were often soaking wet, because between the walls close to the back wall of the house the clay and rock was almost level with the battens/underside of the boards. Also the groove which each batten lay in, was like a drainage channel for any water seeping out of the rear wall. No ventilation under the floor either.

I dug out all the clay and rock between the sleeper walls, stopped the them before the rear wall to avoid them acting as drainage channels and replaced the battens, before replacing the boards. It should give the floor another 2-3 years of life before we need to tackle the job of replacing everything and casting a properly damp proofed and insulated concrete floor under the timber one.

And with the first coat of limewash...

Fireplace again

Rendering the walls...

 First coat (thrown)

Second coat and tiling

Fireplace stage 2

I last worked on the fireplace in 2008, when I discovered the volcanic cill that rears up like a wave out of the floor. The micro granite is incredibly hard and last time after " days of hammering, chiselling and disc cutting I conceded partial defeat and enclosed the remaining rock in a 15cm high timber surround and filled the rest with concrete.

The floor in the living room (the original part of the house which I didn't build) has no concrete slab beneath, just clay and rock - so slowly it is rotting at the edges. Re building the floor needs to start with the fireplace where damp and water seep in, prevented from downward progress by the cill.

I can't afford to hire a compressor and pneumatic drill, so the hammering and chiselling re-commenced. No room to properly swing the sledge hammer so 3 more days of seemingly fruitless effort were required. I can appreciate why convicts were sent to break stones with sledge hammers - nothing is more soul destroying. Despite hours of bashing the same piece of rock with all your might, there are sparks, some splinters of rock and the constant rebound of the sledge.

Eventually of course it succumbed, little by little and the height of the hearth after concreting and eventually tiling will be just 4cm.  The hearth is now straight rather than bowed giving us more space in the living room...once I've filled the gap now devoid of floorboards!