Monday, October 15, 2007
Thursday 11th to Saturday 13th Puigcerda Vacaciones
Thursday we stayed in Puigcerda in a hotel opposite the train station. It war of course a wonderfully sunny day. We got on with doing stuff (boot repairs, internet email catch up, laundry, haircut, etc) and most of all resting feet. On friday morning Albert and Olga picked us up and took us to their house in the village of Vilallobent. During the weekend, apart from eating too much good food (and putting back the kilos I had lost before) we visited the church of Sant Andreu in Vilallobent, an 11th century building now fully restored thanks to 4 of the local residents. We took a trip to Estana in the Sierra de Cadi (in a car - nearly no walking needed!!). And we visited the best place in Vilallobent for eating and drinking - the "era"(see foto). After eating prawns, escalivada, navajas and other shellfish, tortilla, chorizo, and drinking glass after wonderful glass of Montilla-Morales from the vineyard of Alvear, it was time to go home for lunch, which also wonderful, and then a siesta. Thanks Olga. Wonderful hospitality.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Wednesday 10th Refugi de L'illa to Puigcerda
Woke before sunrise. So cold it is snowing. We are short on cooking fuel so its muesli soaked in cold water for breakfast. We have a short climb up to the lake and then we cross from Andorra back into Spain. We wander downhill into a valley with large Breton horses and pyrenean cattle grazing, the bells around their necks a constant sound throughout the length of the Pyrenees. We reach the bottom of the valley at Cabana de Esparvers. A sign indicates a change in direction and we start winding up towards a mountain pass in the distance. An hour and a half later we reach the pass. There is a stone pillar which indicates a border with France. We realise that we have walked to the wrong pass. As we think about where we went wrong, another walker arrives. He had seen the same sign as us below and had made the same mistake. The weather had turned bad, very cold with either snow or rain coming. It was too late to turn back so we crossed through the pass and into France and headed down into the valley without a clue as to what there was below. In one day we had walked through 3 countries. 3 hours later we reached the bottom of the valley and walked into the french village of Porta. It was raining hard and we entered the only bar open. I ordered 3 beers and asked where we were. About 18 kms north of Puigcerda. Together with Vicente from Burgos, the other lost walker, we caught a taxi to Spain. It means that we have arrived a day earlier than expected and I had arranged with friends Olga and Albert to stay with them over the weekend in their house in Vilallobent near Puigcerda. No problem, we would stay tonight and thursday night at a hotel and friday and saturday night with Albert and Olga. A really good rest for body and feet.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Tuesday 9th Encamp to Refugi de L'illa 16 kms
A 16 km walk that would take us up 1300mtrs right next to the Andorra/Spain frontier. Just as we finish breakfast in the cafe in front of the hotel Riu Blanc, the worst hotel with the most depressing room in which we have stayed in the entire trip, CB realises that he left his camera behind in last nights restaurant. With more than 1000 photos of the trip this is a disaster. It is 8am and we go to the restaurant. It of course is closed but also the sign says it will not open again until tomorrow. Big problem. We go to the police station and explain the problem. A very helpful women sets to work on the telephone and computer and within 20 minutes locates the owners of the restaurant. Even though it is their day off they kindly offer to come from their home and open up the restaurant. The camera is inside. Relief all around. We set off climbing away into the forest away from the noise of Andorras main road, distracted a little as we pass through an area where dog owning Andorrans obviously take their pets to go toilet. After 2 kms (and 350 vertical mtrs) we arrive at Estany d'Engolasters, a pretty lake and then we climb into one of the few valleys in Andorra that has no road and therefore is not full of buildings. We walk up and up beside the river Madriu. The sun shines intermittently and it really is a pretty valley. We arrive at the empty refuge at 5pm. The day has cooled right down. At 2500 metres the solid stone refuge is a cold place. We cook dinner and with no electricity and no fire its into the sleeping bags as the sun sets.
Monday 8th Ordino to Encamp
Chris Bennett has a hangover. Not much to report for today. The usual climb in the morning then over the top and down the other side. We lost Chris Jackson on the way down. He went the right way, we the wrong. We all ended up in Encamp but with CJ at one end and us at the other. Armed with instructions from the local police we found CJ and went in search of accommodation. Nothing much else to report except we went to a restaurant for dinner and CB left his camera there.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Sunday 7th Arinsal to Ordino 10 kms
After a good brekkie (Andorran breakfasts are the real deal) we put the giant packs on backs and walked up the road to find the GR11 track. Andorran hills are SteeP and whoever made todays track didnt bother with zigzaging it up, it just pointed straight up through the pine forest. The achilles tendons and hamstrings on the backs of your legs get a real workout. Climbing takes time. Even though it was only 2 kms in distance to the top, the 500 meter height gain took nearly 2 hours. From the top it was a steep drop down of the same distance and height into the next valley. At the bottom was the village of Arans. We didnt stop though, our objective was Ordino, further down the valley. By road only 3 kms but the GR11 takes you up over the hills in a 6 km detour. CJ and self took the road trip but CB was feeling like extra exercise (that boy has got energy to burn) and took to the hills. We headed off down the road. Andorra is small but very mountainous. In fact there are no flat bits. With a population of 80,000 (20,000 andorrans and 60,000 immigrants) and several million visitors every year, most of the valleys are built up with apartments and roads. The hills are filled with ski resorts. So walking through this part of the Pyrenees was quite different. We had decided to make our walks shorter and traverse Andorra in 4 days instead of 3. Our bodies were showing signs of the constant pounding and we had to ease up a little. On arrival at Ordino we sat outside a bar in the town square to await Mr. B. I took off to find a good cheap hotel and a place to have lunch. Of all the towns we saw in Andorra, Ordino was the only one worth visiting.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
back 2 the blog
OK. Back in contact with the web again after being shut out by the Andorran govt monopoly. I have uploaded a weeks worth of entries and a few fotos so u may need 2 look back through "older" pages to read it all. I still hav 2 write up the last 5 days to get this thing right up 2 date.
Saturday 6th Oct Refugi de Baiau to Arinsal 11 kms
Up early to find it had stopped raining but a complete white out. We decide to go ahead with an attempt at the high pass anyway as it is early and we have time on our side. It is really cold so we all put on our full on gear. The way is clearly marked which gives us confidence in the mist. As we climb the cloud begins to lift and we see glimpses of blue sky. The path disappears as the terrain becomes more vertical and rock covered. Eventually we are just scrambling vertically on the loose scree towards the top. We suddenly hear shouting from above echoing from the surrounding cliffs. 3 young spanish guys had reached the top before us. They had climbed up from the other (the Andorran) side. As they come down toward us we stop and share information. They are doing the GR11 like us but in the other direction. I wish them luck but i think they may have left it too late in the year to get through the high peaks of Aragon. Half an hour later we reach the top. 2757mtrs. The Port of Baiau. We cross from Spain to Andorra. Its very cold but it looks like some sun is coming and we know that as we climb down into the valley and lose height it will get warmer. Its a relief because we had been waiting nearly 3 days to get through this pass. We drop steeply (1500mtrs over 8 kms) through lightly wooded country filled with waterfalls and the colours of autumn. We arrive in the village of Arinsal in time for a late lunch, book into a hotel and find that, unlike Spain where the rugby world cup doesnt exist, Andorra has french TV so the rest of the afternoon is spent watching the brits beat the aussies. Later we then watch the french kill our hopes too.
Friday 5th Oct Areu to Refugi de Baiau 15.5km
Today the plan was to put in a big effort and get over the Baiau pass (2757mtrs) and walk through to Arinsal in Andorra, a total distance of 25 kms. We got away to a good start at 8am, skies overcast but no rain. It was a long uphill hike. We had to climb up 1500mtrs over the first 15 kms just to reach our first objective, the Baiau refuge (2517 mtrs), 250mtrs below the pass. We made it to the refuge in good time, 6 hours. It was 2.30pm. We had decided to break for lunch there and check out the weather before doing the push up and over the pass. There was some big stuff coming our way and as soon as we got into the tiny hut the temperature began to fall. Within 30 minutes it had dropped 10 degrees to about zero and it started to hail heavily. We were really cold, so much so that I cant feel my hands. With the hail hammering down carrying on over the pass was out of the question. Getting warm was the main priority so we pull out the sleeping bags and bunk down. I start to tap out this message and realise immediately that my hands are frozen. We snooze and slowly warm up over the next couple of hours. As evening arrives the snow and hail turn to rain (a good sign, it means a rise in temperature). CJ cooks the evening meal and by 7.30 we are back in the sleep bags again trying to keep warm. The rain pounds down most of the night. The refuge is tiny and made of aluminium.
Baiau refuge
Thursday 4th Oct Àreu rest day
We are up early to discuss the plan of action. The next 2 days walking take us over a high pass into Andorra and we are advised that it should only attempted in good weather. The sky only has a bit of cloud but the forecast is bad so we decide to wait a day. We have a lazy day with nothing to do in the village we dry out our stuff and sleep, the body and feet asking for a rest. Typically the forecast is proved wrong and the sun shines all day, taunting us. As the evening arrives it finally rains promising wet weather tomorrow.
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