Tossa d'Alp and Cap de Gallina Pelada - all in one day

04-08-2013

Zip

Which motorhome is mine?

The original plan for Tossa d’Alp, a Major 2536m P746 JMH number 87, in the Sierra de Moixero was to start from Collado de Pal and bag the summit properly. However, the pista to the collado had some serious drainage channels that made me worry about the chassis of my autocaravane so I did a seven point turn and returned to the paved road.




I drove a little further in hope of finding an alternative way of getting there and ended up in the ski and bicycle adventure centre of La Molina, where there is the Telecabina skilift that takes one high up onto Tossa d’Alp for ten Euros.

Those ten Euros take you 2.9km up 6.88m ascent from (1622m) N42.33461 E 1.93140 to N42.32523 E1.90347. Besides the slightly guilty feeling this is cheating, the disadvantage is that for anyone, like me, with altitude sickness problems, the drop in air pressure was noticeable.



However, I followed the easy pista past the Refugi Niu de l’Aliga and visited the various tops, including the one with the trigpoint at N42.32056 E1.89266.

2.9km, 257m total ascent

Cap de Gallina Pelada/Cap Llitzet in the Serra d’Ensija, a Major 2327m P117 JMH Iberian prominence number 29 did not impose the same sort of dilemmas.
This was a straightforward walk from the road. I left my autocaravane in the shade (1677m) at N42.20126 E1.75112 and walked up to where the path starts at the Collado de la Trapa (1678m) at N42.19887 E75245.








The path then goes past Font Freda (which is nothing more than a hose pipe with a trickle of water. I recall a number of years ago following a Michelin guide to a fountain which filled me with anticipation of a Gaudi-like creation which turned out to be equally disappointing and uninspiring) through trees to follow a dry stream, the Torrent de la Font d’Ensija.




Through more trees to emerge at (1944m) N42.19384 E1.752151. The path comes out on a ridge with grass that any park manager would be proud to control (2151m) 42.18793 E1.75455, goes past the Refugi Delgada Ubeda (2159m) N42.18793 E1.74846




Slightly steeper rise to the summit marker at N42.18943 E1.73806.

 The return route matched the ascent route. With tempting views of Pedraforca much of the way.

Pedraforca

8.99km, 961m total ascent

Overnight at Martinet on N260 (1001m) – that road again.

Puigmal = Bad peak? Surely not

03-08-2013 

 As I was already in France, I decided to tackle Puigmal d’Err (if I am not mistaken, this translates as the ‘mistaken bad peak’ – hardly an inspiring name), which is usually known as Puigmal, from the French side. Puigmal is one of those peaks on the French/Spanish border and quite clearly a popular goal from both sides. 2909m, P1331 a lofty number 7 in the JMH Iberian prominence list – N42.38326 E2.11681 (see how I am gradually getting further east?)

It has a summit trigpoint and  both a French and Spanish cross – and I could tell the nationality of the people on the summit by which cross they chose to have their pictures taken.

There is a paved road up to the ski carpark at Station d’Err-Puigmal (1978m) N42.39099 E2.08380. The paved road continues past here, however not for unauthorised users as there is a locked barrier. At the first bend in the road past the barrier there is a piste that carries on by La Ribera d’Err that takes one into a large cwm with an eventual scree finish in a col (2714m) N42.39474 E2.11296. From the col it is a matter of following the international border over the summit of Petit Puigmal de Segre to Puigmal itself. Finding shelter from the breeze I ate my, by now, customary piece of bread and a large tomato, followed by an orange and a banana.

Puigmal alien

There were various acts of camera swapping and exchanges of Hola/Bonjour before heading off by an alternative descent route that involves following the border northwards for a while and then dropping quite steeply to meet the ascent route (2236m) at N42.38438 E2.09593. If you wish to ascend by this route backtrack slightly west when the path besides La Ribera d’Err meets the piste, that forms the continuation of the road from the ski-station.




However, I think that I went round the best way – the descent route I used would have been a bit of a chore as an ascent route.

One of the things that is amusing me is the numerous times I am asked about the right way – my tanned skin and dark glasses hiding my blue eyes must be fooling people into thinking I am local. I delight in explaining I am Anglais/Inglesi and then, if I do know the answer, surprise them with my slightly superior knowledge.

Eliza Doolittle

9.71km, 1821m total ascent

Overnight at La Molina (1655m)

Carlit up

Stone Roses just wanna be adored

02/08/2013

Not only Scots want independence

Puig Carlit/Pic Carlitte N42.56988 E1.93212 is a French Major – although some Catalans wish otherwise. It is 2921m high and a P1001 making it a JMH Iberian prominence number 31. The key to its ascent is from the resort of Porte Puymorens there is a road into the ... which ends at a carpark (1738m) N42.55194 E.88038 for Font Vivat. You can park earlier and gain less steep access to the Tour du Carlit (TDC) path – or you can do what I did and go up a steep path through trees and then a meadow to meet the TDC path (2025) at N42.56027 E1.88038 (note I ended up due north as that is exactly the same longitude as the start).

La Lanoux

The TDC is very well engineered and obviously well used. It rises very gently as it traverses the side of the Serra de Font Viva until it approaches a bridge near the barrage of Estany de Lanos (2150m) N42.57531 E1.89473. The path continues to a junction (2222m) at N42.57808 E1.90279.






Most people carry straight on here, I decided to turn left and then head for a col between Puig Castell Isard and the summit peak. And, ended up in a desolate area of piled rocks that would not look out of place near Blaenau Ffestiniog (2574m) N42.57553 E1.92980.

Blaenau Ffestiniog?

After some desperate scrabbling through the stones and scree there was a more pleasurable scramble on the ridge rocks before meeting the more usual path from the west side.The summit is marked by crosses festooned with flags, bits of cloth and padlocks and there is the base of a trigpoint. The view was extensive, despite the fact that, by sod's law, it got cloudy for the time I was on the summit.

Estany dels Forats - note, the clouds now gone

For the descent, I used the scree path, more commonly used, which comes up from Estany dels Forats (2552m) N42.57177 E1.92523. The path back to the junction mentioned earlier is fairly well cairned.


From the bridge near the barrage, I decided to use an alternative and slightly longer path that goes past the Maison des Ingenieurs and through Coma Joan. As I had been a bit late setting off I ended up walking in the dark in the forest, however, most of the time the path was obvious enough to not need to ruin my night vision by switching on my headtorch. The advantage of coming back this way – I didn’t fancy the steep final path down in the dark.

22.42km, 1903m total ascent

Overnight at Font Vivat carpark (1738m)

Escaping Andorra's shopping shame

01/08/2013

Pica d'Estats from Pic de Comapedrosa

Pic de Comapedrosa,  a mere Minor with a P430 and consequently not in the JMH book. So, why bother with it when there are so many Majors around? Well, it is 2939m high, so not a tiddler. It does involve 15.6km of walking and 1565m total ascent on some rather rough ground and through snow – so it is not a walk in the park. However, the main reason I went for it is because Andorra is a separate country and hence provides a chance to add to my total of European country highest points.

Andorra is a pretty place, like the rest of the Pyrenees. However, the low VAT rates have encouraged a lot of retail development in the main valley and it is horrible to look at. Imagine, say, Glen Garry or Glen Affric filled with a continuous and ugly shopping mall for many kilometres.

Comapedrosa is, thankfully, away from the worst of this development – you can get to it from across the Spanish border. However, I chose to get there from the Andorran resort of Arinsal.

At the top of the town the road ends by going through two tunnels. The start point (1548m) at N42.57946 E1.47827 is between these two tunnels – turn right immediately after leaving the first tunnel and there is space at the end of the road for a dozen vehicles and quiet enough to sleep in a motorhome.

The trail is the GR11 and is, therefore, well marked and obvious. After a while of easy gentle walking there is a wood bridge and then a rope bridge (1777m) at N42.58316 E.1.46453 where the path becomes rougher and steeper through the trees. Unusually, the Refugi de Comapedrosa, is not on the trail – you have to leave it if you want to visit. Below the refugi there is a junction (2198m) N42.58007 E1.44859 – I have read several trip reports that indicate the authors have clearly missed this junction and carried straight on, instead of turning right and slightly down into the grassy cwm of Comapedrosa and joining a stream.

The coma of Comapedrosa

Basses d’Estany Negre - that's the couple who slipped when they got to the steeper section

The path then makes a sharp right (2499m) N42.58199 E1.43248 and continues to rise to an estany (I assume that this has a common origin with the English Lake District ‘tarn’) the Basses d’Estany Negre (2574m) N42.58367 E1.43562 where there was still a lot of late snow. Thankfully, crampons were not necessary – although there was a couple descending the snow who both slipped over and slid at the same place. I crossed the snow to the larger Estany Negre (2611m) N42.58683 E1.43676, which was blue and half ice covered.

Estany's chilled

I followed the GR11 for a bit further and then turned right to cross a difficult steep slope of boulders, stones and scree to the summit.



















The summit is marked by a metal post and I had it to myself – with grand views all round.

Shopping mall below

For the descent I walked along the ridge for a while and then dropped down equally difficult ground to the head of a snow covered slope above Estany Negre which was, just about, glissadable. I then used the ascent route as my descent route, in the twilight.

Overnight at Arinsal (1548m)