Diary volume 4
5th-8th July 2003
Col de Somport - Marcadau

5th July - 8.45pm

We enjoyed a lazy start this morning, seeing Ben off at about 9.00am and then taking our time sorting out the provisions that Mac had brought with him. The packs were heavy as we headed Eastwards up the zigzags towards Col d'Ayous, with the grasshoppers scattering from the grass in front of us.

Once over the col it was a bit of a shock to see the tourist activity in the Ayous corrie. It was the weekend, and this clearly a popular spot for walkers and day trippers. It was easy to see why though; the mountain lakes being a lovely spot to sunbathe and swim with a very impressive view across the valley to Pic du Midi Ossau. This is a hugely impressive mountain with two great spires of rock towering to nearly 2900m. Definately a climbers mountain!

After dropping 600m into the bottom of the valley we rested and restocked with some calories before putting our heads down to climb the 700m to Col de Peyreget close under the Southern ridge of Ossau. It was a lovely climb, with loads of flowers and insects to look at, including banks of Alpen-roses all covered in pink blooms.

The final climb to the col involved clambering over an area of large boulders, which required care and good balance with the big sacks. The view from the col at 2300m revealed more big mountains to the East, including the huge bulk of Balaitous. The immense East face of Ossau towered 500m above us and plunged a further 300m below us to where the Refuge Pombie sat perched next to the tarn.

As we sat at the col soaking up the view and sheltering from the cool wind, a Marmot climbed onto a nearby boulder and settled down in the sun to keep watch over the valley. He was bigger than I had expected, about the size of a domestic cat, and very cuddley-looking despite his rather blunt and ugly face.

Down from the col were a few patches of old snow, and even a tarn with 'snow-bergs' floating in it - a deep ultramarine blue under the surface. It was very busy down by the refuge, and we decided that even if we could get a place it would be noisy and cramped. So we opted for sharing the tent and set it up on the specially designated camping area near the hut. When camping you can still use the hut's washing facilities and water supply, so if you are carrying a tent this is a good and cheap option.

We cooked tea watching climbers descend from the cliffs above the campsite before the cloud once again came in for the evening. We cooked the ration meals provided by Alistair - very tasty and much appreciated!

Photo: Our campsite under the east face of the Pic du Midi d'Ossau

6th July - 4.00pm

Today Mac and I left d'Ossau behind and crossed over the Gave de Brousset, which flows into the Valley d'Ossau, and climbed up to Refuge Arremoulit in the West of the Balaitous massif. It was a long descent from Pombie, and then a long climb back up out of the valley to Col d'Arrious, with little of interest to break the monotony apart from an area of Beech forest in the valley bottom that provided some welcome shade.

The highlight of the morning was watching the sun rise and light up the East face of the Pic du Midi Ossau. The rock is cut into angular slabs of rusty brown with large areas streaked in yellow, and the colours were exaggerated by the early morning light. Climbers were making their way to the foot of the routes as we ate breakfast. It looks like a difficult place to climb as the slabs all slop outwards and the sheer scale of the place is so intimidating.

Once we reached Col d'Arrious, at 2200m, we re-entered spectacular mountain scenery and opted for the direct path to Arremoulit that passed a long, thin mountain tarn with snow on its shore, before embarking on the airey and spectacular traverse of the Passage d'Orteig. This is a sideways scramble high above Lac d'Artouse and is fixed with cables to provide some security. A French party crossed the Passage just before us with children roped to the adults to keep them safe! I'm not sure I would have wanted to take a child across it.

Refuge d'Arremoulit is sited on the shore of a crystal clear lake, and amidst a landscape of white rock, boulders and scree. There are still quite large quantities of snow in the corrie, which is dominated on two sides by the great masses of Palas and Pic d'Arriel. A very dramatic setting! It is a CAF hut, so BMC membership is recognised and if you have a reciprocal rights card then you get half-price accommodation. The main hut has sleeping for 28 on communal platforms with mattresses side-by-side. There is also a kitchen for the warden to prepare the meals and a dining/living area with tables and benches. There is additional sleeping for 16 in a marquee outside and that is where we are. The toilet is in an outhouse round the back.

8.30pm

The food we have just enjoyed for our evening meals was excellent. Soup, a cous-cous salad, mutton & pasta and then a dessert. Accommodation plus dinner and breakfast comes to less than 30 Euro's (about £23). Not bad when you consider where we are!

The facilities appear to be fairly typical for the wardened huts in remote places, thought he quality of food can vary depending on when they had their last delivery of fresh food.

Before dinner the cloud rolled in, the thunder rumbled about the hills and it rained quite heavily for about an hour. It has now cleared again and the sun is shining outside.

7th July - 2.00pm

I am writing this sat in the Refuge Larribet, enjoying lunch and reflecting on the most exciting morning yet!

We managed a slightly earlier start after a very good breakfast at Arremoulit, and picked our way across a boulder field up to the Col du Palas. The scenery was increasingly Alpine, with the bulk of Balaitous facing us as we continued on boulders towards Port du Lavedan. The final 100m was across a steepening snowfield and we carried ice-axes and kicked our way up, loving every minute of it. Below us the sun sparkled off the snow and the blue surface of the Lacs d'Arrie down in the bowl of the corrie.

A short scramble at the top brought us out onto the Port du Lavedan, or so we thought. The way down into the equally Alpine valley beyond looked very steep and littered with loose scree. Mac set off down with his usual confidence, traversing to where we could see the path lower down. Part way down it was evident that we were off-route and that the true col was about 20m further South. I decided to turn back and tried to follow the ridge along to the col, but steep drop barred the way. In the end I followed Mac down the traverse but it was very exposed and I needed a bit of help from Mac to find the easiest way. I'm glad I wasn't on my own, and it shows the dangers of these sections that are shown as dotted lines on the maps!

We rested after the excitement of the scramble, and three French walkers stopped for a chat on their way up to the col. As we talked, four Royal Eagles came soaring over the ridge behind us and wheeled above the crags riding the thermals.

Photo: On the descent from Port du Lavedan (seen top right)

The descent to Larribet was sheer delight! The route crossed snow-slopes and then wound down through a chain of clear blue tarns under steep cliffs, with the summits of Balaitous and Palas providing a dramatic backdrop.

We have managed to buy some provisions to take with us. This will enable us to stay at the bothy shelter at Ledormeur tonight. The assistants here speak a little English and the facilities seem more modern than Arremoulit, having been refurbished in 1993. The dining room is very smart!

7.30pm

From the valley bottom we turned up into Vallee d'Arrens and climbed wearily up to Refuge Ledormeur. This is perched on a rocky hump overlooking the Vallee d'Arrens with a steep stream tumbling past 100m away. Above is the Northern cirque of Balaitous which holds the Neous glacier. Unfortunately the cloud came in soon after we arrived so we haven't been up to see it. The refuge is unmanned (basically a bothy) constructed from concrete with a red steel door. It is owned by the Club Alpin Francais (CAF) and is clean and tidy. There are solar panels round the back which could provide electricity, though this appears to require a key which we don't have.

Photo: The Refuge Ledormeur on the southern flanks of Balaitous

After such a great day it is lovely to sit on the stone bench outside, full of pasta, and drink cups of tea whilst watching the mist swirl around the surrounding peaks. The shadows are gradually sliding up the sides of the valley as the sun sets over the ridge to the West.

8th July - 3.30pm

We woke early again this morning and opened the door of the bothy to another clear day. Two figures could be seen moving slowly along the bottom of the valley below, and half an hour later they arrived at the bothy. They were two youthful climbers en route to Balaitous with determined looks on their faces. After exchanging a few pleasantries one of them shouted "Allee!", and they stomped off up the hill with their heads down.

We were expecting a long trudge up a zigzagging path to Col de Cambales that we could see from the bothy, but in the event it was a pleasant climb. We started early enough to ensure we were in the shade and there was a good path to within 200m of the top. We wandered off route at one point, tempted by easy snow slopes to traverse too far south when approaching the col, but we soon realised our error and we didn't need to descend too far to pick up the correct route again.

The final 200m was up loose scree, and again we lost the path amongst the patches of snow, but by keeping to the snow we found it easier to kick steps and we soon gained the top of the pass. There we found a sunny spot out of the wind on the East side of the col and soaked up the view of the Marcadau valley stretched out below us. The slopes below us were still snow covered, now stained brown by dust and dirt. Two Royal Eagles soared overhead and we ate chocolate and bathed in the sun. We even managed to get a signal on the mobile phones and sent text messages home for the first time in two days.

The descent into the Cambales valley was lovely; initially on snow slopes passing snow-filled tarns, and then on rough rocky paths which weaved in and out of crystal clear lakes and rocky knolls. The skyline here is serrated by ranks of shapely summits and in the South-East it is dominated by the dome of Vignemale. All the high corries and many of the gullies are still holding snow, adding to the alpine atmosphere.

It was a long walk down to the Wallon hut, a full 900m descent from the col. Despite the stunning scenery I was glad to drop into the pine trees and then collapse on the terrace and drink a can of Coke!

The Refuge Wallon is one of the better known and biggest refuges in the Pyrenees. It comprises a big stone barn of a building with red shuttered windows and a terrace at the front that looks out over the Marcadau valley. A lovely, if somewhat popular, spot. As I sit here writing this, the French group next to me have just jumped onto the table to let an Adder slither past. Meanwhile another group are struggling with the local ponies who are trying to eat their rucksacks. All good entertainment!

Photo: The Refuge Wallon in the Marcadau valley

8.45pm

I'm afraid Refuge Wallon has failed to come up to the standard of the other huts we have visited. The evening meal was meagre, there are very few washing facilities for so many people, and the whole place has an air of being overused and under-maintained. It's expensive too, at 62 euros for half-board! We met some nice people at dinner though. A scottish couple who are here for a three week holiday walking from hut-to-hut, and a family from Hereford with two young boys (very bravely) doing the same thing for a few days.

It seems that our plans to do Vignemale might be a bit rash! Closer inspection of the guidebook states that crampons are required, and general opinion seems to suggest that glacier experience is needed. We are considering modifying our plans to do Petit Vignemale (also over 3000m) instead.

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