Hiking - Walking - Station d’ Err Puigmal

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Owner: squiz
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Registered: 27-05-2007
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17th March 2017
Hiking - Walking: Station d’ Err Puigmal
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Weather: sunny and warm
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Distance Covered: 4.5 miles (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise)

Friday 17th March – Snowshoe **** Station d’ Err Puigmal (closed) sunny and warm :) 4.50 miles, out 4 hrs.

Good night’s sleep after the kids disco music stopped at about eleven I don’t even think we heard the end, too exhausted from our skiing!! Then by 8.30 half of Spain had arrived to ski and it was chaos in the carpark! We were getting a little tired with the Spanish arriving, squeezing into tiny parking spaces, narrowly missing children, slamming doors, taking half an hour to get ready while continually shouting at each other, not in an angry way it’s just their way of having a conversation!! So, after breakfast we packed up and left while we could still get out of our parking space! Heading back to France we stopped at Alp to buy stamps to send our last postcards, that’s three lots since we have been here! Then onto Puigcerda where a nice young lady filled us up with cheap diesel, 1.07 Euros a litre:). Across the border into Bourg Madame stopping at a small supermarket we know from our last visit tucked away in the back streets.
Our plan was to drive the short distance to Mont Louis fill up with water and find somewhere quiet to relax after some very hectic days but as usual we got easily distracted when we saw a downhill skiing sign 11 km to the right to a place called Puigmal and we couldn’t resist it. The road wound its way up past fields with tiny new born calves, to pine forests with loads of snow so we thought the resort would be in full swing, how wrong we were. There was one tiny old chair lift and a few building that looked like they hadn’t been open in years, we will have to check when it closed when we get home. The D89 came to an end with a barrier as the tarmac turned to snow but there were at least ten cars parked with the occupants being what we soon discovered to be ski tourer. Checking the map when we got back to the van most headed to Puigmal d’ Err a mountain of 2910m!!! Just imagine walking to the top of that and then skiing down which is what we actually saw. It was too nice a day not to have a walk in the sun so we packed a picnic put on the snowshoes and set off up the snow-covered road with a deep valley with running water to the left, pine forests to the right and a huge snow covered bowl ahead:) There had been a couple of snowshoers up this way earlier as well as ski tracks and we soon started seeing the ski tourers returning, one even carrying his dog back! Our poor old legs were suffering even though it was a nice gentle climb and after about a mile we came to a much newer lift but again all the buildings were boarded up:( It was a great place to stop for lunch right on the edge of the steep valley watching the many kinds of bird flit past.
After the picnic, we had a decision to make option one. Walk to the top of the lift and see if there was a piste back to the van, two carry on up the road out into the wilds towards the big mountain or three return straight back from there? We couldn’t face the steep climb and it was still early to return so continued up the track for another mile! It was worth it in the end as we could then clearly see the mountain stream being fed by several little waterfalls and the view of to Puigmal d’ Err was amazing as we watched four skiers return down the vast off piste including one couple with their greyhound, not the sort of dog we would expect to see up a mountain!
It was a long struggle back to the van on tired legs in soft snow but we made it, drove a short way down to a fairly flat spot to park up overnight as the clouds gathered over the mountains below with some rain failing. We are up in the middle of nowhere again all by ourselves we think, let’s hope tomorrow brings more lovely sunshine and we are definitely not doing anything energetic!!!
Our son texted to say he had been given his promotion so that’s two pieces of good news about jobs we have had from home this week :)

Photo Gallery Here

Saturday 18th March – Relax in the sunshine:)

Lovely quiet night at the sad little closed ski resort of Puigmal and woke to find we had company in the next level of car park up, a Spanish family in a little camper but a long way from us. Watched the sun peak over the mountains as we read our books in bed. Mag started her exercises, it clouded over a little when it was my turn to do mine but cleared into another lovely day in the mountains. There was a steady stream of cars driving up to the top car park, mostly ski tourers with the odd snowshoer all with the one ambition of walking to the top of Puigmal d’ Err a mountain of 2910m. Watching through binoculars kept Mag entertained all day – until the damn things broke!!! Have to use the small spare pair we keep in the rucksack :( They slogged up to the top and then skied down. At times, there were 15/16 going up that we could see, let alone the ones out of view! The carpark was overflowing with fit people enjoying the mountains. After breakfast with the warm sun out and a beautiful view we decided not to move. I read while Mag knitted then lunch and more of the same. Three paragliders flew over as did a variety of birds including one big bird of prey. The Spanish family disappeared up the mountain on snowshoes for 5 hours which was amazing as their little girl was only 4/5! Cuppa with cake and biscuits at four then as it cooled off a quick walk over to the deserted little ski resort. A really sad sight with its old lift and falling down buildings. We will check out when it closed when we get back. We returned to the van for more reading, dozing and knitting. Mag has been knitting a blanket for Rob and Hannah’s baby (our first grandchild, due in May) the whole time we have been away. It is made up of lots of coloured intricate 3” squares and I am contributing one plain square as I learnt to knit as a child!! I hope to finish it tonight!!!! Nice red sky as the sun set on a relaxing day in the mountains:) We really needed a day of doing nothing after our hectic week and it was my kind of day as I didn’t get dressed until 4.30!! Who knows what adventures tomorrow holds, more of the same, a snowshoe or move on, the world is our lobster! :)
News from home – Jay and Dan have acquired 2 cats rescued from Greece (not quite sure how as yet) named Fanta and Pepsi – one is ginger and one is black. It is going to be fun returning to a house with 3 cats resident :)

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