The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Val d’Aosta redux

Last month I returned to the Val d’Aosta for 10 days hiking in the amazing Italian Alps. I managed to secure an AirBnb apartment above St. Nicolas at 1550m elevation (the valley is only about 900m here) with a great view looking south to Gran Paradiso National Park. Although I never made it across the valley and into the park (see my blog post from last August that included GPNP), I was well placed to do several interesting hikes either directly from my front door or necessitating only a short drive to the trailhead.

Morning view from the shared balcony of my apartment. The Grivola summit was almost always shrouded in clouds.
A piazza in Vens, a hamlet located about 20 minutes walking uphill from my apartment. Note the traditional shale roofs on the houses.
Cappella della Madonna delle Neve, near Lago di Joux above Vens.
View on the descent to Vens with Gran Paradiso NP behind
Less than 30 minutes walking from my place, this canalized stream near the hamlet of Vedun reminded me of the Levadas of Madeira.
Fireweed with Monte Bianco, taken from near Vedun (and . There were some nice “balcony” trails right out of my apartment. This morning view (very similar to a photo from last year) was taken before Monte Bianco became completely cloud-covered
This is a view on the trail north of Punta Oilletta looking towards Punta Leysser. I did a longish loop hike/scramble up from Lago di Joux.
Punta Leysser from the ridge-line trail
A Cobweb House-leek. It was late in the season for many flowers. Although I managed photos of several species, nearly all (including this one) I had photographed last year and included in my blog. Oh, well!
My final big hike above the Val d’Aosta was to the summit of Monte Fallere. Here the view is near the start of the hike in Vetan, looking back towards the trailhead.
“Ibex” seen near Rifugio Monte Fallere. Someone there is quite a sculptor as there were several dozen wood sculptures of animals and people along the path up to the rifugio, about 1/2 the way to the summit.
The Monte Fallere ridge traverse. Only about 15 minutes, but airy enough to have some chains installed!
Monte Fallere domesticated Ibex. With bells on their necks, from a distance I thought they were cows. The alpha male took exception to my presence close to his herd, and I discreetly retreated after a couple of photos.
A misty morning view from my apartment towards Gran Paradiso NP. I never get tired of mountain views!

As my sojourn in Italy continues, stay tuned for some photos from the Dolomites and Lago Garda. . .

The Vagabond Hiker

Trekking Morocco’s High Atlas

Last week I returned to England after a two week trekking journey through the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. In addition to the summit of North Africa’s highest peak, Mount Toubkal (4167m, 13670 ft), the KE Adventures itinerary included the summits of Ouanoukrim (4089m), Adrar n’Dern (4001m) and Bouiguinoussem (4025m). Apart from the demanding summit climbs and wonderful trekking through breath-taking landscapes and over high passes, our group of 13 got to experience some of the culture of the remote Berber villages nestled in picturesque valleys of the Central Atlas range.

Here’s a map of Morocco. Toubkal and the Central High Atlas are to the east and south of Marrakech, our starting and finishing point on this adventure. When I trekked in Morocco in the winter of 2014, it was further south in the Anti Atlas, bordering the Sahara.
Above the village of Oukaimeden on Day 1. The haze (particulates from the Sahara?) was persistent throughout the trek, with the exception of a couple of days following strong winds.
A remote Berber village house in the morning light on Day 3.
Jeep track descending to the valley of Setti Fatma, Day 3
The valley of Setti Fatma. Our camp was set up in the nearest village seen here.
River Cafe, village of Setti Fatma. Many locals visit this mountain village at the road end to escape summer heat and enjoy the rivers and waterfall.
The Vagabond Hiker enjoying a Power Shower in the Setti Fatma waterfall. Photo courtesy of our guide, Rachid.
A pleasant riparian path at the start of Day 4. Our longer days started at dawn or even earlier to avoid the afternoon heat and potential of thunderstorms.
A gnarled Spanish Juniper seen on Day 4. Some of these amazing trees are more than 400 years old.
A remote Berber hamlet perched on the side of a mountain which we passed Day 4. Talk about a hard life!
Our shady lunch spot on Day 4. On many days the cook crew would set up our lunch of salad, a grain (pasta, couscous, rice), tinned fish, and fruit. A pleasant two hours spent spent eating, reading, soaking our feet in a stream, and napping would pass quickly enough.
A typical salad our hard-working crew prepared for us at lunch. Although this photo was taken when I visited in 2014, the lunches on this trek were very similar.
Goats seen while we were heading up the Tizi n’Boukchoud pass (2976m) on Day 5. As fun as they are to watch, they do devastate the landscape.
A young goatherd and one of her charges on the Jbel Amlal.
Our group in the early morning to the summit of Adrar n’Dern on Day 6. The moon was full a couple of nights previously.
Our group climbing to summit of Adrar n’Dern. Lots of boulders but no real scrambling on the first of our 4000m peaks.
The Vagabond Hiker on the summit of Adrar n’Dern (4001m). The high point in the distance on the right is Mount Toubkal. Our ascent route a week later on Toubkal would be from the other side.
Some of our group on the scree descent of Adrar n’Dern. The boot skiing here was fantastic!
View across the Tizi n’Ourai to the Berber village of Amsouzart on Day 7
A rare trailside flower not covered in thorns that escaped the goats, near the Tizi n’Ourai
Green valley near the Berber village of Amsouzart, where we spent a night in a basic gite and enjoyed hot showers.
Day 8 morning view looking back on the green valley near the Berber village of Amsouzart that we first saw on our descent the previous day.
Lake Ifni, our lunch and swim spot. It is the largest lake in the Central Atlas and our three hour break enabled some of us to enjoy a swim and sun bathing.
Our camp at a stream confluence in a gorge above Lake Ifni. Our orange tents are in the bottom center of this photo.
Looking back on the gorge we ascended to start our climb of Ouanoukrim on Day 9
Mount Toubkal from the summit of Ouanoukrim (4089m)
Neltner (Mt Toubkal) refuge and our camp (orange tents to the right of the refuge compound). Located at 3200m, it was our highest camp. Hot showers in the refuge were greatly appreciated after a long day.

The following day, Day 10, was our ascent of Mt Toubkal. While it is the highest mountain in northern Africa, Toubkal was also the easiest (and by far the most crowded) ascent of the trip. To avoid the long scree ascent and the crowds, The Vagabond Hiker had his gout flare up, ensuring a restful day in camp. All the other clients successfully summitted. For several, it was their personal high point.

On Day 11 we attempted our most technically challenging peak, Bouguinoussen. Here two guides and some of our group are ascending above the Tizi Tadate (Pass of the Finger). The scrambling actually wasn’t all that hard, but fun nonetheless.
The Vagabond Hiker on the summit of Bouguinoussen (4025m) with Elizabeth and Ruth. Only five clients made this summit.
View from the summit of Bouguinoussen. The haze had returned after a couple of days respite.
Part of our 1600m (one mile vertical) descent route to our final camp after summitting Bouguinoussen. Amazingly my knees held up alright.
A waterfall on our descent from Bouguinoussen. No Power Shower here, but a kiosk with an enterprising young man selling cold drinks was welcome.
Sunset view from final camp with tents. Our muleteers set up and took down all the clients’ tents at every camp and the cook and mess tents at most camps.
Morning valley view with fields on the final day (Day 12 of the trek). The terraced farms are irrigated from the mountain streams. The farmers grow barley and wheat, typically with a second crop of corn or potatoes each year.
Spanish Junipers on the final morning of trek.
A few of our eight mules passing us on the final morning of trekking. The muleteers always arrived at camp and set it up before we got there. While they didn’t always follow the high trails and of course did no summits, their strength and stamina were amazing. (That goes for the mules, too).
Some geological folding seen on final morning entering Imlil village. For those geologists among you, I can recommend the open online book chapter entitled “Structural Geological Analysis of the High Atlas (Morocco): Evidences of a Transpressional Fold-Thrust Belt“
Imlil Valley vista. The village of Imlil is the starting point for more than 90% of the visitors that climb Toubkal. For us it was the end point of our 12 days trekking. We stayed the final night in a gite with hot showers and comfortable beds. It was with decidedly mixed feelings that we arrived back in civilization.
Having a morning free in Marrakech at the conclusion of the trek, several of us visited the Majorelle Gardens, an oasis of tranquillity and shade amidst the frenetic heat of the city. I took this photo and the lunch photo when I visited in 2014. There is also another out of place trekking photo from 2014. Did you spot it?

One week from today I fly to Verona, Italy to enjoy the next 6 1/2 weeks in the Italian Alps, Dolomites, and on Lago Garda. I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there! Until then, “Keep Hiking, Keep Living”

The Vagabond Hiker

A Spanish Pyrenees walking holiday

June is such a wonderful time to hike in the Spanish Pyrenees! Many wildflowers are at their peak. The weather is generally good: fairly dry with moderate temperatures. The summer hordes have not yet descended (or rather, ascended) on the mountain villages. Did I mention the wildflowers?

Maggie and I spent nine days hiking: the first six from village to village in and above the Valle de Tena in the central Pyrenees and the last three doing center-based day hikes in Ordesa National Park, located less than an hour’s drive from the Valle de Tena. (I then spent a final two days soloing a couple of peaks in Andorra). To arrange the accommodations and luggage transfer from village to village in the Valle de Tena, we engaged Hike Pyrenees. For our self-guided hikes they provided daily maps and directions which were definitely a help as some routes were not at all obvious. I highly recommend Phil and his team and they do guided hikes as well if that is your preference.

Enjoy the photos which follow, many of flowers. The book Mountain Flowers Pyrenees & Picos by Cliff Booker & David Charlton was invaluable in flower identification, though augmenting it with Wildlife of the Pyrenees purchased from a Hike Pyrenees guide, was beneficial as neither are comprehensive but used together there were only a handful of flowers we couldn’t identify.

A buttercup field and the Valle de Ripera path. Our first day was our only circular hike, looping around this side valley from the village of Panticosa.
Elder-flowered Orchid. One of 35 orchids found in the Pyrenees. Both pink and cream colored varieties are often seen together.
A Trumpet Gentian, one of my favorites.
A rock garden along the Valle de Ripera. Still beautiful though the saxifrage is not in bloom.
Common Mallow
Valle de Tena vista above Panticosa with the northern end of Embalse (reservior) Bubal. We headed from Panticosa to Sallent de Gallego on the second day.
Likely Bedstraw Broomrape (Orobanche caryophyllacea)
Early Purple Orchid
Maggie ascending a scree field to the Ibones (lakes) de Arriel on the third day. To our village-to-village walks we added one night at a refugio high above the upper end of the Valle de Tena. This was a tough day hiking.
One of the Ibones de Arriel, a lovely set of high mountain lakes set in a rocky cirque, on the way to the Refugio Respomusa.
The Refugio Respomusa in a stunning landscape at 2200 m (7218 ft), our abode for the night. Both trekkers on the GR11 and climbers of some local peaks frequent this refugio.
Snow reflected off the Embalse Respomusa in the morning light
Fire Salamander near the Refugio Respomusa. Usually nocturnal, we were lucky to see it as we started our day 4 descent.
Rio Aguas Limpias. This riverside meadow provided a charming rest stop both on the ascent and descent from the refugio.
Vista with Sallent de Gallego on the lower right at the start of day 5. Marginal weather in the morning added atmosphere to some of the photos.
View north from Punta de la Cochata (1901 m, 6237 ft). A pleasant little scramble during our day 5 lunch stop.
The bucolic barranca below Ibon de Piedrafita on day 6
Bell flower (possibly narrow leaved, Campanula persicifolia)
Pyrenean Poppy

Our short drive to the Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido gave us a break from hiking and a day to explore Torla-Ordesa, the charming mountain village where we would be staying for the next three nights. As the hikes are well established and several of the best start at the same trailhead in the Valle de Ordesa, we stayed at an AirBnb apartment within a 20 minutes’ walk of Torla-Ordesa. A very picturesque village only a few kilometers from the park entrance, it proved a great choice. What’s more, we were able to relax on our balcony after hiking all day and cook dinner ourselves if we didn’t want to wait until 8 or 8:30 when the restaurants opened!

Bridge across Rio Arazas, Valle de Ordesa, with the Mondarruego massif looming behind. Our first day in the park was a short loop hike on the south side of the valley.
Rio Arazas featured numerous waterfalls and cascades as it descended the Valle de Ordesa.
Bears Ears (Ramonda maconi)
Punta Mondarruego, Ordesa, seen on our second day in the park. We did the Calzadores (Hunters’) loop, a 7+ hour hike with 900 m (3000 ft) altitude gain that ascended and traversed the slopes on the south side of the valley and returned along the valley bottom itself.
Mountain vista along Calzadores path, Ordesa
White Asphodel. We only saw it two days, but a couple fields were filled with it.
Another cascade along Rio Arazas, Ordesa
St Bruno’s Lily, the only example we saw the entire trip
Globe Flowers
Pyrenean Cranesbill (Geranium endressii)
Large-flowered Butterwort (Pinguicula grandiflora). Insectivorous, the dark dots are insects trapped on the sticky leaves and slowly being digested.

After returning to Barcelona so Maggie could fly home, I drove 3 hours to the Principality of Andorra the following morning. For the three nights I had booked a room in Hotel Babot above the village of Ordino, which had the twin advantages of being centrally located and away from the ugly conurbation of the main valleys of the Principality. Enjoy the photos!

View from summit of Casamanya, Andorra. This was a quick exercise hike (about 750 m, 2460 ft gain). Ordino is seen directly below.
View from summit of Casamany towards Coma Pedrosa, which is indicated by the arrow. As a climb, Coma Pedrosa was a horse of a different color from the hike up Casamanya.
Butterfly and flowers, one of only two I managed to photograph
What primary colors! Spring Gentians and Buttercups were running riot on the slopes of Casamanya.
Early view of some peaks during my 7 hour climb of Coma Pedrosa, the highest mountain in Andorra at 2,943 m (9,656 ft). At this point, I wasn’t sure which is the actual peak. In fact, I’m still not certain!
About half way up the climb, a natural amphitheater provided the site of the Refugio Comapderosa, behind me to the left. Notice the bee on the right of the photo?
The upper Negre Lake on Coma Pedrosa, mostly still frozen. The steep gully route above here was covered in deep snow, so I opted for the ridge route (next photo) for both the ascent and descent.
The long ridge route to the summit of Coma Pedrosa. The summit is the high point furthest back in the center of the photo.
Coma Pedrosa summit view northeast towards France
On top of Coma Pedrosa with the orographic summit “cairn” and Andorran flag. I took a selfie as there was nowhere convenient to place the camera.
From the summit, a view towards the Coma Pedrosa trailhead about 1500 m (5000 ft) below. A long way back to the car for tired knees!

I write this from Hastings on the south coast of England. My next post will either be some highlights of local walks on England’s south coast, or if I don’t have the time to organize the disparate photos from the past several months, from my two week trek in the High Atlas of Morocco coming up in July. Either way, keep enjoying the outdoors!

The Vagabond Hiker

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