| August 2004 : From Mercantour to
Argentera Col de la Ruine-Fenestrelle - Pas du Glacier - Pagari - Basto - Lac de la Lusière - lac de l'Agnel |
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JUMP TO : - Getting There - Weather - Day 1: Col de la Ruine / Rovina - Day 2: Fenestrelle - Day 3: Along the Gelas to Pagari - Day 4: Pagari to Basto - Day 5: Basto to Lac de la Lusière - Day 6: La Lusière to Casterino |
| Getting
There Day 0 : August 26th The "usual" trip. Plane from Brussels to Nice, this is a highly competitive line (this may not last), and thus usually cheaper than the train, at least on short notice. Shop for butane gas in Nice, then catch the afternoon bus to Saint Martin Vesubie for a West to East trip, and for me, a first venture on the Argentera-Mercantour border. I have booked a night at the private "refuge" in the hamlet of Le Boreon (this was not easy, as it was in high demand), and this requires a taxi ride from St Martin. Turn out the refuge (not an isolated thing in the mountain, just on the side of the road in the village) is quite overbooked, after a while I am relegated to a bed in a tent in the backyard. Another option, to avoid the limitations of the refuge capacity would be to stay in St Martin, and arrange for a very early taxi. (in fact in 2006, I managed to take the morning bus and to get going the same day). |
| Weather The weather can be a tricky issue in Mercantour/Argentera. We have here a 3000m mountain area only a few kilometres from the coast (a little like in Corsica), which makes afternoon thunderstorms a frequent occurrence. Furthermore, the area is a pass across the Alps, and bad weather may come from both France and Italy! The forecast is not always reliable. The French meteo gives the previsions for Tende (and for a price a "mountain forecast"). Through the Alpi Marittime web site, you can also get to the forecast for Entracque or Valdieri. However, at this season low clouds, with local rain and fog can affect these relatively low-lying areas and not apply to the higher ranges. The opposite can of course be true! This year was in fact very nice for the late season, with just some rain in Pagari |
 Above ref. Cougourde   The higher valley opens just above this stream  Col de la RUINE  View on Lake Brocan , on Italian side  |
Day 1 : August 27th, - Col de la Ruine (2724m) I leave Le Boreon (alt 1526) in the morning, anticipating the long climb to the "Col de la Ruine". While in 2003 I followed the hill-side path (marked as a GR), and found it not particularly interesting, I choose this time to walk up the one-way road along the Vacheries de Cerise ( at the time, they were still only planning to establish there an enclosed "wolf park" as a tourist attraction - I noticed in 2006 it was indeed installed). This takes to an official looking park entrance, with some display panels about the fauna. The climb begins along the well-trodden path, and takes me in mid-morning to the Refuge de Cougourde (2110m) : a new, massive stone construction which has replaced the old bright yellow metal building. It is largely used by climbers attracted there by the impressive face of the Cougourde. A coffee at the refuge, and I get some minimal directions to the Col de la Ruine, which is absolutely not posted (the same is true of the path from Cougourde to the nearby Lacs Bessons). There is a possibility to camp close to the refuge, but the area seems to be daily invaded by cows. Some hint of path leads upstream , past the water intake for the refuge, to a small lake, then one has to follow the stream up a more rocky part , to enter a new, higher valley. The path flattens again, there is a perfect site for a bivouac, and I had planned to camp before the pass, but we are still early in the day, and I just stop for lunch an a short rest. A small path branches off to the right to the Agnel (the mountain, not the lake -- see later-- of the same name, which is in a completely different place: there are lots of "agnel" places in the Alps - possibly related to the french word which means "lamb" ) , while the way to La Ruine seems straight ahead. The path becomes more difficult to find, I meat a hiker coming from the left (Lac Bessons), he has a picture in his travel guide showing the "Col de la Ruine". I probably try to climb to quickly, leaving the stony bottom of the small valley, and have later to compensate by moving down a rocky slope. Finallly, I get to the foot of the last section, in a fairly unstable scree (stone field). Some cairns suggest paths, but the pass itself is consituted of a fairly naked stone plate on the left , and very unstable small rocks on the right (see picture). After this last stretch, I make it to the pass. On the Italian side, the remains of a military path (there were fortifications all around) is much better maintained, but, as I was warned in the refuge, a sloping snow patch forbids to use it on the first few meters. One has to dip lower in the stones to avoid the (dangerous) snow patch. The path is anyway well marked, and combines the old military path and short cuts, sometimes atop a morraine, to avoid more snow patches (neves) on the way down. No water here, I have to walk down almost to the Lake Brocan below (well, maybe 100 m above still) to find a nice meadow, and river, where I set camp for the night . |
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   pictures form 2006 see 2006 page |
Day 2 Col de Fenestrelle A nice night to rest ( yesterday was a rather long day!), and an easier trip to look forward to . I stop a Refugio Genova for coffee and a log in the register. This year the keeper is very helpful and confirms that there is (I only suspected it from the maps) a possibility to reach Pagari without going down all the way to the valley. (see day 3) The path to Col de Fenestrelle is easy (but little water available under way), mostly a mule path, with this year still a small (easily crossed or avoided) snow patch 50 m below the col. Looking back, I don't seem to have taken pictures, but some can be found in the (I include them here for reference) . The scenery is much softer and greener on the other side, but in the distance the bulk of the Gelas massif (this is for tomorrow ) is quite impressive. I stop briefly at the Refuge Soria Ellena (where even asian meals are available!), and try to gain some height in preparation of tomorrow's trip (for which I also recieve more detailed info, notably about the possibility to cross a sloping neve - or glacier remains with the help of a steel cable, which is in place). A group of French hikers is also planning to take the same path, and they comment about safety equipment. I leave the refuge along the wide path which leads to the french side (Madonne de Fenestre), and take left at the branch point, after some ascent, the path comes close to the river providing the water for the refuge, and I find a (sloping) tent spot close to a waterfall. (note : there is a short cut from the refuge, see 2006 page) |
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     part of scree, from below, the correct par follows the ridge more pictures of the col are found in the 2006 page, this includes the following, given here for illustration :    (the 3 pictures above were taken in 2006) |
Day 3 : Along the Gelas to Pagari I start around 7 on the path, and follow the river until it meets again the mule path, and keep going. In 2004, the markings (once leaving the mule path) are mostly by cairns (in 2006, I noticed fresh red paint spots). After the first stretch, which is almost along the gradient, the itinerary veers to the left, and the ascent rate decreases. At that moment, I hear repeated knocking noises reverberating from the stony walls around. A group of male Ibex are measuring up. They perch on some rocky formation, and in turns proceed to various intimidation signs (rearing up, ...) trying to force the opponent to back up (which implies turning back, as they are on some wide ledge). It seems more like sparring or measuring up than real fight. Other male Ibex around, some apparently older stay unmoved, of after a while amble by and push them aside...This year I only have my 180mm lens along, atop an argentic slr. (in later years, when coming to the area, I add at least a doubler), but I include a few of the pictures below.
The itinerary keeps climbing as it moves west to the pass (not yet visible). Sometimes the line of cairns get lost (in 2006, the colour marks were never missing, and it paid to look for them), but I get to a couple of passages on snow (reasonably flat, and only a few meters), before meeting the strong steel cable which crosses over the remains of the lower part of the glacier (you could call it a neve, as it is not permanent each year, and seems to be more snow than ice). In case of snow, the cable (or some serious ice equipment) is much needed, as the stretch to cross, if narrow (less than 10 meters) , is icy and very steep. I had hoped to encounter the french hikers on the way, but later learned that they had opted for the longer but tamer route going down to the valley... There are more pictures in the 2006 page, but I show here the distant glacier and the left over snow patches. It is then an easy matter to reach the col. There, another steel cable is stretched from right to left. Here (I later learned) I got confused about the instruction (or did someone down there have a laterality problem??), and opted to continue through the right side of the pass. (the correct and safe way is to take on the left, that is why the cable is there, in case of snow! - one then gets a narrow bu safe crest to walk down to the bivouac below). The descent I chose starts with about 10 meters along a rocky but easy face (plenty of grips, but hands absolutely needed), but then continues along a long and unfortunately VERY unstable scree. The size of the rocks varies, but stability is never good, and at times, traversing is risky... After a tense few minutes, I got at the foot of this, but too far to the west to reach the bivouac and the path below. A large tabular rock seemed a good place to rest, but it rolled under me, and I took a while to get up, -- with just a bruised forearm (I strongly advise the other path, which is now unmistakeably marked in red, and leads quickly to the "bivouac", that is a small emergency refuge well equiped in beds, and meant for climbers to the Gelas (called Maledia in Italy). Better pictures are found in the 2006 page. From here, the path is again obvious, and goes down more scree, this time very large stones, along a an obvious path, before reaching a couple of lakes. I am now in a hurry, and don't stop for more pictures, as I am worried that my fall may have caused more damage than I feel (fortunately, it does not hamper progression), and the sky is covering fast. A beautiful day now turn the heavy skies, and there is still quite some way to go, even if it is on a fairly good path this time. The itinerary dips further, to avoid a rocky face, and continues west before ascending again. The ascent is through another scree, through some sort of pass, and meets the valley below Pagari. At this time there is some water flowing. (in 2006, basically all the water was alimenting the refuge later in September). Not clear I would trust the quality of the water below the refuge (as a matter of fact, a notice on the same stream, 1000m below near the bottom of the valley on the path from Entracque voices some similar concern ). I follow the river up, and reach the refuge by the "back door", as the first drops of rain are falling. There is no real alternative to using the refuge, as there is little possibility to put a tent. Good occasion to meet the french hikers again, to compare maps (we never found two maps with similar paths indicated, and I doubt any single map has all the paths), to eat some delicious vegetarian food prepared by the landlord, and to receive further advice on forthcoming itineraries. The Landlord (who has travelled extensively in Thibet, and answers to the name of Alladar) is a legend by himself (as of 2006, he actually published a book - only available in Italian) containing the history of the refuge, and describing the itineraries around it. As the refuge can be reached by phone, it may be a good idea to contact him in advance for reservations, and advice. |
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   fFrom col de Pagari to French side  Pagari seen from the lakes below  A perfect place for bivouac ... for another year! |
Day 4 : Pagari to Basto The next day, the storm has blown away, and a clear, crisp sky give contrasting views of the valleys below and the rocky part above. It is an easy walk, among large stones, to "Col de Pagari", from where a well-established path (strangely absent on some French maps) leads down first to twin lakes, then to Refuge de Nice. It would be a perfect place to bivouac, but it is still early in the morning, and I proceed with regret to the Refuge de Nice. From there, as the weather becomes cloudy again, I prefer to take the well-trodden path to Col de Basto (part of the GR). (this is also quite a scenic walk, anyway, as I know from 2003) At this time of the year, I only meet a few people. I decide to bivouac at Lac Niré, where I can also find some flowing water. |
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 Bivouac on the way to Basto, as seen at sunrise   From Basto, looking East   |
Day 5 : Baisse du Basto to Lac de la Lusière The morning is crisp again, and I can walk in cool weather up to the Basto, the latter part of the path being a rather steep (but on a reliable path) stretch up to the col. The col - called "baisse" is very sharp (the kind where you can put a leg on each side of the mountain) and the view on both sides is striking. I reach then quickly the path crossing just below the Baisse de Valmasque, after another descent in large-blocs scree (still part of the GR, - I even came across a team repainting the tell-tale marks!). This is an area I know very much from other trips (and a true crossing-roads for those taking short trips around Vallée des Merveilles, Fontanalbe and Valmasque). It is also a popular bivouac place, as it offers wide grassy areas, running water, ... just outside the no-camping areas. Also, I always met some form of wildlife here : marmots, Ibex, Chamois, Hermines... But for today, it is really too early to think of rest, and I hesitate a bit. I remember Alladar mentioned the Lac de la Lusière as offering a tiny tent spot. It is not far, but definitely outside of the beaten path, ... just what I want now. It takes walking down the Valmasque valley (a boulevard, ... and often just as crowded with noisy day-trippers : no wonder they see little wildlife!), until a perfectly clear path ascending the left wall of the valley is spotted (after crossing on top of an artificial dam). Another path often missing from maps! The path narrow and gets a bit steeper as it meets the stony banks of the Lac de la Lusière, well-hidden in a circus of the mountain. (this is also a convenient way to ascent to the Pas de la Fous, see 2006 pages)
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 Lac de la Lusière (above) and lacs Gelés, from "baisse de Chamassière"  Lac de l'Agnel, from "baisse de Chamassière"  Baisse de Chamassière, looking back from Lac de l'Agnel. |
Day 6: Lac de la Lusière to Casterino This is a slightly misty morning (not surprising, so close to the lake). A troup of female Ibex, with their young is playing in the rocks. This involves some pretty vertical attitudes!
Going around the lake, a line of cairns leads (without loosing height, and after a short climb) to the Baisse de Chamassière, which opens on the Lacs de l'Agnel side. Here, another wide scree. This year, I go down (some cairns) to the Lac de l'Agnel, passing on the small land bridge between the large and much smaller lake. (an alternative is to follow to the left, nearly at constant level, a better marked line do cairns which leads to Col du Lac de l'Agnel -- see 2006) Having reached the level of the lakes, I still have to reach the mouth of the larger one. As there are some rocks in the way (see picture), one needs to go a bit higher, on a partly grassy slope, before finding a path - a bit tricky at times. From the dam, a well-marked and much used path leads down (no water till the bottom of the valley) to the lower Valmasque valley, and to the parking lot at the end of the Casterino road. Some tired small kids on the way finish off my supply of dried fruit, for once my pack is almost empty (except for the pack of nuts I keep for emergencies). |
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Day 6+: On the way out... I walk down to Casterino on the road, and, since it is still early, hope for a bus to take me to the train line. In summer, there is such a bus around 4pm. But this is already too late in the season. Phoning is difficult here: as of 2005 at least, portable phones don't connect. There is a France Telecom booth, but it uses specific cards (and the local inns don't stock them, or are just out of them..) If needed, the Hotel Marie Madeleine (which also has a refuge part) maintains a coin-operated phone. I start walking the 15 or so km, with a near-zero hope that some car will take me for the ride. (my backpack must seem very large !) . I am lucky: a couple coming back from an old military vehicles event drives down the road with a WW2 jeep in tow. They offer me to settle in the latter, and I have a beautiful ride to St Dalmas, where I catch a train for Tende (I find the rather old "hotel du Centre" very quiet and convenient). Just for completeness, here are pictures of Tende, and a view of the monkey bridge of their Via Ferrata. There are various possibilities in Tende (more in season), like VTT or via ferrata. The beautiful open-air swimming pool is unfortunately not accessible (no guards available at the end of august); if interested in the via ferrata, it is advisable to check with the tourist board how much of it is accessible, as a part was in refection at least in 2004 and 2005 |
