We had to use the help of our hands several times to climb the rocks and follow the path… and for sure the mountain hut was never on sight. The trail became more and more vertical with every step. The weather was good, but thankfully some clouds protected us from the heavy sun. It’s longer, but it does not have the verticality you will encounter if you follow the original path. We took this path on our way back, and now that I have done it, I recommend that if you are carrying a big backpack as we did, you take this path. This is just the start.Īt this hut, there is a path that leads to the Étang Sourt lake. Your destination is at 2,200m, there are still 600 meters to go. Here you have the feeling that the heavy part is over, there is a meadow with a shepherd hut, but check the altitude. The first part is through the forest, which will protect you from the sun, but it will also increase the humidity and you end up sweating like crazy. We have to climb 1,000 meters in 3 hours, and the only way to do that is by climbing a pretty vertical slope. After the first 1km, things start to get serious. You walk alongside an old installation to bring water to the valley, with some small dam systems and waterfalls. The initial steps are quite easy as the ground is reasonably flat. It’s a good idea to fill your bottle before you start, even if the water from that fountain smells of chlorine. We did not find many sources/fountains on our way up.
The region is known for Montcalm (3.077m) even though Pica d’Estats is higher and also French.Īt the start of the trail, there is a toilet and a fountain to fill your bottle. There is a parking lot close to the start of the trail, and several indications to the Pinet mountain hut.
The adventure starts at the parking of L’Artigue, the closest big village is called Auzat. I was expecting some high passes and slow roads so we did a big detour via Narbonne, but on our way back, we went through the Porte tunnel and it was really fast. So, we could do it in 2 or 3 days.Īfter checking the weather forecast for several days, we found a window of 3 days without rain and we started our adventure. He told us that it’s a 3h walk from the parking of l’Artigue to the Pinet mountain hut, and then another 3h climb to the summit. While discussing my plans with Jaume, he suggested to attempt it from France. I had already climbed it several times from the Vall Ferrera, in Catalonia, and I remember a long approximation, the best way I remember to do it was sleeping in the lake “Estany d’Estats”. But realizing that Judit is going to University next year, I thought it was better to do something more exciting and I suggested to hike la Pica d’Estats.Īt 3,143 metres altitude, Pica d’Estats is the highest mountain in the Catalan Pyrenees and one of the most iconic climbs for Catalan mountaineers. The initial idea was to cross from la Vall de Núria to Carança through the Nou Creus summit. About 2 years ago, I promised Judit that someday we would go hiking with a tent.
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