Pyrénées, July 2017

[gerrit]

The beautiful Ranunculus, is this the Nuria Form?

[Yann]

End of walk 4 

[Yann]

No Gerrit, the Nuria ones are much more compact with pattern's deeper colors. I had no time to go there, my daughter asked me for a horse walk instead 
Next trail tomorrow...

[Yann]

WALK 5 : Val de Galbe

A walk done in 2 days, sleeping at a refuge. The valley is less known than Eyne but it's much more beautifull and less rectilinear.
I was alone leaving wife and daughter in the warm swimming pool



The river Galbe be heard along the first part of the walk on an easy trail.

[Yann]

I'll just show few photos of what you can find in the mountains, i've not sort all of them (waiting winter evening)

Gentiana (pyrenaica,verna), many saxifraga (longifolia, aizoides, media,moschata, pubescens, etc), Thalictrum (alpinum,  simplex) ,Endressia pyrenaica, Dactylorhiza savogensis, Erysimum duriaei, Iberis spathulata... an open-air book 

[Yann]

the shy Botrychium simplex (4).

[Yann]

S. longifolia suffered from heat.
The evening has something magical, difficult to express.

[ashley]

Very interesting to see, Yann; thank you.
One day I hope to do a long walk in the Pyrenees.

[Yann]

It's a large mountain range (450km x 140km), Cataluna, Andorra, Ariege, Cerdagne, Aragon, each zone has its own flora, rocks and climates.
So you've choice of walks. The main difference with the alps is the difficulty to access some summits (versus easy roads to Galibier, Lautaret, Queyras, Ecrins, etc), that's what i like.

[ashley]

(Relative) inaccessibility appeals to me too, as well as greater freedom for free camping along the way (in contrast to busy places like Switzerland).
Of course from our point of view the great diversity of conditions (Mediterranean to Atlantic, south to north, geological) makes the botany especially interesting.

[David Nicholson]

Mrs N would regret the absence of shoe shops

[Yann]

the only shoes shop where those for hiking, don't think we're talking about the same shoes style 

[Yann]

WALK 6 : Puig de Camporells

an easy walk, elevation 750m between the ski station to the pic.
I didn't use any GPS, just followed the trail until Estany del Mig, afterthat free hike to the summit.



Lilium pyrenaicum, Nepeta latifolia are endemics of the region

[Yann]

at every step a new plant, don't forget the camera's batteries.
I found great Salix pyrenaica, retusa, reticulata on a north face.

[Yann]

Here's the KMZ file to load in Google Earth, i've pointed the interesting plants seen.
I hope it will helps the adventurous travellers 

Ramonda were found in the border of Cadí-Moixeró



https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B74GKpOnhkpJZDBwYW5kOFJUU0E