Pic Carlit

Peaks: Pic Carlit (2921m)
Area: Eastern Pyrenees, France
Back in the Pyrenees for the first time since 1997, so it was nice to be able to get up this famous peak, probably the most notable summit in the gentler eastern part of the range. I still have fond memories of trips to the central part of the Pyrenees in 1997 and 1993, when we climbed lots of the big summits like Posets, Balaitous, Vignemale, Pic du Midi, Pic d'Arriel. The landscape further east is less dramatic but still typically Pyrenean with the usual exquisite blend of water, wood and mountain. We had driven over the Col de Puymorens to Andorra yesterday, and it was only 20 minutes or so from our gite in Enveitg so it seemed the obvious place to start. I didn't realise that Carlit is a considerably tougher undertaking from this side (compared to the east). It made for a long, but mainly runnable outing. The forecast was for rain later, so my usual early start seemed even more prudent than normal. The route is not easy to follow from this side, clearly much less popular, and requires the linkage of a few different paths. I started from Font Viva in the Lanos Valley, following a steep path along a stream to the beautiful Estany (lake) de Font Viva. I missed the tiny path up the hill that should have gained the main GR7 route to the Lanos lake, however. This was understandable, as it was tiny and unmarked, an illustration of how unconventional this route up Carlit is. Instead, I had to undertake an initially desperate slog up steep, wet slopes of rock and deep grass due north from Font Viva. A tiring start, although once I emerged on the GR7 all was forgiven. The path forms part of the Tour du Carlit traverse and gave a memorable level run all the way to the Estany de Lanos, poised hundreds of metres above the valley with views across to Coll Roig. The sun appeared behind Carlit and onward prospects looked good: magnificent running in a superb environment. The onward route was complex, but I got it right, north-east up an initially confusing series of beautiful miniature valleys with typical Pyrenean scenery of little pine copses and waterfalls. These led to isolated Estany dels Forats. From here, the final climb up Carlit is bleakly obvious: it takes a steep and shattered broad couloir to the summit. In fact, although it was predictably hard it gave a break from running and I found a more solid spiky rib left of the gully which gave good scrambling at around II+. Eventually I was forced back into the gully, and took its shifting screes towards a short final scramble round the top of a gully to the summit ridge. More short-lived scrambling led to the top and great views east over the lakes that make up the more usual ascent route. It took two hours to get up from Font Viva despite running most of it, an illustration of the length of the route, plus my mistake (and fatigue!). A strong wind blew, and some cloud passed over but the summit remained clear. It was far from the perfect clarity earlier in the week, but still not bad at all. In fact, contrary to the forecast, the weather improved as I descended to give some superbly photogenic conditions. The little valleys formed an idyllic foreground to views of Pic Pedros and Puig de Coma d'Or. I made good time on the descent and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was hungry by the time we had lunch in the weird enclave of Llivia, then a second picnic above Targassone, in a superb wild flower meadow looking down on the Cerdagne. A family walk up the Val d'Angoustrina finished me off.