lithgaemusings

Back today, from  a successful completion of GR10 Pyrenean traverse.

Tarp it is then..............

Oh dear! 

Preparations continue for my planned walk. Packing, if experience is anything to go by, will be completed after midnight, five hours before I have to leave for the airport. Still, it adds a certain urgency to the occasion! My epitaph, I'm reliably informed, is likely to be "Late, As Usual"

Two days before I'm due to leave, the debate I've been having, mainly with myself, is whether to take my ever reliable Hilleberg Akto or my newly acquired tarp.

Blogging is the reason for this indecision. Let me explain. I've been unfairly influenced by watching numerous blogs extolling the virtues of a lightweight tarp. Learning how to tie Evenk knots, Taut-line hitches and Power cinches. Prussik knots, Alpine butterflies and the humble Clove hitch. Frankly, the Akto may be heavier but seems a whole lot less bother, but it's hard to resist a challenge.

I've tried the tarp in various configurations from the Flying V to the Lean-to, from the Half-pyramid to the standard A-frame or as I prefer to call my finished efforts The Dog's Dinner. If you have any suggestions, even at this advanced stage, please feel free to comment!

Decision Day tomorrow!

Off to the Pyrenees this week, to complete the Gr10 long distance footpath which I've split into four sections, to coincide with annual holidays.

As some will already know, this classic trail starts in Hendaye on the French Atlantic coast and finishes at Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean. It's 866 kilometres long(540+ miles), following the west-east direction of the Pyrenees. It uses signed footpaths and visits villages and small towns along the way. It is less extreme than the Haute Randonnee Pyreneenne (HRP) which tries to keep mainly to the crests. However, it should not be underestimated, with the Ariege section alone entailing approximately 58,000 feet of ascent and descent. The Gr10 usually has an ascent in the morning, with a descent to a village in the afternoon.

It can be tackled by a fit backpacker, either using a tent/tarp/bivi or by making use of available accommodation en route. The walk will take about 50 to 55 days for the average hiker but you can tailor it to your own wishes.

My intention, this year, is to walk from Merens-les-Vals to Banyuls-sur-Mer.

2000: Completed Munros (Scotland) -284 mountains over 3000 feet (19 Aug 2000)

2001: Picos de Europa (introduction)

2002: GR20 (Corsica)

2003: Picos de Europa (Spain) circuit, (ref. Walking in Spain)

            Tour du Mont Blanc (France)

2004: GR10 (France) Pyrenees Traverse-Section 1 Hendaye to Etsaut,

            GR20 (Corsica)

2005: GR10 (France) failed due to heavy snow, impassable in late May,

            West Highland Way (Scotland)

2006: GR10 (France) Pyrenees Traverse-Sect 2 Etsaut to Fos

2007: John Muir Trail (California, US)

2008: GR10 (France) Pyrenees Traverse-Sect 3 Fos to Merens-les-Vals

2009: Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)

            Great Glen Way (Scotland)

            GR10 (France) Pyrenees Traverse-Sect 4 Merens-les-Vals to Banyuls sur Mer

            Complete Munros 2nd round-283 climbed.Planned finish Ladhar bheinn Sept