| HRP trekking records for years: ALL |
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| Supplied by | WOOD, Lee | Manchester, UK | Start date | 05/09/2002 | |
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| Prior experience, wks | 3 | Where | Indian Himalaya, New Zealand | ||
| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 50 | Party size | 2 |
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| Recommend Pic d'Orhy and the karstic country, Ref Larribet, Port Bonaigua thro' Isil to Tavascan. The wilderness experience. Carry a light ice-axe but not crampons, keep your weight down. Get hungry and enjoy your food. Read hrp-essential.com for more advice! | |||||
| Comments: hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| We ran into winter conditions; don't start later than Sept 1st. | |||||
| Supplied by | PRANGLE,Brian | Birmingham,UK | Start date | 26/08/2005 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 48 | Party size | 1 |
| Experience | Where | ||||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
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Very difficult to pick one: Sunset on Posets Col du Portalets The whole of andorra Ariege Suviving winter conditions Eyne- Rge ull de Ter |
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| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| Supplied by | DIG,Eva | Antwerp, Belgium | Start date | 18/08/2006 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 46 | Party size | 2 |
| Experience | Fortnight | Where | Ireland, France, Belgium | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| highlight: refugio enric pujol, i don't know if it was the cosyness, the hard walk of that day, the storm right behind us or the absence of human influence in the surroundings, it was just amazing. the day we spend with the high mountain division of the spanish army near aneto was pretty neat too :) | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| i'm very scared of heights (no, actually falling from them) so the very steep descent somewhere towards ref enric pujol was probably the scariest moment for me. i didn't really enjoy being blown of the col d'Eyne either. all the other hardship were ok :) | |||||
| Supplied by | UNWIN,Dan | Reading,England | Start date | ??/06/1992 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 60 | Party size | 1 |
| Experience | several wks | Where | Europe | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| Did the whole thing, setting off early June & aiming to do a few peaks en route. Camped often & had to make several walks into the valley for food [ always returning to the exact same spot on the HRP ]. Planning involved buying all the maps & the Veron guide & deciding when to pack in work. | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| be fit, be determined & have fun. | |||||
| Supplied by | RODENBURG,Kees | Utrecht,Netherlands | Start date | 17/06/1991 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 42 | Party size | 2 |
| Experience | several wks | Where | Pyrenees, Scandinavia, Ardennes | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| Take a tent with you. Don't sleep, but eat in each refuge you're passing by regardless of the hour. We send ourself a package to Gavarny with food, clothes and maps. After Malladetta you can send back your pickel and crampons. Starting from Noarre was the nicest etape. It was a nice track without injuries and without any delay or day without walking. | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| Orientation in Pays Bask is difficult. Several days with rain on a row is a crime. But, it makes it all only more beautifull! | |||||
| Supplied by | Hendrickson, Jacob | Seattle, USA | Start date | 07/05/2002 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 56 | Party size | 1 |
| Experience | 1 wk | Where | Pyrenees | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| Very much recommend ascending any major peaks nearby the route as possible. Aneto, Vignemale, Canigou are all worthwhile deviations. | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| Jerks who "run" some of the French Alpine Club refuges. | |||||
| Supplied by | L,Amy | San Francisco, USA | Start date | 08/07/2010 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 35 | Party size | 2 |
| Experience | Several wks | Where | UK, France, Nepal, USA | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| We used Cicerone Press (Joosten) 2003 edition route, following the primary route with no variants. Weather was great, with storms occurring only at night. We were able to cross all passes without crampons or ice axe - snow was extensive, but the combination of warm weather (soft snow) and utilization of steps kicked by prior hikers worked. Hardest pass was Mulleres due to configuration of snow on short but steep east side. What worked for us: rough camp every night, usually at fantastic scenic spots; eat in refuges/restaurants whenever possible; carry tuna, sausage, cheese, chocolate, etc and did not cook. Most pleasant surprise was that the entire route is scenic and enjoyable. I expected scenic parts with somewhat dull connecting stretches in between, but in fact every day was delightful. Recommendations: TRAVEL LIGHT. Study BackpackingLight.com and get your load down. Our base pack weight (without food/water) was 6 kilos per person. There were days I wished I left a couple things at home, but never a moment when I wished I was carrying something I didn't have. | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| Although we have taken many multi-week hikes together, my husband and I still struggle to agree on how many hours per day to hike. If traveling alone, he would have completed the hike in <30days, and I would have taken >40 days. It's great to have a hiking companion to share the joy of the experience, but it complicates the logistics a little. Other than that, it was a great trip and we had no hardships. | |||||
| Supplied by | Thomas, Tracey | Loghborough,England | Start date | 19/06/2011 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 50 | Party size | 2 |
| Experience | several weeks | Where | HRP | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| Beautiful. | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| The days when there's no route marked on the map and the guidebook says "use the force". | |||||
| Supplied by | Williams, Derrick | Newport, Britain | Start date | 21/02/2007 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 46 | Party size | 2 |
| Experience | several weeks | Where | Pyrenees | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| Cirque de gavernaie, Pic de Canigou, people en route, memories. Awesome achievement you cannot portray to others. | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| cabin fever, pic de canigou chiminey with 23kg on your back, people dont know what hard work is! | |||||
| Supplied by | Donsbach,Jurgen | Kaiserslautern,Germany | Start date | 13/06/2008 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 43 | Party size | 1 |
| Experience | Several weeks | Where | Alps, Corsica, Pyrenees | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| After mastering the first 8-10 days I gained strength and could really enjoy the greatness of the landscape and the fine weather with blue skies and glittering snow, the many lakes covered with ice. I greatly enjoyed the solitude on many streches of the HRP making use of my tent as well as visiting some refuges. | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| #1 Due to the fact that in 2008 at this time of the year there was a lot of snow and ice that hampered my progress in the higher regions around Portillon and later around Col de Mulleres. #2 At Portillon I had to wait until early midday to descend the steep section after Col de Literola because I had no crampons with me. At Col de Mulleres it was quite scary to descend from the ridge and reach the snow below. #3 The first part in the Basque region before Pic d`Ory was most demanding since it was raining heavily for a three days and there was heavy fog that made it difficult to find the right path. | |||||
| Supplied by | Donsbach,Jurgen | Kaiserslautern,Germany | Start date | 13/06/2012 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 40 | Party size | 1 |
| Experience | Several weeks | Where | Alps, Corsica, Pyrenees | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
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This time I started heavily loaded because I wanted to be autonomous in the first 14 days up to Gavarnie. Weather was fine and there was much less snow in the higher regions around Vignemal and Renclusa. I fell in love with the Pyrenees in 2008 and came back confidently in regard to finding the hidden paths. Very helpful was my GPS that substituted the 1.5 kg of maps I carried in 2008. All in all I`m looking forward to coming back and doing the HRP a third time. I strongly recommend the gite in Mounicou with its heartfelt warm hospitality and was astonished how much the refuge of Certascan had improved in regard to serving a good meal in the evening. Also recommendable: the new refuge in Juclar (Andorra) with its very hospitable team. |
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| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| #1 I tried to avoid descending from the little hut Prat Cazeneuve near lake Pouchergues to reach lake Caillauas via a "pittoresque sentier a flanc" and ended on a ridge after crossing very difficult stretches of big rocks. From there I had to scramble down steeply to reach the path leading to the refuge of Portillon. #2 Of course there are some difficulties descending from the Col de Literola as well as descending from Col de Mulleres depending on the time of day (hard or soft snow). | |||||
| Supplied by | HARPER,Simon | Sheffield,UK | Start date | 21/06/2013 | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | 41 | Party size | 1 |
| Experience | fortnight | Where | Europe/NZ | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| Largely followed the main Veron route West to East with only 2 nights in manned refuges. 4 rest days in Lescun, Gavarnie, Salardu and Hospitalet. Several summits on the way across including a few of the 3000ers. Would recommend crossing over the Port de l'Artigue and down towards Mounicou. The route over the Picots to etang Fourcat was some fun scrambling. The route from Arremoulit to Larribet and on to Wallon via the col de cambales was also great, a big day but rewarding. There are too many highlights to list but I want to go again and do some other variations. Wild camps at source de Marmitou and Ibon de Estanes were spectacular. | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| #1 Epic snow year so most of the lakes were snowbound. Afternoon thunderstorms almost constant for the central 3-4 weeks meaning no chance of lazy afternoons in the sun. The weather also put a stop to some summits I wanted to climb including Perdido, Vignemale and Perdiguere. #2 If you're going to go early or in a heavy snow year then ensure that you (and anyone with you) has some winter skills. The route is doable with 3 season gear plus ice axe and crampons even with such a covering but leave early, move quickly and don't go if the weather looks suspect. The margin for error in these conditions is much smaller but with clear skies this could be the most spectacular way to do it. | |||||
| Supplied by | FAMILY,firstname | City,Country | Start date | dd/mm/yyyy | |
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| Trek status | Completed | Duration | xx | Party size | n |
| Experience | nn | Where | A far-off land | ||
| Comments: highlights, recommendations for route, equipment etc | |||||
| Shopping after you've run out of food! | |||||
| Comments: problems, hardships, difficulties, consequent advice | |||||
| Grass seeds in my socks. A slow partner ... | |||||