WEEK 6 CONQUERED CANIGOU HOMEWARD BOUND

Day 34 Today started great feeling fresh in their lovely clean clothes but it wasn't long until the heavens opened and they were soaked through again as it rained all day. Somebody sent us a comment this week who has done HRP and is off again soon and said boys have been very unfortunate with all this wet weather for the time of year.
Day 35Today they climbed Pic Carlit (2921m). They even managed to stop off for a beer before heading to a lake to pitch the tent for the night in the area of Font Romeu. The sun finally shining this evening as they sit down for another evening meal of pasta and soup. They were joined for dinner by a couple of friendly horses!!
Day 36 as they now have time to play with are taking it easy today. They were trying to relax in the tent in the morning but had yet another thunderstorm so they decided to go into Font Romeu to the shops. It is nice to hear familiar place names now so I know it wont be long till they finish but can also picture where they are as Stewart and I skied in Font Romeu two years ago. There is a fabulous coffee shop that sells great cakes and crepes and apparently that is their first port of call.They were discussing finishing the walk today and said they can't wait to come around the final bend and see Liz, myself ,Mr V, Val and Stu G on the beach waiting for them. What they don't know is that there should be a much bigger crowd waiting to welcome them back and hear all the stories and share a few beers. The sun shone again this evening.
Day 37 A hot one today 39 degrees. Fortunately they had only planned a very short walk They walked through Eyne village and headed for Cabane de l'Orri Baix (2040m) where they pitched the tent for the night.
Day 38 and 39 no info other than they are now heading towards Pic de Canigou(2784m) the last high obstacle before the Mediterranean. Today they had to walk an extra 5 hours to find water not sure why this happened. They have a new motto it was said to them by a lady in the mountains "Don't stop now until you get your feet wet"
Day 40 started to climb Canigou today but the barometer plummeted and they could see the storm coming so they pitched the tent for the day for safety.
Day 41 reached the top of Canigou as you can see from photo looks like a lovely day Tonight at Mines de Batere. Unfortunately the solar charger is not functioning properly now and Stewart does not have much charge left on his phone so is saving it for emergencies but said they would try to ring from villages if they can so we may not be able to update progress any further until they come home.
The plan is to go to Amelie-le Bain tomorrow and rest up there for 48hours and then head for Roc de Frausa on Sunday day 44. Only a couple of days walking from there but we are making them stay in mountains till Thursday day 48 so we can form a welcoming party. Sounds cruel as I am sure they will be ready for soak in the bath and chill but after all they have been through its only right we are there to give them a heroes welcome.

WEEK 5

Day 31 decided to take a well earned rest today. Only walked for one hour from El Serrat to the Refuge de Sorteny. They met a lovely French couple Marie and Michel, who have emailed us and kindly sent us the pictures that you can see on the blog.
Day 32 walked through the north of Andorra. Climbed to the Collada dels Meners (2713m). Weather poor again. Had snow,rain,mist and hail. Didn't quite finish the day where they had planned instead pitched the tent at Camping d'Incles.
Day 33 passed numerous lakes in Andorra and then back into France today at Port de l'Albe (2539m). Arrived in L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre village this evening and booked into the gite d'etape. This evening they are able to wash their clothes in a washing machine the first proper wash since leaving home. They usually use a river. Hopefully the fresh clothes will make them feel more comfortable tomorrow and spur them on.
They are now moving into the final section of the walk.This is described as a long walk, the longest section of them all. They have to encounter Pic Carlit (2921m) the highest summit of the eastern Pyrenees. They have plenty of time though as their goal was to complete this challenge in 50 days and at present are well on target and can afford to take some time out to rest.

SOME PICCIES

GOING WELL

Not alot of information this week had difficulty getting a signal. They are still managing to stay on track. Have been camping out all week but last night slept in a shepherd's hut near Port de Boet (2509m) on the French-Spanish border. Quite cosy but Stewart said the rats kept him awake. Had an early start today left at 7am walked through the Vallee de Soulcem and climbed the Port de Rat (2540m), which gives access to Andorra. The weather not good and visibility poor. Went to La Coma restaurant for lunch It was full of clean tourists. Had a hearty lunch of steak and chips and also bought some ham baguettes, pringle and chocolate for the bag. Stewart said nice to have fresh bread as one loaf they have been eating has lasted 7 days! The weather turned really nasty after lunch, rain and hail.
Have decided to stop at El Serrat tonight as soaking wet and book in a hotel for a freshen up and clean their clothes. This will also give them chance to plan the next week.

STILL SMILING

Today received this lovely photo both smiling and looking good. The view in the background is what they are seeing from their "bedroom" tonight.
This message I received made me laugh so I thought I would share it.
"On Saturday we met a Spaniard who spoke to us. No comprendez Espangol parlez vous Fancais. He did. He told us he was Catalan from just outside Barcelona and was visiting the Lakes. I told him Derrick and I are from Wales but Derrick actually English and I am a Scot. He said he had studied business in Dundee university. I told him I was born in Dundee still all in French. He paused and in broad Dundee accent said so. Why the .... are we speaking French?"

QUICK UPDATE

Spoke to the boys today. Back on track. They only walked until 5pm today and they call that a half day. Liz and I concerned that they haven't taken a rest day yet. We told that everybody who does this trek walks everyday as it is very easy to get behind especially if they have more bad weather. We would rather them be a little late and in one piece.Tonight they are in a refuge in Salardu. They have been out buying food supplies for the next eight days as they have another tough stretch ahead with little opportunity to buy food. Weather today sunny and 36 degrees.
Stewart has broken a finger from a fall which doesn't surprise me as he he has two left feet. He doesn't seem to worried about it. Derrick has an infected toe.The tent is working very well and keeping them dry. Stewart says his sleeping bag ok but he does wake at 4am and has to put an extra layer on. I expect Derrick is snug in his as he more sensible than Stewart and bought a slightly warmer one. I think Stewart was relying on his own insulation though from what I can gather he is losing some of this. His shorts are starting to hang on him. I have asked again for a photo of them so we can see how they are but I think they don't want us to see them.
They did let slip that they have managed the odd bottle of wine or three along the way, medicinal purposes only of course.
They have told us not to expect much contact again for the next week I will update when we have news.

WEEK 3 BAD WEATHER

This section is said to be the most difficult part of the Pyrenean Haute Route. They have to face steep slopes full of scree and rocks, large snowfields and some remains of former glaciers, as well as lots of sections without paths and a number of high passes. The Col Inferieur de Literole (2983m) and the Coll de Mulleres(2924m) are the two highest passes of the entire route. The book recommends crampons and ice axes (which the boys don't have) for this part in early summer and even late summer can be difficult.
DAY 17 They left Gavarnie and headed for Heas. They were hindered today by heavy storms which caused massive landslides but they managed to keep going and reach Heas. Day 18 the rains continued and the fog came in and it became too difficult to continue and they had to go back towards Heas for safety. They pitched their tent at Barroude. According to the book this point over looks the two Lacs de Barroude but I don't suppose the boys were able to enjoy that pleasure. They lost half a day today. They said there were landslides everywhere with paths washed away and 1000s of tons of rock on the mountainside.
Day 19 its still raining and visibility is down to 30m. Having difficulty keeping dry. Apparently 1 hour on the Spanish side it is sunny although cold. This afternoon they had to stop and have dried sausage and mash to replenish some enery and said it worked a treat! Camped tonight just short of Paso de los Cabalos.
Day 20 and 21 they are using one of the variant routes described in the book and following the GR11. Stewart says he is looking forward to a game of golf with me when we meet in France maybe I should book a buggy!
Day 22 back on track again. At Hospital de Vielha. Its ok this refuge has a very unfortunate name, they are both fit and well as far as we know and not requiring medical attention. They are booked into a dormitory tonight which Stewart describes as very rough and ready but after the week they have had it feels luxurious. They plan to wash their clothes and sort their gear out tonight and hopefully get a good nights sleep after being in the tent for a week.
It probably sounds like we have had lots of contact this week but actually we didn't hear from them between last Sunday and this Friday was the first text. Stewart rang last night and unfortunately I missed his call but he left me all the info to keep blog updated.

Arial View of Progress!

Keeping track of Dad and Stewart couldn't be easier, i'll be updating this map so you can see how far they have walked so far and how far they have left to go. It's not the best map but it gives you a fair idea of their progress.

Flag 1 - Starting Point
Flag 2 - Current Position
Flag 3 - Finishing Point

HURRAY FOR CONTACT

Just had a 10 minute phone call from Stewart. He sounded a little tired but he said they still very upbeat although it is tough going. They have not been able to purchase any food in the last week so have been eating from supplies and at the mountain refuges. They are in the village of Gavarnie tonight so still on track. They have booked into a hotel for a well earned rest and good nights sleep. They haven't had a day off yet but have managed a couple of afternoon rests.
They have managed to purchase an altimeter today just in case parcel does not arrive in post office tomorrow.
At present they are walking with a French couple who are also heading for the Med but have to be there a week before the boys so may not stay together. Stewart says they are communicating in "Fronglais" Its going well and he feels his French is definitely improving.
The next few days are tough they have alot of height to gain tomorrow so its up up up!!
The picture he sent is a view of a mountain they had to cross yesterday, Vignemale mountain (3298m,highest summit on the border). Looks fantastic but rather them than me.
Glad they are doing fine I can now inform Mr V who has put a map up in the Coach and Horses, our local, and is updating it with the boys progress. It is great to know lots of you are following them.

WEEK 2 TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

This is the second section of the Pyrenean Haute Route and they will be spending most of their time on the French side and only a few brief visits to Spain. They will be walking in the Parc National des Pyrenees Occidentales the only national park in the Pyrenees and is about 100km in length.
Day 9 was a long slog of 12 hours walking and their first time to climb over 2000 metres. They have decided at present to keep going and not take a day off to rest.
Day 11 still going strong but last 2 days have been very difficult. They have now reached Ibon de Escalor. Today they met an American family at a refuge who have been following this blog site since January and were amazed to have actually met the boys. Apparently they were running around the refuge telling everybody. I am sure it made the boys feel like real celebrities.
Unfortunately disaster struck today. The GPS and Derrick's altimeter have broken. Derrick's mobile phone wont charge from the solar charger and his battery is almost flat now. Stewart is managing to charge his phone so they are reliant on one let's hope that keeps going. Liz has had to make an emergency dash to the post office and send another GPS to a post office address that they hope to reach in 4 days.
Day 12 arrived at Pombie by lunchtime. According to the book should have been there last night so only slightly behind. They climbed to 2320 metres today and say they feel they are going well but are in huge mountains now. Have decided to rest this afternoon as they have a few difficult days to come. I would say a well earned rest now. They met Ludo and Arrie today. Stewart mentions the names like I know them but Hi anyway.
That was wednesday and we have not heard anything since. I am sure as soon as they can they will be in touch. According to the book Thursday they may have had to encounter snowfields,steep slopes with rocks and scree and a traverse of a rock face which is secured with steel cables obviously not for the faint hearted . The book describes it as an exciting day! Friday Day 13 also tough reaching height of 2706 metres at Col de Cambales and possibility of more snow.Good Luck lads you are in our thoughts all the time and cant wait to hear from you keep checking my mobile.

BINGO BONANZA

On behalf of Stewart and Derrick I want to give a huge thanks to the Ladies of Lochee Bowling club Dundee, Scotland who last week held a bingo and raffle evening and raised a fantastic sum of £515.Well done to everybody who helped in the organisation and the taking part. It was an idea of Stewart's mum, Martha who is a keen bowler and member of the club. Thanks also to Elaine, Stewart.s sister for donating the prizes. We hope you all had a great night. I've informed the boys they were truly grateful and knowing the money is still flooding in while they are away is spurring them on.

The rest of us back home have not been idle either and are continuing with our fund raising efforts. As you can see from the web site the target of £10000 is coming closer and closer.