September 2013

Xavier and I were invited to a wedding of his university mate to Barcelona. As from Barcelona we were planning to visit Toulouse (and meet for the first time my parents in law), we decided to take this opportunity and go for a small hiking trip in Andorra. As it turned out, it was a great idea and a recompense in advance for what was waiting for us in Toulouse… But let’s put gloomy family affairs aside and talk about the highest peak of Andorra – Coma Pedrosa. You agree that this name is so awesome, that it can turn anyone into a hiker, don’t you?

[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]

About Pic del Coma Pedrosa

Altitude: 2942 m

Altitude difference: ~1400 m

Time needed:  ~6 h in summer

Best time to climb: May – October

Distance: 15 km

Level: Medium

Departure: Arinsal. Accessible by the bus from Andorra la Vella. A refuge on the midway offering a couchette and a meal

[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]

About Ascension

First, it was amazingly beautiful. This will not surprise anyone, I think, since what mountains in the world are NOT beautiful? Ascension, which on some sources is marked as “very difficult” or “difficult” isn’t that hard, actually. Considering, that we are not crazy hikers spending every weekend in the mountains. As for me, it was my second hiking experience after Hoverla (2061 m) in Ukraine, so for Coma Pedrosa I needed just a bit more than 6 hours, considering my demands to make a pause every kilometre, lol. As far as your physical form can be characterized as “okay”, you can do it without being afraid of the vultures circling above you. Be careful with the clothes you choose, because in the mountains you never know objectively what exactly you need – a sweater or to take off your skin. :)

[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]

Several words about the refuge

As our ascension happened in a “relaxed” way, we had to spend a night in the refuge. It’s a relatively big house (its capacity is 60 persons), very clean with a very friendly guard. It was an aged (all-language-speaking) lady, who looked so young and harmonious with the fantastic mountain landscape and horses peacefully grazing, that we can imagine her easily a main character of a novel. The meals served were also tasty and of good quality (let’s not forget that we are talking about mountain refuge). However, a disappointing point was the price. Spending one night on a quite hard metal couchette, dinner and breakfast cost us 85€, which definitely wasn’t the amount we expected.

[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]
[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]

One word about the summit: Breathtaking

[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]
[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]
[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]
[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]
[:en]Hiking in the Pyrenees, Andorra[:fr]Randonnée dans les Pyrénées, Andorre[:]

And after all this all…

We had muscle pain for the whole week that followed our greatest mountain ascension! I reckon Everest won’t be a big deal after all. :) Don’t forget to award yourself with a stay in one of Andorra’s luxury hotels – they have unbelievable discounts out of the skiing season!

 

Have you ever hiked in the Pyrenees? Share your stories!

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