September 2006 : 8-day trek in  Argentera and Mercantour Col de Salèse-Fremamorte-Brocan-Pagari-Lac de l'Agnel -- exit through Entracque	Back to : Trekking Main Page Site Map Alpi Marritime Main Page
Click on map (or any thumbnail) for a larger image.	JUMP TO : - Getting There - Weather - Day 1: Fremamorte - Day 2: Fremamorte to Remondino - Day 3:    Col de Brocan - Day 4:   Fenestrelle - Day 5: To Pagari   by the Gelas - Day 6: Pagari and   Pas de la Fous - Day 7:    Rain at La Lusière - Day 8:   to Entracque by the   Lac de l'Agnel (col)

Getting There The "usual" trip. Plane from Brussels to Nice (had to wake up at 4 am), this is a highly competitive line, and thus usually quite cheap. I landed early in Nice, and had collected luggage before 9 am. For this reason, I gave up my initial plan (shop for butane gas in Nice, then move either by bus to Saint Martin Vesubie for a West to East trip, or by train and bus to Entracque), and decided to catch the morning bus to Saint Martin Vesubie from the airport (depending on traffic, it comes between 9 and 9:30). Good surprise: all bus transport in "Alpes Maritimes" is now at 1.3€, with the exception of the bus between the airport and the city. I came before noon in St Martin,  tried to buy some "camping gaz" cartridges... and was very surprised that the 3 shops I asked only carried the old-fashioned (not resealable) ones ... totally unusable! One shop even tried to sell me an old type of burner! I was starting to despair, and preparing to travel back to Nice when a last shop  turned out to have 2 of the needed gas cans left (CV 270). This is very surprising, as usually these are very common, and I never experience such difficulties in the Tende area for instance. Anyway, things have gone better than expected, and, as the weather is nice - sunny but not really hot-  instead of waiting for tomorrow , I think of leaving right now (just what I promised myself never to do again, in particular after a short night!). At this point there is basically no or only very scarce public transportation. I try to contact the local taxis to take me to "Le Boreon" (one of my previous starting points), but they are all busy... Finally, a local couple who overheard me in the shop stops me in the street and offers to give me a ride to my planned starting point (Col de Salèse): they very nicely decide to take their day walk in that area, so that they can drop me on the way! Thus, I proceed to Day 1 on what should have been Day 0.

Weather The weather can be a tricky issue in Mercantour/Argentera. We have here a 3000m mountain area only a few kilometres from the coast (a little like in Corsica), which makes afternoon thunderstorms a frequent occurrence. Furthermore, the area is a pass  across the Alps, and bad weather may come from both France and Italy! The forecast is not always reliable. The French meteo gives the previsions for Tende (and for a price a "mountain forecast"). Through the Alpi Marittime web site, you can also get to the forecast for Entracque or Valdieri.    However, at this season low clouds, with local rain and fog can affect these relatively low-lying areas: it was indeed the case this year, and while I spent the first 6 days above the clouds with very nice or sunny days, they had nearly constant rain. In any case, it is important to plan both for sunny and/or hot weather (plenty of sun cream) and rainy or cold days -- this year I had both, including morning frost or afternoon hail!

Last lake on the French side A look on the French side The Italian side	Day 1 : Sept 8th : Fremamorte I thus get the exceptional luck of being dropped by car just at my desired starting point: "Col de Salèse" (see the sketch of paths at the top of this page), which puts me at 2030 m, within easy reach of my target: the "col de Fremamorte" at 2615m, despite the late start. The path is clearly marked, and climbs through a green area (still some trees) on this south-facing side before entering the rocky part, which will become our world for the next week. Quickly also the weather starts to deteriorate, and the summits to the SW appear against a backdrop of dark  clouds. The pass above however stays unpredictably clear! A small stop by the last lake on this side of the mountain, and I get to the final climb in a stony area (which I should call "scree", but the French language has many different words to distinguish between the various types, from "farrier's" to "ghoulish in stables". Here, it is a fair path in small-sized, stabilised stones: a track pretty suitable for mules for instance. I am in a bit of a hurry to reach the top, but take a quick picture of both sides, contrasting the relatively green French side with the stony Italian one. (I heard some people in St Martin call this the "vallée morte": there is water and lakes also, but the  running water is mostly buried under stones).  The sky is now getting cloudy, and I loose no time to climb down, still through an easy path, to the first of the lakes. A "bivouac" is mentioned on the map (this is one of the unattended shelters in the Alpi Marittime park, intended for emergency use), but I certainly prefer to set up my tent and try to recover some of the lost sleep of last night. I get the visit of 2 park rangers -who look actually more like eager hikers!- who remind me that open fires are forbidden (there was an obvious fire ring left by previous hikers a few meters from my tent). We discuss the itinerary for the next days, and they advise me to try the Brocan pass  (which I had contemplated to do) rather than walk down to Terme di Valdieri.
packing time in the morning	Day 2 From Fremamorte to Remondino (Argentera) The morning is foggy, but not threatening, and the visibility seems sufficient, specially since the first part is on the way down, and the path should still be quite clearly marked. The path (there are even some sign posts!) goes steeply but comfortably down to about 1800m  to the "Piano della Casa". Mid-way, large scarfs of fog brush across, and I just make out the outlines of a herd of chamois. (adults and a number of young). This is a good pretext for a stop, and some attempt at pictures. Down in the valley, the path meats another, coming from the Col de Cerise (or possibly Mercantour). I cut across (at approx 1800m), pass the Rifugio Regnia Elena to reach the steep uphill path to Remondino. The first part of the path winds close to a river, but at about half-way, it goes into more stony ground, and no water is available until the fountain at the refuge. There is little possibility of camping until the refuge is reached, but there, a number of terraces  - precisely in the direction of Col de Brocan offer an ideal situation. I set up the tent, and cook for the night, but as a matter of safety, also visit the refuge for an evening coffee, taking the opportunity to log my passage in the register (a habit developped in Sweden as a safety measure) . Overnight a small noise: a fox is pacing a couple of meters in front of the tent - maybe it smells the cooking-  and is not scared when I glance through the door. The next morning, I use the phone (all the Italian refuges seem to have one) to inform my wife of my next moves. It is not possible to use phone cards, but the cost is reasonable (usually between 1 and 2 € for a short call). (needless to say, portable phones don't operate in the park).
	Day 3 : Col de Brocan Preliminary investigations told me that the path to Brocan is relatively easy to find, but that the descent on the other side is very unstable. I  want to complete the climbing part while this part of the mountain is still in the shadow, but at this season 8 am is still early enough (this is a steep, North slope!). The first climb is steep, in big, stable rocks, and clearly marked. A first fork (also clearly marked) branches to a path to small lake. After climbing in the shadow, with a hint of mist at times, one comes into the full, harsh light around 2800m, and the view is striking (we are not that much below the top of the chain), and almost violent in contrats. The path continues, following almost a level curve among large blocs, and branches once again: an indication to a path to the right indicates a connection to  Col du Mercantour: definitely a way to explore in the future! Meanwhile, I stay on the path to Col de Brocan, which crosses the Argentera massif just under the summits, at 2892m according to the map. The passage of the col is easy, even it it looks very angular from below. I rest a few minutes,contemplating the clouds below, and with a little apprehension for the descent (I took a view on Day 4 showing this side of the mountain). During the rest, 3 Ibex, gently walk down the ridge. The descent is definitely not comfortable (and I later heard that at least some guides don't want to use it ), as the scree (a stone field composed of a mixture of small,  and other large, unstabilized fallen rocks, as the mountain is obviously shedding them) is definitely unstable. Even big rocks cannot be trusted, as they are ready to slide on the rubble under. Particularly with a heavy bag, this is trying. A small horizontal snow field give a few meters of rest... This is a long descent before one reaches more stable ground, close to a small stream (at this time, too tenuous to provide a drink). The marked itinerary finally joins a path I took in 2004 (from Col de la Ruine - or Rovina ) , and instead of turning left to the Refugio Genova, I cut across to the right, to a green patch along a stream falling from the mountain. Perfect place for a rest in the sun, to wash in the river and later to pitch the tent! (I took no pictures, probably will post them when writing up the 2004 trip) -- an alternate  bivouac place would probably be close to the Brocan lake itself, as there seems to be little flat opportunities closer to the path.
	Day 4 :Fenestrelle The morning is not particularly sunny (in fact, the sky is clear, but it will be another 2 hours before the sun reaches this part of the valley), and I am surprised that the condensation that I noticed yesterday inside the outer part of the tent has completely disappeared. A sticky, white powder on the bottom of the tent and on the higher parts of the grass brings the explanation: the frost has condensed the humidity.  I am on a known path from 2004, and even on an easy one: after the rifugio Genova, it is part of the GTA (grand traverse of the Alps).  I stop quickly at Genova, and after the ritual coffee, try to log my passage in the register: this is in fact full since several weeks, and it proves impossible! The ascent to Fenestrelle (2463m) is gentle, but slow, as the path (obviously a mule path in the past, but damages at places) is winding painstakingly up the slope. There is an excellent view of the Argentera massif, with the lakes at the bottom (the left one is the Brocan lake). When clicking on the thumbnail, a larger panorama appears (I did not include the full resolution to speed up the loading), with a red mark indicating the Col de Brocan. The other side of the pass is in full contrast, a really gentle, grassy slope which leads, after a long descent, to the valley and Rifugio Soria Elena. The picture however already shows the dark slopes of the Gelas, which we need to climb tomorrow close to the glacier to reach the Passo del Ghiacciai (2750m). When I stop by, it is closed for the day (but a safety bivouac is open 50 meters below); as I was in any way not planning to stay there, I take the small path from the refuge (it follows the buried water supply) up to a stream, and walk up to 2070 meters approx., where I find just enough flat space to put my tent. It is a bit dark when I set up the tent (the weather gets cloudy again), and I am a bit careless, for some reason, a few sections of one of the big "loop" poles of the tent don't properly lock (they overlap by only 1 cm instead of 4 or so). I hear a succession of snapping noises, and remove the pole hastily to contemplate the damage: fortunately it is easy to make a temporary fix (without using the repair kit, which would in any way cover only one of the damaged spots), and with proper assembly, the pole looks still solid, even under tension. I am very surprised that this happened, as I have used the tent without any incident for 5 years now, and in much more difficult contidtions (e.g; setting under driving rain). Probably some dust piled up. I since replaced this pole (see why on day 7), and the new version is fool-proof: instead of having a tapered and an enlarged end on the yellow-coloured aluminium tubes, there is now a uniform size yellow tube with a silver-colored insert, and the locking mecanism is much more positive... and, due to the colour difference, foolproof!
Argentera seen from Gelas where the snow should have beenn Biv Moncalieri from  the pass TjeThe ridge to Moncalieri View from Moncalieri	Day 5 : Along the Gelas to Pagari First a question of names: on Italian maps, the Gelas is designated as Maledia. I walked this leg in 2004, and know it can seem long-- and stony, so I made sure to get some advance by camping quite a bit higher than the refuge, and by starting early. Yesterday I had taken a short cut from the refuge, and I keep climbing along the stream, to join the main (infinitely winging) path. Once reached, this is very convenient, although a bit slow in climbing rate. After a while, we get above the Fenestrelle range, and the view of the Argentera is impressive (see picture); the low clouds are probably still raining on Entracque. From a path, we move to a scree, with mainly big rocks, and make sure to stick to the (very good, freshly made) red marks. I should point out that this track is vey dependent on weather and snow conditions. It typically crosses ends of glacier or strong-sloped snow fields (sometimes with the help of steel cables). In any case, you should check before hand with local  people (in refuges) or with the well-known Alladar in Rifugio Pagari before venturing on this trail, unless you are fully equipped for snow/glacier conditions. At some point, a warning sign "solo escursionisti esperti" springs amongst the rocks; it looks like a cross, with a stone on top reminiscent of some western comic strips...This is new, obviously this track was re-marked since 2004. Actually, the snow is completely absent at this time, and the steel cables have even been removed. Nevertheless, the passage is not really easier, as the stone field below the snow is fairly unreliable, and one has to use the cliff itself. (see picture) Finally the pass is reached. (the cable is usefull in case a snow field has lingered here, some of the cloth strips are related to buddhist prayers, others are probalby just pranks from hikers - in particular a pair of used socks) This year, the marking is very clear, and shows one has to cross the pass and go down along the ridge to the left of it. This ridge is "airy", but perfectly safe (see pictures) and leads directly to the Moncalieri bivouac; In 2004 I had gotten confusing instructions, and tried instead to go down on the left. This is perfectly feasible, it starts with a short cliff with solid rock edges (providing good finger grips, but rather vertical). However the real difficulty comes later, as one lands in a completely unstable scree. (flat, unstabilized stones which yield under the foot, and threaten a small avalanche): definitely NOT recommended! From there, it is a short (but careful) path to the Moncalieri Bivouac.  From outside, it looks completely artificial, with its metal cladding, but inside it is a pretty cosy place, perfect for a short rest or an overnight stay (several comfortable berths, a table, some candles, a register to log your passage). However, there is no water in immediate proximity. In principle there is a small stream about 50m below, but at this time of the year, you just hear the water flowing deep below the rocks. The next step is to go down, through a fairly stable scree and a well-marked path to the lakes below. This path is really the occsasion to decide whether you like stones or not. I picture a few below, just to give the impression, together with a chysanthemium (looks like a purple daisy). A few Ibex wander around in the stones.  Well, from there it is still a way down, first reaching the lakes, then still going down before one can climb again, after avoiding several rocky formations, to Rifugio Pagari. Once reaching the Pagari valley (in particular the stream which should be flowing!), I realize two things: -  there is essentially NO water flowing (or then, it flows once again below the rocks) - as in 2004, it begins to rain -- gently at first, with wide-spaced heavy and lazy drops. Impossible to camp at the entrance of the valley in those conditions, and I proceed to the refugio. Once there, it is quite impossible to set a tent: whatever available space is taken by a botanical garden, and, furthermore, Pagari is a legendary place (its keeper, even more so), so why miss the opportunity? To further convince me, the rain has now turned to hail, slow at first, but increasingly convincing. I must be tired, because I feel cold in the refuge (the temperature inside is a full 14°), but I enjoy some tea, log my passage, and settle in one of the dorms. Another guest is announced, he will settle in the other dorm: complete privacy. And then, there is the occasion to discuss itineraries with Alladar. He warns we that, though the weather forecast is unreliable, the next day will be unstable in the afternoon, and the worst is foreseen for the day after... We enjoy his cooking (vegetarian, and very tasty, with lots of spices and herbs, completely different from the ritual stews elsewhere...) and turn in for the night. In the morning, I touch bases with home over the phone, and announce my options for the coming days.
Twin lakes   Lac de la Lusière (just above tent)	Day 6: Pagari-Pas de la Fous-Lac de la Lusière The day start up a bit foggy, but not too bad. I have decided to go through the Pagari pass (a short climb among rocks, the Pagari glacier is just a memory at this time of the year) and to try to reach the Pas de la Fous (Pas is another french word for Pass), if the weather allows. Otherwise, if bad weather threatens, I would stop for the day in Refuge de Nice. The trip goes as expected, and I soon reach Pas de Pagari; from there, the "twin lakes" are the next target (I have planned for a long time to camp there, but this far did not get the timing right). The itinerary is clearly marked in red on the Italian side, and is a pleasant path (unfortunately absent on many french maps) on the french side, all the way to Refuge de Nice. It is in principle possible to cut across (around 2400m) to go directly to the Pas de la Fous without going down the extra 300m to the Refuge. However, the weather is becoming quite cloudy again, and I opt for the safety of a (possibly extended) stop at the refuge. A lonely chamois keeps me company for a while, but an incredible noise is coming from below. When I reach the refuge, I realize not only that it is being completely rebuilt, but also that not even a safety room is left available. The choice is made for me, and since despite the clouds, the mountain passes are still clear, I haste to the Pas de la Fous (marked -illegally- in white, but not in a very reliable way). Under way, I keep a keen eye for possible retreats and places to put my tent. The path grows more stony, and soon becomes an ascent in more scree (stable this time). We are back in a gray and black universe. (the stones here are markedly darker, at least at the approach of the pass). At one point it becomes clear that the safe way is to cross the pass, and go down to the La Lusière lake, not much below, which I know from 2004. The visibility is still acceptable when I reach the pass (2828m), but fog is streaming by, dramatically changing the view (see pictures, taken at a few minutes interval). The descent to Lac de la Lusière is in stable stones, the marking (in red or orange) has is a bit sparse. At Lac de la Lusière, I know of 3 small spots to put a tent. One seems to have been excavated a bit, and I choose to use it. It is flatter, but more in the way of runoff water. I settle below the overflow of La Lusière to the lower "Lacs Gelés" (litterally: frozen lakes, although not at this time of the year. The stream is minimal, but with some effort I can fill my cooking dish. (it will change dramatically over the night). I rest , eat and prepare for the night (in particular, a provision of safe - filtered or boiled - water: this is usually my first action when setting camp.) Around 4pm, the rain starts...
	7th day : Rest   (or Rain ) How appropriate! Indeed, the rain does not stop -- and will not stop for about 40hours ! When I say continuous rain, it has to be taken litterally: not one minute of pause where one could escape to check the tent, or whatever other task without getting wet for sure. In those conditions, staying dry is critical, in particular at this altitude (we are still pretty close to the pass, and way above the Lacs gelés). Unfortunately, the few "flat"spaces here are also subject to water runoff, and to some accumulation. I realise water has accumulated between my ground sheet (a protection plastic sheet below the tent) and the tent itself. As a precaution, I pull this sheet away, hoping that the water will pernetrate into the ground. It works to some extend, but when the rain increases, accumulation again occurs. Is it some small seepage (the bottom of the tent is really a waterproof tub, but pressure under the mattress could defeat that), or condensation? I get some humidity between the thermarest and bottom of the tent. Easy to fix, just move a bit, and sponge away with my "camping towell" (a cheap, less than 1 € duster in "non-tissé" cloth bought on some open market, just as efficient as brand name items). Then wait.. Just for the wait, and for contrast, I put here a picture taken in 2005 showing the Lacs Gelés and Lacs de la Lusière. With some magnification, an investigative reader will find where I put my tent! (for info, the other possible sites were also flooded, although one more exposed site just above was less so) It gets pretty stormy, (it was also the first night), and the situtation close to a pass favors upcoming winds, which shake the tent. I am used to this, and know that the Hilleberg tent makes a lot of noise (due to the thin but hard cloth), but withstands impressive conditions. Meanwhile, the meager stream has swelled, and becomes a roaring waterfall (it is far enough, and the ground is steep enough that I am in no danger from it.) Precisely in the middle of the night, (watch says 0:00) I feel that the back of the tent slumps...it only takes a minute to react. I just put my jacket and nothing else (except LED lamp) to check... Well, it is the already damaged pole which gave way. It is only a matter of seconds to reach the repair kit, put the aluminium sleeve over the damaged area, and I am safe again. Just hope the other weak spots of the other day will hold better. After that, all is safe until the morning, but I promise myself to get up at the first lights, pack (wet or dry) and move down to the Valmasque lakes and refuge, which are probably less than one hour away.
Valmasque under the sun, but I turn back.. Horizontally, you reach the pass.. (picture below) Col de l4Agnel , seen from Lac Blanc (Italian side) Looking back, from the path to Pagari	Day 8: From La Lusière to Entracque, by the Agnel Lake and Pass. I do as I promised myself, and pack everything, under continuing but lighter rain, around 7 am. When I am fully done, (with many precautions to avoid getting wet), I start to go around the lake, and down the easy, clearly established path (but not present on french maps) to the Valmasque valley. At this moment, the rain stops, and gives a spectacular lighting on the Refuge de Valmasque. I have already gone down about 15 minutes on the path. Well, the Col du Lac de l'Agnel has frustrated me too much. (and I don't want to exit again through Casterino), so I don't resist the temptation, and turn back, climb to La Lusière again, heading to the Chamassière pass (a short climb from La Lusière, which brings me way above the Lacs Gelés, with a view to the Lac de l'Agnel -- I should say the lakes, as there is a small lake clearly separated from the main one -- actually I precisely camped between the two in 2005. The picture here only shows the smaller lake, and a very small part of the larger (more pictures when I write up the 2005 trip), but shows clearly the scree under the pass. From the pass, there are 2 ways (both marked by cairns). One leads down to the land bridge between the lakes; the other stay approximately level, and goes around the whole circus to Col du lac de l'Agnel, visible close to the center of the picture. This time, I choose the latter path (I used the first in 2003). The itinerary (rather than path: this is just a marked itinerary in heaps of stones!) is quite easy, maybe the more touchy parts are a (very) few steps on (slippery) grass, and leads to the rather broad pass. Getting down from the pass is through quite big  blocs.  The itinerary (now marked in red) avoids a number of rocky ledges, (you can guess the way from the picture taken at Lac Blanc). It actually branches at some height above the lake (I saw no special indication, but as indicated by Alladar in Rifugio Pagari, there are two sets of marks: one goes on at approximatively the same height, avoiding to go down to the lake, which the other precisely does). At this time of the year, there is no snow or ice in the way, and for the view I preferred to walk down to the lake. The scree is a bit unstable here, but it is mostly small stones sliding a bit, and not really dangerous. It is possible to go around the lake (although this is tricky at times, and one may need to climb slightly at times), and to reach its end. There two big stones frame a path (again marked in red, I has lost the marks for a while). This path actually climbs a little to meet the main path from Pagari to Entracque, after crossing a couple of torrents. Actually the torrents were quite impressive after the continuous  rain, and it took some searching to find how to cross while keeping feet dry. (of course, I still had the option of sandal crossings, swedish-style, but I could avoid it). Actually, even on the main path the Entracque, a number of streams (including the stream from Pagari, which I found dry a couple of days ago) are overflowing, and take some ingeniosity to cross. The two path means (with directional signs!!) shorlty before meeting the main one. On the way down, I turn back for a few pictures, stop to cook a meal (I just took dry food and water for breakfast -- fortunately I had prepared a good stock of purified water!). The rain threatens, starts and stops. Clouds linger. Very wet chamois are very abundant around the infinitely winding path! Finally, I reach the bottom of this valley, and a dirt road which leads to San Giacomo. There I hope to find a restaurant or a camp ground, where I could ordre a taxi to Entracque if no public buses are available (it turns out they stopped about a week before). But everything is closed, except the camping, where no one is present and the managers "will be back shortly". I was half prepared to this, and set on my way on the tarmac road to Entracque. A bit unpleasant with heavy mountain boots on the hard road, the more so that the rain becomes really nasty. No pity from the 3 cars or trucks encountered on the 10 km road (I must look too wet for their seats!) I am a bit concerned that any hotels in Entracque would also have closed for the season (forgot to ask!), but when I arrive around 5:30 pm, it turns out that the tourism office is still open (litterally every day in the morning and from 4 to 7 pm!), the lady in charge is very helpfull, and I don't regret choosing this way rather than the more usual Casterino exit (with the same problem of lack of transportation). Hotels are no problem (I stayed for 2nights in hotel "trois étoiles" before it closed, and moved for one night to "miramonti") (and people are very friendly, even though I am about the last tourist around), but restaurants are more scarce, as most have closed for the season. A cheap and very good pizzeria, and the restaurant of Hotel Pagari (with a simple but savoury menu, featuring chamois stew...)