Pyrenean Flora: The Beech and the Silver Fir of the Pyrenees

Over 100 species of trees and shrubs are found in Pyrenean forests. Each species grows on slopes with different characteristics: altitude, exposure, type of soil, rainfall or cloud cover.



THE BEECH (Fagus sylvatica)

The beech grows at mountain level, between about 800 and 1,800 m in humid conditions with condensation forming thick fog, drizzle or rain. Though not fussy about the soil, beech trees can be badly affected by late frosts, which destroy tender young leaves and blooms. Where trees are tightly packed, few other species grow in the humus.
Size: up to 30 or 40 metres tall with a trunk often over one metre in diameter.
Lifetime: between 300 and 500 years
Bark: smooth and grey with horizontal ridges and patches of lichen
Foliage: deciduous; light green in spring, dark in summer turning to golden yellow or brown in autumn. The leaves and vein angles are edged with small hairs.
Fruit: ripe by late September, the almond-shaped beechnuts are grouped by twos or threes in a husk covered in soft spikes.
Use: fuel, woodwork and paper.
Habitat: beech trees grow as well on the plain as in mountainous areas. They like shade and moisture. in the Pyrenees they are found at the mountain level of northern slopes throughout the range.



THE SILVER FIR (Abies pectinata)

The silver fir is often found among beech trees where it can be spotted by its tall, dark silhouette. It is also found growing in 100% fir forests, especially in shady spots near the top of the mountain level (around 1,800 m). Another tree that will grow in different types of soil, silver firs form a shady, silent cover for undergrowth.
Size: Giant of the Pyrenees, the silver fir can grow to 50 m
Bark: the silver-grey bark cracks and becomes scaly over time.
Foliage: evergreen. The needles spread out horizontally on either side of the branch. Shiny green on the upper side, two silver-white bands on the underside. The top tends to flatten out with age.
Fruit: the cones remain upright on the top branches. In the autumn the cones break up, leaving the central spike still standing upright like a candle.
Use: good timber. Its resin has medical virtues.
Habitat: the silver fir forms magnificent forests at altitudes of between 500 and 1,600 metres. In the Pyrenees they are found mixed with beech or in 100% fir populations.


By Matias Dorr Mansilla, Forest correspondent

The Tenth Trip

Greetings!
I am writing this missive from the plank position, having started Matthew’s very helpful exercises!
For Antonio and myself, this will be our 10th trip. Who would have thought that when three of us met in 2001, as less than cool cats, the legendary Lions of the Pyrenees would be the outcome? For all current Lions, they will know the unique camaraderie that exists. For the new Lions, there is a store in treat!

Whilst I try and get out of the plank position, I have read the list of jobs. There are two noticeable omissions. Firstly, our “cosmetic adviser”. It needs to be someone who is prepared to go into an expensive pharmacy to buy the most expensive skincare spray to treat sunburn. If anyone wants to take on this role, please let me know.

Secondly, everyone will have noticed there is no “dance co-ordinator”. Having been treated to an impromptu demonstration of the funky chicken high in the mountains last year, I expect the same individual could be teaching us the Pyrenean pirouette this time!

On a totally different tack (as the paramedics arrive to take me off to casualty, having locked-up in the plank position) could I suggest two other items to add to the kit list? Firstly, most of you will have come across energy gels, these will come in handy for the more strenuous activities (in fact every day!). Secondly, there is a possibility of heavy rain and you may consider bringing an extra waterproof, a plastic poncho, something our mountain guide, Omar, regards as essential!

Looking forward to meeting all the new Lions and to catching up with the rest of you!
Alastair Caisley

[Our Plank Correspondent]

ANETO: THE FIRST CLIMBERS (19TH CENTURY)

1. - Simple Introduction (maybe very simple, but enough)

Es posible que tu navegador no permita visualizar esta imagen. The Aneto is the highest peak in the Pyrenees, with an altitude of 3,404 meters above sea level (not too much for us). Located in the Parque Natural Posets-Maladeta, neighbouring the town of Benasque in the province of Huesca and at the northern limits the region of Aragon.

Maybe someday Aneto will be the Lion´s target, but nowadays, only the Lion "Irastorza" can get it.

2. - The First Climbers

In July 1842, (can anybody tell if Antonio was born around this time?) a young Russian, named Tchihatcheff Plato (with this name he can´t be a Lion), a former army officer and a French botanist, Albert de Franquevielle along with a few guides, reached the summit beating natural, atmospheric and atrocious climatic conditions. Of course, they were not so silly as to forget their "lip balm" and their "walking stick" ("optional, but very useful")

They liked what they did to such an extent that they made a second ascent. (It is a good principle: if you can do it once, you should do it again!)

A chap with Irish connections, called Henry Russell, made the first solo ascent. He would have been a possible candidate for the Lions although, then again, perhaps not as he made it by following an easier route which was a boon to subsequent climbers.

Surprisingly, the first Spaniards to reach the summit to the top were the Harreta brothers. They made it in 1855 accompanied by a guide called Michot. Little more is known about these brothers despite being credited with another significant achievement: they were the first scale Montblanc (in 1864). Since then there have been many expeditions by Catalans (when they were not cheering for Barca!). The names of Juli Soler and Santaló along with many others, would write singular pages in the history of this mountain.

The first woman to reach the top was Ernestine Tavernier, in August, 1849 (such things tend to happen: women arrive later but still manage to be in time!).

3. Es posible que tu navegador no permita visualizar esta imagen. - Fauna

The area of the Aneto is inhabited by a few different species of animals. (Should I fail to adequately discharge my job of “Packed Meals”, we can always find an alternative). Examples that come to mind are: the snow pheasant, groundhog, mountain goat and Royal eagle, among others.

4. - What can be seen from the summit

The images below show views from the top of Aneto (not all taken on the same day!).

By Rafael Salas, Mountain historian correspondent

Introducing canyoning

Hi everybody!

Once again, let me introduce canyoning to those of you who have not yet had the opportunity to try this fantastic and many faceted activity. I am convinced that canyoning will be for many of us one of the high points of our coming adventure in the Pyrenees.

What is a Canyon?
A conyon is a deep gorge with steep sides, carved out of rock by a river. In Sierra de Guara where we will do our canyoning, some of the gorges are more than 1.500 m deep. It is almost certainly the best place in Europe for caynyoning.



What does canyoning involve?
Well canyons require a great variety of skills, the primary one being excellent physical condition (not a problem for the Lions of the Pyrenees!). However, navigation, swimming, jumping, team work, wading… and appreciation of the environment will all help to ensure a good time. The ideal canyoning trip includes a combination of all the above, plus a group a good friends ready for challenges.



What do you take into a canyon?
All one needs is a tee shirt, light quick drying shorts, long socks (that stay up i.e. self-supporting) and a pair of old tennis shoes. On top of these, we will wear a wetsuit, since the water will be cold and canyons are mostly shaded. Ropes, helmets and bolts will be provided by our guides.

Hope to see you all soon.

By Juan Manuel Ruigómez, Canyoning correspondant

Origins of Tour de France

By the turn of the century, France was polarized by the Dreyfus case, in which a Jewish, Alsatian, French Army officer named Alfred Dreyfus was accused of selling military secrets to the Germans. After a big anti-Dreyfus demonstration in Paris, the writer Pierre Giffard took the opportunity to write a pro-Dreyfus editorial in "Le Petit Journal".

Unfortunately for Giffard, whose main job was editor of "Le Vélo", one of the participants at the rally was the industrialist Comte de Dion, who just so happened to be the main backer of "Le Vélo". Already enraged by what were seen as exhorbitant advertising charges, De Dion promptly marched off with a group of other advertisers to found a new magazine, "L'Auto-Vélo", and installed Henri Desgrange (cyclist and legal clerk) as editor. Though l'Auto-Vélo had been set up to promote all sports it was first and foremost a cycling magazine.



Pierre Giffard, now running Le Vélo with minimal finacial backing, sued L'Auto-Vélo for breach of copyright. Giffard won his case in January 1903, causing L'Auto-Vélo to become simply "L'Auto". Worried that his cycling clientele might disappear with the title, and with circulation scraping along at no more than 20,000, Desgrange needed to take desparate steps, which in the times meant organising a sensational race. So, Georges Lefèvre (Journalist a L’Auto) suggested to Desgrange, "a several-day race, longer than anything now going on, something more on the order of a track six day race. Thus the idea was born. Lefèvre surveyed the route and made preliminary organisations, and on 19 January 1903, just four days after losing the plagiarism suit to Giffard, Desgrange announced the race on the pages of the newly-christened l'Auto. The race would be "the greatest cycling trial in the entire world. A race more than a month long: Paris to Lyon to Marseille to Toulouse to Bordeaux to Nantes to Paris." When Garin rode into Paris as winner, in front of a crowd of 20,000 paying spectators, Desgrange rushed out a special edition of l'Auto, whose sales had rocketed to 130,000. The first running had been a resounding success. Later Le Vélo went banckrupt and L’Auto hired Giffard, who was looking for job.

By Federico Gaito, Cycling correspondent