The Wildlife of the Pyrenees

By Rocco Sta. Maria

As the Lions prepare to conquer the Pyrenean highlands in May 2016, it is worth taking note of the wildlife we could potentially encounter.   The Lions who have been to the Spanish Pyrenees on more than one occasion will recognize the terrain as mountainous – reaching altitudes of 3000 metres, thick and dense in some of the foothills and more like mountain pastures with a variety or rock formation higher up in the mountains.

The Pyrenean wildlife adapted to this terrain throughout the centuries.  The “isard” (or the Pyrenean Chamois) Pyrenean chamois, is a species of goat-antelope which can be found in the mountains up to an altitude of 3000m.

It is a small animal reaching an average height of just under a metre at the shoulder. You can easily identify the chamois from their backward curving horns that appear on both males and females. Their coat is typically reddish brown during the summer and turns a brownish black in the winter, with dark patches around the eyes. It is an incredibly agile animal, negotiating scree slopes and steep mountain terrain with ease!

The red deer is one of the most common animals that you will see in the foothills and mountains of the Pyrenees.  This is the 'brame des cerfs' in French and an umissable opportunity to see and hear the red deer in the wild.

The Egyptian vulture is an unmistakable raptor with its white plumage and black trailing wing edges. It's an impressive bird with a wingspan of almost 2 metres and, like all raptors, feeds on carrion and dead animals in exposed places. The Pyrenees are home to close to 100 territorial pairs so do look out for them when you are out and about.



The bearded vulture or 'gypaete barbu' as it is called in French, is a spectacular sight which you may be lucky enough to spot up in the Pyrenees mountains. Considered to be the largest raptor in Europe with its 3m wingspan, it is also one of the most endangered raptors in Europe.  It is identifiable by its distinctive spoon-shaped tale and is one of the most useful raptors to have around. 80% of the its food is composed of bones, feet, tendons and ligaments from the carcasses of wild and domestic hooved animals which it can ingest thanks to its powerful digestive juices. It is nature's best cleaner-upper!

The brown bear is the most talked about animal in the Pyrenees. Until the early 20th century there was a healthy population of brown bears in the Pyrenees. However, in the course of the century, the population dwindled until, in 1996, 3 Slovenian brown bears were reintroduced into the Pyrenean mountain forests in an effort to boost the population.


This was a controversial move as farmers whose herds of sheep and cattle roamed the high mountain pastures complained that their flocks would be attacked and destroyed by this big brown predator! The slogan 'Non aux ours' ('No to the bear') started to appear in spray paint on roads and walls as public feeling grew. But despite all this, the bears are actually very private, shy animals and there is now a healthy population living in the forests of the central Pyrenees.

So, what do Lions do when confronted with a bear ?  Call Don Antonio and he will scare the bear away by inviting him to the next Lion adventure.

ALPS vs. PYRENEES

By Alberto Racca <racca.alberto@gmail.com>

“Oh Nice, I went to Tuscany last year”. This is one of the typical answers you get in Turin,

my hometown, when you say that you are going for an expedition on the Pyrenees. It’s unfair

and wrong, I know. But that’s how it is. Torino is a city in the North West of Italy located

very close to the Alps. Exactly like Americans do not contemplate any other significant

country in the world, the Torinesi cannot relate mountaineering sports to anything else other

than the Alps. But now, let’s try to be objective and compare the Alps and the Pyrenees along

key dimensions:

SIZE

No comparison here. The Alps is the most extensive mountain range system in Europe,

stretching for 1,200 kilometres across eight countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy,

Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

The Pyrenees instead extend for about 491 km, separating the Iberian Peninsula from the rest

of the continental Europe.

HISTORY

Pyrenees are a bit older, boasting about 10 million years. They were shaped by the collision

between the Iberian plate and the Eurasian plate about 130 million years ago.

The Alps were formed a bit later by the collision of the Eurasian and African plates.

GEOLOGY

The Eastern part of the Pyrenees consists largely of granite, particularly resistant to erosion

and glacial development, giving the chain a massive and unworn character. The Alps consist

of different layers of rock from the plates that collided, including limestone and gneiss. The

rocks are on average more prone to erosion, creating steep vertical peaks, as well as lakes and

glaciers.

LANDSCAPE

Due to different geology, landscapes tend to be quite different, across many points:

 Structure: the Pyrenees run in a North–South sequence, while in the Alps, also due to

their size and diversity, there are all kind of patterns

 Lakes: lateral valleys of the Alps are full of lakes, while in the Pyrenees water tends to

flow away in mountain torrents

 Glaciers: in the Alps the glaciers are frequent and they stretch far down into the valleys,

while in the Pyrenees they are less frequent and have their greatest lengths along the

direction of the mountain chain.

THE VERDICT

It would not be fair and sensible for me to give a verdict, mainly for two reasons. First, I am

not sufficiently qualified since I have never been to the Pyrenees. Second, my admission to

the Lions has not been yet ratified and I’d rather maximize my chances. But I’m sure the

Pyrenees will live up to the highest Alpine expectations. Maybe next year I’ll ask some

Torinesi to come and see.

FOTO 1

Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland

FOTO 2

Glacier de l’Aneto, Spain

Congost de Mont-rebei

By Dan Rusu <de_rusu@yahoo.com>

The Congost de Mont-rebei or Mont-rebei Gorge is a spectacular route carved in the Montsec by Ribagorzana Noguera river. It is natural border between Lleida and Huesca (Aragon and Catalonia) and shares territory with the protected areas of the Nature Reserve of La Noguera and Montsec.

The gorge is impressive for its scenery and its dimensions. At some points, the width is reduced to 20 meters while in others the vertical walls rise up to 500 meters. Along the way, through the path carved into the rock, they show points of interest such as the suspension bridge of Barranco de Sant Jaume, located 40 above the river.

The Congost de Mont-rebei is also an area of great ecological value because of its endemic flora and its wildlife, which include raptors such as the osprey, vultures and golden eagle. The adventurous can opt for hiking, downhill kayaking, mountaineering, caving and even the bike path to enjoy the incredible scenery of this natural, almost untouched area.

The Congost de Mont-rebei is one of the most spectacular routes in Catalonia. It has been said that it is the "only great gorge virgin territory", a narrow path that follows a path excavated (1982) in the rock following the course of the Noguera Ribagorzana, river border with Aragon. It is located between Lleida and Aragon, between the regions of La Noguera and Pallars Jussà, crossing the Serra del Montsec.

In the most points, up to 500m cliff, are arranged handrail. Also banks during the route. There are those who dare to cross it and in summer bike tours abound kayaking, overwhelmed these by an inverted vertigo. The main attraction, besides the eternal landscape, is the suspension bridge in the Barranco de Sant Jaume: 40m vacuum beneath our feet.

The widest point of Congost de Mont-rebei is 20 m. The highest vertical drop of 500 m. The itineraries are disparate and can be covered on foot, by bike (only the boldest) and kayaking, sailing.

The routes start from Sant Esteve de la Sarga, after passing the town of Puente de Montañana.

Route 1: following the GR-1, 4 km itinerary back and forth with an estimated 4 hours duration. It is the usual route. You can vary and reach the cliffs stairs Montfalcó.

Route 2: The Queixigar and lookout d'Altamiris: 2 km for a duration of more than 3 hours. It also crosses the suspension bridge and the gorge of the Maçana.

Route 3: l'Obaga Gran i Carboners, travel 2.5 km along the Camino de les Tarteres. After passing the ravine de les Jullanes links to route 2.

Cross Country Skiing

By RobJuxon@gmail.com 

A subject not yet covered in the Lions directory of Knowledge is the wonderful sport of Cross Country Skiing.  As a first timer Lion for 2016, I thought worth sharing some experiences of a favorite sport.  I must also admit that it is a vain attempt to prove to our illustrious leader, Antonio, that I have indeed been doing some training for our May adventure.  It is also directly linked to the Pyrenees where there are a number of fantastic resorts available for cross country skiing over the winter months. 

Cross Country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own efforts to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. It is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity, especially in the Nordic regions.  There are two main types, that of “Classic” where skiers ski along pre cut tracks in the snow, in a running style action, and “Skating” which uses a different type of ski and skiers will make their way along a much wider pisted track in a skating action.  Both are Olympic Sports, and when combined with shooting also make for the two components of Biathlon. 

I was first introduced to the Sport when in the British Army many years ago when sent away to compete in a season of Biathlon racing as a young Officer.  There can be worse missions to be sent on! Ever since, I have loved to keep it up and in particular like the resort of Seefeld in Austria, possibly one of the top resorts in Europe for Cross Country skiers. 

As part of the training for the Lions trip, I found myself in Switzerland this past March, ready to take part in the world’s largest Cross Country Ski race, known as “The Engadin”.   The race has been running every March for 48 years and is a 42 km marathon across the lakes and hills surrounding St. Moritz in Switzerland. 

The Start of the Engadin heading across the lakes above St Moritz 

Along with a group of friends, we headed to Switzerland for a few days of advance acclimatization and training in the run up to the race.  This is essential when knowing that the race is at about 1,800 meters above sea level and even at the best of times it can take several days to get one’s ski legs working.

For the race, skiers can chose to either use the “classic” style or “skating” style as they prefer.  Classic tends to be easier to learn at first. However, skating is significantly faster and the vast majority of skiers tend to go with that. 

The race day starts with an early breakfast and then fleets of buses taking competitors to the start.  There is an array of Pens for competitors to muster, depending on their rankings.  First timers start at the back.  The Elite racers will start at 8 am and can be finished in an incredible 1 hour 35 minutes. Anything below 4 hours is considered to be pretty good. 

Just as in cycling, skiers will draft each other as they shelter from the wind and let the leaders take the hard work 

In glorious conditions we set off, only to very quickly lose each other.  The reality of this kind of race is that everyone needs to go at their own pace.  The key, in my view, is to keep one’s heart rate below 150 at all times, never be “anaerobic”, where muscles will tighten up and glycogen stores can deplete quickly.  Also, keep well fed at the food and drink stations along the way.   Thankfully, all went well and digging deep into reserves on the very painful last miles we all got around in one piece, arriving to the sound of a band and celebrations as thousands skiers hobble to their kit bags and the trains awaiting to take people home.  In true Swiss style, the event is very well organized and for any budding Skier, I would thoroughly recommend it.  One member of our group was over 60 years old, and with only a weeks ski training managed to complete the race.

There are many great locations to practice across the Pyrenees over the winter such as Baqueira and Grandvalira – Pas de la Casa.

Photo: Rob Juxon holing on with just a few kilometers to go

The Sacred Roman Empire and the conflict with the Cathars

By MarcSaade94@gmail.com

For a few centuries, the Pyrenees were part of the Sacred Roman Empire.

In the 13th century, the Cathars (meaning “pure” in Greek) have set up a Christian religion outside Catholicism, regarded as heretical by the ruling Church.

The new religious group were based around modern day Langue d’Oc (Foix, AudeValley, Corbieres). They formed an anti-sacerdotal party in opposition to the Catholic Church. They were opposed to the perceived moral, spiritual and political corruption of the Church, who tried to contain and stop their popularity at first, then continued the persecution of Cathars to their suppression and eventual extinction. 

Cathar heritage can be found in Carcassone, Montsegur, Queribus, Peyerepertuse in the form of poems and songs of the troubadours and in the Occitan linguistic and artistic heritage.

In subsequent times, the Pyrenees were theatre of important historical events: treaties were signed there, because of their geographical position they were both considered haven and obstacle, depending on which side one was stood; their history was inevitably determined by the people who inhabited them, and fought over possession of them. 

Their magnificence has not diminished in the course of the centuries, despite human intervention at times detrimental to the environment and the habitats inherent to them. Their appeal, their invitation to explore, challenge and enjoy remains one of the great pleasures for all to experience.