Trip report - A weekend in Andorra
August 8, 2024
It has been a while since I’ve been out for myself, on a camping trip with my camera.
As much as I love to undertake these outings, the reality is that it isn’t always easy to find the time to do so.
So far I’ve been spending most of the summer in Spain, close to the tiny country of Andorra - situated in the heart of the Pyrenees.
My first encounter with Andorra was during the Survival module of the Wilderness Guide course that I have followed a few years back.
Back then, I would have never thought that I would revisit this country so often, but I guess that’s life - always throwing surprises at you.
Old pine and undergrowth
So back to the plan. Let’s make a plan!
I have about 4 days to my disposal, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The tricky part, I need to be within cellphone reach on Saturday afternoon/early evening.
I decided to use the Friday as a test day. So only one night, just to see how it goes, if I’m still able to easily carry all my gear - I feel that I’ve been out of shape - and if I can leave some things behind or need extras for the second part of the trip. This would allow me to be back mid-day on Saturday, leaving some time to prepare the backpack for the next few days and be within cellphone reach.
I decided to return to two areas I’ve been to before, but never with my camera. Therefore I knew there was a lot of potential for photography and I had a vague understanding of the terrain.
I will split this trip in two parts.
Part 1 - Friday/Saturday - Grau Roig / Pessons
Part 2 - Saturday/Monday - Vall del Madriu
I won’t be alone during this trip, as Mavi will be joining me. She will love all the lakes and rivers and make sure to test out the waters in all of them - Yes, our dog is a little water rat.
Mavi and me
Part 1 - Grau Roig / Pessons
Goal:
Taking photos of the many the lakes with the mountains as backdrop, during sunset and sunrise.
I set off quite late, around 18:00. This meant I had about 3 hours before sunset. In this time I had to get to the planned location (hiking 4,5km / 445m of elevation) and in the meantime look around for suitable places to setup the tent.
Like in many countries, wild camping isn’t allowed. But it is allowed to bivouac for a night (setting up the tent at sunset, and breaking up at sunrise and try to remain out of sight).
The area of Pessons is really beautiful, straight from the parking lot you venture into the forrest which is full of old pines, with little streams and waterfalls everywhere.
The start is a bit steep, as it runs next to the Grau Roig ski slope, but after a while it mellows out and you reach the first lake. From here on there is just beauty in every direction. Whether you like grand landscapes, details or more abstract, there’s options all around.
The area is famous for all its lakes and that’s exactly why I was there. To explore them and see how I could incorporate them in my photos.
It was too cloudy to have any light of the setting sun make it through the clouds and cast onto the mountain peaks. So I chose to visit as many lakes as possible before setting up camp and not linger around one spot for too long.
There was one place, next to a rather tiny lake that I really liked and had good potential for some good photos. Not only was the view of the lake and backdrop amazing, but as was the rock structure next to it. It was covered in coloured lichen and mosses, here I used the flat light to my advantage to photograph these details without any hard shadows or overexposed parts, that a non cloudy sky often gives.
Wonderful rock formations covered in Lichen
Now the light of day was fading quickly, I ventured off the path in search for a spot to setup the tent for the night. Preferably with a nice view, but hidden from anyone passing by. After walking around for a while, I found a suitable spot that was flat enough.
As you can see in the photos, the weather was calm and warm, making it possible to setup the tent without the outer shell. As I lay in the tent, the stars became brighter against the darkening sky and soon I could see the Milky Way with the naked eye. I took some time to take some photos, before hopping back in bed, as the alarm was set for a few hours later - to catch the sunrise.
My billion stars hotel and the Milky Way
Sunrise was beautiful, especially from this higher vantage point. It’s pure magic to see the transition from night to day - and to see the first light hit the highest mountain tops.
This is in my opinion also the most beautiful light of the day, it’s soft and subtle, intense in colour, but faint at the same time. Easier to work with as well, as it doesn’t create a harsh contrast difference between the objects - like the mountains - and the sky.
Distant peaks catching the first light of the day
After taking a couple of photos - I managed to take two of when the light was at its best - I headed back to my camp spot to take down the tent and enjoy some breakfast in the morning light. After a little while, I spotted the first hikers on the path down below. They also had an early start, but I doubt they’ve seen the landscape the way I did from up here.
Total distance part 1: ± 14km
Total ascent: ± 550m
Total descent: ± 550m
9/8/24 - 18:00 - cloudy - 22°C
9/8/24 - 00:00 - clear - 10°C
9/8/24 - 06:00 - clear - 10°C
Part 2 - Vall del Madriu
The next part of the trip was planned in another valley - Vall de Madriu. This valley has it all, a beautiful river, wonderful woodland and amazing mountain peaks all around. To get to photographically most interesting part, it’s a bit of a hike in, but definitely worth it.
There are a few options for parking. At the bottom of the valley or near Engolasters.
I chose the latter, the distance is a bit longer, but you save a lot of elevation in the ascent. And with a heavy backpack, this is really important.
Due to some private reasons I set off late this day as well, so I had to rush quite a bit to reach a suitable camping area. Luckily I had already spent some time in this valley before - so I was aware of where the possible bivouac spots were - making it easier to decide to keep on walking or not. However, in the end I still had to finish setting up my tent with the headlamp on.
The morning brought clear skies. I woke up for sunrise again, but I couldn’t find a so called ‘big’ scene that was interesting enough for a photo. And besides that, I had already put my attention to the beautiful old and dead Pine trees around my camp site.
A fallen dead pine, being watched over by the other Pines that are still standing
After wandering around for a while, looking for compositions, I decided it was time to move on, onto the next location.
The goal was to camp near a lake. Preferably one that’s as remote as possible. Because when I’m out in nature, I’d like to be alone with nothing but the sound of the wind and the flowing water.
The lake I chose was surrounded by mountains. And after doing some research online, I saw that this location had some good potential for a so-called ‘grand scene’ photograph. I mean, who doesn’t like a lake with beatiful peaks as a backdrop?
The distance wasn’t very long, but the elevation gain to the lake made for quite a steep hike in. And with carrying all the camping gear, full camera gear including heavy tripod, under a clear sky with the sun beating down on me, didn’t make it easier. But oh so worth it!
I arrived at the lake at 10:00 in the morning. So I had the whole day ahead of me to find a suitable place to setup the tent, and to scout the area for possible compositions. I like to take my time for this so I know my options by the time the light gets more manageable and interesting for taking photos.
And also, to take time to just sit down and enjoy the nature around me.
A dead pine, still standing strong in a big boulder field.
At around 15:00, a lot of clouds came it. With it, also some rain and thunder, at least, according to the forecast. The latter never arrived, although I could hear the thunder in the distance.
With the clouds coming in, this also meant that I could head out with my camera again, to make use of the softer light. The clouds create a kind of ‘soft-box’ effect, washing out hard shadows and highlights that direct sunlight creates when the sun is high above the horizon.
So adapting to the weather and light conditions, and knowing how to make most of them in every situation is a very valuable lesson to learn for a landscape photographer. Especially when you’re in the middle of nowhere, and have only one chance to take a photo of the subject or scene in front of you.
I had already had my eye on a composition at the lake-side. But the clouds seemed to be ruining any chance of some light hitting the tops on the mountains in the distance.
After some time went by, the clouds started to thin out, maybe even more than I wished for and eventually I got some nice sunset light casting on the peaks in the distance.
Soft light hitting the mountain tops during sunset
After taking the photo that’s displayed above, I packed up everything and went to bed. I already decided that I wanted to return to the dead Pine in the boulder field for sunrise. As behind the dead Pine were some lovely mountain peaks that hopefully would catch the first light of the rising sun.
With the alarm set for 06:00, I calculated enough time for myself to make it up to the boulder field. It’s not a long distance or high elevation, maybe a few hundred meters away from my campsite, and fifty meters up. But there’s no path, and the only way there is through a lot of overgrown big boulders. Making it tricky to move around. Easier for me, than for Mavi, the dog. So I had to carefully select my route so she could also easily follow me.
Once I made it up there, I setup the camera and waiting for the peaks to catch the first light. The sky was clear, so it was almost guaranteed the light would make it.
However, when the light reached the peaks, it was only 5 to 10 minutes, until the light lost it’s colour and became to harsh to my liking.
The biggest challenge was to create enough separation between the dead Pine tree and the boulders, as their colours and brightness were nearly the same.
Dead Pine in the boulder field during sunrise
Soon after witnessing the sunrise in this beautiful location, I made my way back to camp again to have breakfast and pack up. Ready to head back to civilisation.
The walk out was a long one, but mostly going downhill. When carrying a heavy backpack I always use hiking poles to help distribute the weight better, to keep a good posture that saves the joints and balance, but also to help me speed up and slow down by using the force in my arms.
In the gallery all the way on the bottom of this blog, are the so called ‘behind the scenes’ photos. That will show you a little bit more of the whole environment and of course Mavi.
Overview of part 2
Day 1 - 10/8/24:
Total distance day 1: ± 7,3km
Total ascent: ± 640m
Total descent: ± 220m
10/8/24 - 18:00 - cloudy - 26°C
11/8/24 - 00:00 - clear - 16°C
11/8/24 - 07:00 - clear - 16°C
Day 2 - 11/8/24:
Total distance day 2: ± 1,4km
Total ascent: ± 240m
Total descent: -
11/8/24 - 18:00 - cloudy - 18°C
12/8/24 - 00:00 - clear - 14°C
12/8/24 - 06:00 - clear - 10°C
Day 3 - 12/8/24:
Total distance day 3: ± 8,6km
Total ascent: ± 840m
Total descent: ± 220m
Behind the Scenes
