Camping Ixeia - Collado de la Paúl - Posets - Canal Fonda - Collado de la Pllana - Camping Ixeia

Start and finish: Camping Ixeia, Benasque, Spain
Distance: 32km
Total ascent/descent: 5300m
Alpine grade: PD
Time: 11h (moving fast with a light pack)
Recommended months: July-October
Recommended gear: helmet

This route holds some of the best scrambling I've done so far in the Pyrenees. It's a long loop with over 2500m D+ and a long exposed ridge, but with a light pack and good weather this is a very rewarding route. The PD section is relatively short and has very good grips, therefore it's an ideal introduction to more challenging scrambling.

0.00 Camping Ixeia (1260m): Walk out of the camping and turn R, following the GR11. Go under the bridge over the A-139 and hike along Rio Ésera, turn R to go over Puente de San Jaime and follow the GR11 until

2.00 Refugio de Estos (1890m): follow the GR11 for another 100m until a junction where you take the left leg (Posets is indicated), leaving the GR11. The trail soon becomes overgrown by vegetation but the idea is that you cross Rio Estós and follow a trail somewhat higher than the river itself, going W. This trail is generally clear, though it has some faint bits too. Continue E, keeping Aguja de la Paúl and Tuca de la Paúl on your left side. The trail quickly becomes rocky once past Tuca de la Paúl, at about 2300m. A trail marked with cairns guides you SW, going in between Tuca de la Paúl and Pico Royo de la Paúl. Follow this trail with the impressive Pico de los Veteranos and Pico de Gemelos on your right (make sure to take enough water from there because you won't find any until you descend from Posets) and an increasingly rough path brings you higher. Follow the cairns carefully, they lead you over the safest way in this choas of unstable large rocks. Arrive at

5.00 Collado de la Paúl (3065m), where you have the long crest leading to Posets on your right side. The crest is too steep to climb immediately from the col. So go a few meters S on the other side of the col and go shortly W until you see an obvious chimney which you climb (II+) to reach the crest. This climb is the only part which is graded PD, because of the steepness. The rocks, however, are very solid and provide ideal grips for hands and comfortable places to put your feet, you'll see. Once on the crest, follow the central crestline. Here you will often switch between scrambling and hiking. There are exposed sections but generally it feels easy and safe. At 3320m the ridge becomes significantly less exposed and all that is left is an easier ridge walk S to

6.15 Pico de Posets (3375, the Pyrenees' second highest peak). There are amazing views to the surrounding mountains and the colourful lakes below the Posets glacier in the E.
Descend S taking the normal route which leads to Canal Fonda, keeping the impressive Diente de Llardana on your right. As soon as you come out of Canal Fonda (2650m), which is a large snow-filled corridor surrounded by steep walls, turn E (no path, no markings) and continue going slightly down to 2350m until you join the GR11.2 (if in doubt, aim for Cabana de Llardaneta (2400m), a small hut which is in ruin) Climb up again on this GR trail, carefully following the white-red markers and soon reach the outflow of the large Alforches lake. Follow the path up to

9h15 Collado de la Plana (2703m). Go down E on the other side in the direction of the three Agulles de Perramo. Just before these three peaks (a popular climbing area), at 2500m, there is a junction. To the left the GR11.2 continues to Cabana de Batisielles. This is definitely the fastest route, but I choose to take the other option which leads along the beautiful Perramo lakes and the Escarpinosa lake to the same Cabana de Batisielles. From the cabana, turn E and descend until the GR11. Turn R and hike back to

11h Camping Ixeia (1260m).