Pico de valibalina

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Hike starts from parking by lake at end of tunnel which is more a mineshaft than tunnel! Walk through small tunnel (not one U drove up!) for 20metres. Immediately after tunnel is junction. Go left flat along lakeshore signed for refuge

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Following gr 11 trail

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Cross a lumpy rockfall before hitting softer ground

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35min from parking pass far end of lake and climb up grassy hillside to this junction. Continue right (north) toward refuge climbing a little harder now. Super views of lake below

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Large cairn at 2350m marks top of this climb. Small stone cabin and a moment beyond a smaller lake hemmed by rockfalls

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Small lake just beyond ridge follow along right east side of lake

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Head northeast away from lake to now clearly visible large refuge on rise just aheqd

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State of the art large refuge

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Sticking with gr 11 continue north toward the col signed here

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Few min on from refuge head toward col in West direction with sharp climb up rocks. Streams and small falls hammer down all sides of valley

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Ten min from refuge reach a signed junction going right north is gr11. Instead leave gr 11 here and continue straight ahead west over rocky terrain. There are Cairns and our summit is visible straight ahead

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Scramble over rocks. Path is vague but after few min reach this small lakelet with summit reflection and continue to rocky pass. Path clearer again with cairns

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2hrs from start reach this silent barren lake. The summit is the reddish tinged peak the furthest back. Turn right and head along lake shore climbing gently up

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Looking back down onto lake

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Moment later spy another lake to left but don't drop down to it

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Sharp upward scramble over rock rewards with view over both lakes and distant valleys and ridges

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Another long thin lake off to left. The terrain all rock can be tricky to navigate in bad visibility so stick carefully to cairns

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Iced over for much of the year this is last lake before summit at 2780m. Keep it on your right and follow Cairns over tiring boulder terrain in a WNW direction

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Heading to little gap in rock but confusing jumble of rock everywhere

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Look behind for views of pic Russell

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After an exhausting scramble over piles of rock where U will likely constantly loose trail U will eventually reach the rust red slope and path becomes much more evident zig zagging toward summit. It's very steep and loose stonecan be slidyunderfoot. Looking back down U will already see many of lakes U passed and the start point a km below

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Last steep haul up

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Final ridge walk but steep

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Last few min along summit ridge very steep. Vertigo sufferers will probably want to stop just short of summit

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On way down just as U leave steep rust red rock instead of retracing steps exactly follow another somewhat clearer path leading off first grass ridge east

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This trail runs directly below steep slope prone to rockfall and U walk where the rocks land so take care but otherwise this is a clearer route and cuts out highest lake

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Head toward two small pools in a east south east direction

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Just above double lakes rejoin the trail U walked up