Contents no. 1 - April 2022:
What magnificent cirques! (Troumouse, Estaubé, Gavarnie).
Rain poncho or waterproof jacket?
Book: Raymond Maufrais: a poignant adventure.
What magnificent cirques!
Troumouse, Estaubé, Gavarnie
Think of the Hautes-Pyrénées and you inevitably think of its famous cirques. Gavarnie, you say? Yes, but there are others. There are 3 neighbours: Troumouse, Estaubé and Gavarnie, immense rock walls backed against the Spanish border.
Go and enjoy the spectacle with the whole family. Here is what awaits you.
Gavarnie: magnificent but crowded
Magnificent! A superlative, but no exaggeration: the Cirque de Gavarnie really is one of the most beautiful glacial cirques anywhere. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its rock wall crowned by peaks over 3,000 m forms a stunning arc. The beauty of the rock is enhanced by water: the lovely mountain river on the valley floor and, of course, the famous 422 m waterfall. Far taller than the Eiffel Tower, it can be admired from afar and enjoyed close up (where you can feel its spray, depending on the wind).
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Rain poncho or waterproof jacket?
At last, a substantial debate in this election season. When hiking, should you choose a rain poncho or a waterproof jacket? RayonRando shares its thoughts.
To set out the terms of the debate, I should explain that I choose one of these 2 options when going on a multi-day hike:
- Either a rain poncho; in this case I also take a lightweight windproof jacket simply to protect me from the wind (and cold) when it is not raining. But I do not take waterproof trousers, as the poncho reaches below my knees, or a backpack cover, as the backpack is already covered by the poncho.
- Or a waterproof jacket, which also serves as a windproof layer when it is not raining; in this case I also take waterproof trousers and a rain cover for my backpack.
As you can see, I do not have a fixed preference. It depends on what I am going to do.
Here are the 5 factors that help you choose between them: Read more
Book: Raymond Maufrais, a poignant adventure
This is no new-season bestseller: “Aventures en Guyane” by Raymond Maufrais was first published in 1952. Yet it has lost none of its appeal.
What makes it unique is that it is neither an embellished adventure story nor a revised and edited account. “Aventures en Guyane” is the unaltered journal of an adventurer who died during his expedition. An Indigenous man happened to find the notebook a few weeks after his disappearance.
A literary achievement:
Although it was not intended for publication, do not assume it is a rough draft or a pile of notes. The adventurer was also an excellent writer, precise and subtle in his descriptions of both his surroundings and his state of mind. Another striking quality is the frankness and sincerity of his account.
The story:
It is 1949. Raymond Maufrais, aged 23, is a young man who fought in the Liberation and has already travelled through Brazil. He decides to attempt an unprecedented expedition: reaching Brazil from French Guiana by crossing the vast Amazon rainforest and the Tumuc Humac mountains. But he sets out without money or equipment, on foot and alone.
A poignant and sincere account:
How do you make progress through this impenetrable forest when you are poorly equipped and must spend much of each day looking for food? Failure soon seems inevitable. As the book unfolds, admiration gives way to a certain irritation with this adventurer who chooses to ignore predictable obstacles and the repeated warnings of everyone he meets in French Guiana.
Is this more than recklessness: is he deliberately cheating death? Eventually this courageous yet senseless obstinacy becomes unsettling. It seems so doomed to failure that you wonder whether Raymond is seeking adventure or fleeing the world. You cannot help feeling compassion for this man who wants to believe he can succeed but gradually realises he is heading towards death, and who, utterly exhausted, abandons his expedition. Too late…
The very nature of the travel journal lets us experience Raymond Maufrais's adventure from within, watching it turn into a struggle for survival. It also lets us follow, step by step, his frankly expressed psychological changes, between determination and anxiety.
Raymond Maufrais's desperate adventure had an aftermath: his father, Edgar Maufrais, spent many years searching for his son, believing every rumour of his survival. This led to another book: “A la recherche de mon fils”.
Raymond Maufrais: “Aventures en Guyane”; publisher: Points
Edgar Maufrais: “A la recherche de mon fils”; publisher: Points
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Coming next:
Here is what we are preparing for the next issue:
- Mallorca: trails above the beaches
- What is R-value?
- First-hand experience: Raymond Rando turns back
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