Espot - wild camp

The mountains above Lake Maurici.
The three intrepid Poles and I marched up that hot winding road, feeling the sweat dripping down our necks for well over 7 minutes before we spotted some shade under trees to our left. Kris and I stepped into it and released the straps on our rucksacks. We breathed deeply.  The others weren't far behind and we started up the hill again.  These guys were brave, their rucksacks weighed at least half as much again as mine!  On the left before long, the drive into a camp-site appeared and we trooped down it in file like we'd made a wrong turn in Afghanistan.
Heaving our bodies round like pregnant cattle we dumped our bags and took a table outside, a tray arrived and the girl under it smiled as she helped the four cold glasses of beer down to the table in front of us, it was Ice Cold in Alex all over again: the droplets of condensation slowly sliding down the glasses and us inspecting them before ceremoniously raising them and like the 4 Musketeerskis in unison we called cheers! na zdrowie!
 Before long we stamped into Espot where we were welcomed by a convocation of white landrover defenders.  there must have been 50 of them lined up and a dozen more driving slowly around the quaint little town.  It was the start of the Parc National d' Aiguestortes

We found a little shop and re-provisioned, tomatoes, peaches cheese and chocolate, something to drink than the four of sat in the shade of this tree and put the world to rights.  The little things!!

After half an hour of winding up the road and then bearing off through coppiced hazelnut trees, I wished them luck and pulled ahead, I wanted to get through the park and wild camp up on the ridge Port de Ratera before nightfall.

The lake in the middle of the park was beautiful and I met a lovely mother and daughter from Israel, Avivula and the daughter was called the Hebrew for Bambi, which I forget now. I tried to show the mother how to operate my camera/phone in panoramic but after take-three Bambi (12) had to do it!  Like a true Jewish mother in no time she was worried about me:"you're on your own!!" "what if something happens to you!" "he's got a phone mother!!" "but I can't a get signal, can you get a signal, already!" so with these warm sentiments muffling the humanity in me and pulling the tears to my eyes I left them to join up with their kite flying men while I threaded past this waterfall to gain the open ground of my camp that night, wherever it might be.

The Waterfall.:
Avivala :                                               Wild Camp: