Mapping in Mountains: Return to Ariège Pt. 1

After spending some time last week working on the maps themselves, I realized that I needed a bit more context from the landscape itself - the fog and clouds that had plagued our field work had since lifted and it was the perfect opportunity to return and see some of the high mountain landcover that had been obscured the week before...

A friend of mine happened to be visiting from Switzerland, so we decided to rent a car and drive up into the mountains on Saturday.

My Pyrénéen GoKart

Renting a car in Europe was an easy exchange - much easier than in the US - however there was some initial skepticism on the part of my friend as to whether I was actually able to drive stick... There is a common misconception in Europe that Americans are somehow unable to manage this - I guess they learn something new every day...

I must admit that during the drive up for the field work, I was pretty jealous that I didn't get to drive on the windy mountain roads...

Most of the roads are so narrow that passing another car involves some backing up and tricking maneuvering. The words of my Uncle Bill echoed in my head - "Dude, who cares - beat up on it, it's a rental"

Still, I navigated the turns with the utmost care - the thought of rolling down a steep mountain hill in a car smaller than your average gokart seemed to dampen my adolescent hormones. The French, however, did not - it seems the National Sport is testing Newton's Laws of Gravity in some of their highest and most inhospitable mountains.

But enough about driving -

The target of the trip was to try and get a better understanding of how vegetation (trees in particular), are beginning to colonize and reforest the upper elevations of the study area. It's one of the bigger themes of the mapping project, perhaps because it is one of the more striking changes that is taking place in the region.

As the livestock that had been roaming and eating everything in sight begin to vanish, the seedlings of trees that had once been food are now being left to grow.

Having seen this phenomenon in the lower portion of the valley near Vicdessos and Auzat, I moved up in elevation to the valley of Artigue-

View Larger Map

Zoom in and check it out!

A mountain slope showing pine trees beginning to march upwards

It was an absolutely beautiful time of day - the low light of the afternoon sun really helped differentiate the types of trees that grow in the area. The interface between forested and cleared land remains somewhat cut and dry, although you can clearly see some brave young trees breaking out from the protection of their brethren.

After taking some pictures from reference, I decided to return to the Soulcem valley to try and see the tops of the mountains that had been obscured the week before.

As there is still a very active pastoral culture in the area, travel on the roads is often left to the whims of the animals that graze here, and, well, wherever else they damn well please!