Carros De Foc "Chariots of Fire"

Updated: Jun 12, 2020

Carros de Foc is a high-mountain route in the north of Spain and Catalonia with a circular itinerary connecting nine mountain refuges inside the boundaries of the Aigüestortes i Llac de Sant Maurici National Park.

By: Jean-Paul Courville

In 2016 my friend A.E. presented me with a suggestion I couldn't resist, and we went for it!

The "Carros De Foc" route meaning Chariots of Fire is located in northern Spain along the beautiful Pyrenees mountain ranges (Catalonia Spain). I had yet to stay in a European refuge/mountain hut so this would be a first for me. The total distance is 55 Kilometers (35 Miles) in six days.

Total elevation gains: 9200 meters (30,183 feet)
Average height: 2400 meters (7874 feet)
Highest point: Coll de Contraix, 2745 meters (9005 feet)
Refuge range height: From 1900 meters (6233 feet) to 2400 meters (7874 feet)

From Sept 10-15, 2016 we hiked and crossed thru 9 refuges, staying overnight in five, and retrieving a stamp from each refuge to prove our completion. I had recently climbed Mt Kilimanjaro (late June) and figured this would be easy since there was no concern with the altitude however, I underestimated the terrain. For example; On one day we climbed eight hours over huge boulders using our upper body, lower body, and coordination to summit the peaks.

We drove from Toulouse, France early on Sept 10th arriving mid day and began.

Day 1: We parked our car, grabbed our packs and made our way to Refugi Restanca the official starting point. We were given a folded postcard for the individual stamps along with a map, and a collectible buff head wrap which has now become my preferred headgear to wear. The route today brought us to Refugi Ventosa i Calvell.

The sleeping arrangements are in a large community room with multiple bunks beds both top and bottom where you are given a number to an assigned bed. Dinner is served at 7pm in a family style seating arrangement however, the kitchen is open thru the day if you desire to order something from the daily menu. The mountain huts / refuges don't always provide shower facilities or even hot water but when they do its always a nice morale booster.

Our daily plan was to start immediately after breakfast and arrive to the next days refuge between 3:00- 5:00 pm giving us and opportunity to shower, dry our clothes, read a book on a terrace while having a beverage and a snack before other hikers arrived causing a traffic jam before dinner.

We met a variety of people the first evening ranging from large groups accompanied with a local guide to couples on a self guided plan. I have had the luxury to travel with my friend A.E. who speaks a variety of additional languages and assisted me in our conversations thru the evening.

Day 2: The common etiquette in mountain huts is to remove your hiking boots, place them in a storage shelf, put on your sandals, and place your hiking poles in a community box. The organization of these huts was impressive considering the amount of hikers that come thru daily.

We departed Refugi Ventosa i Calvell for Refugi Estany where we encountered beautiful lakes and streams, green forest with wide open terrain, and spectacular views that changed drastically thru the hours. I went thru two outfits along the route sweating from the ascents, a physical yet great day.

Refugi Estany.

Day 3: Next was Refugi Colomina, we rarely spotted a person on the trail, and enjoyed complete solitude while listening to streams flowing and birds singing. It was evident where the poet William Wordsworth found his inspiration;

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze …

We met a group of older ladies from France who changed my perspective on time. They carried wine in their packs, stopped at the lakes, removed their boots, sunbathed, drank wine, ate their bread, and enjoyed the moment with no concern of time. I admired their sense of joy.

Day 4: Traveling to Refugi JM Blanc we met a lovely family from Israel. We took photos for each other and they offered us coffee and tea. The father removed a portable stove from his pack and heated water while preparing the drinks atop the mountain. A wonderful memory, great coffee, and 1,2,3.."L'Chaim."

This was our favorite refuge of the trip, the location, the people, the atmosphere, just a lovely place to spend an evening after a long hike as the sunset over the water.

Day 5: Today's trek brought us to Refugi Ernest Mallafré then to Refugi d’Amitges for our evening stay. The temperature dropped drastically and the clouds rolled in occasionally giving us rain, light snow, and a mixture with the sun.

We met a group of guys from the nearby towns and a solo traveler who conversed with us thru dinner. I have traveled solo many times yet this man seemed a bit novice.

The things I witnessed in the middle of the night within the life of a mountain refuge were quite comical. Strangers literally laying next to each other, headlamps on thru the night as people were reading, going to the bathroom by crawling over four people to climb down from the top bunks, stripping almost naked to change their clothes, screaming sentences in their sleep and laying back down next to the wrong person after a trip to the bathroom. It caught my funny bone but I seemed to be the only one amazed, everyone else snored the evening away.

Day 6: This was our longest day as we had to stop at Refugi Saboredo Refugi and then on to Colomers, the final refuge.

While descending thru the snow we walked upon a group of hikers congregating in a circle, something wasn't right. The solo hiker we had met the evening prior started before breakfast to get ahead but had broken his leg on the trail. He was found by a group and fortunately one hiker had a local cell phone and contacted an emergency number requesting a helicopter. The helicopter arrived within 15-20 minutes, although initially they had trouble landing on an even surface they eventually found success and evacuated the injured hiker.

We received all of our stamps, had a great last meal in the mountains, shared a coffee, then made our way out. I loved Carros De Foc and would recommend it to anyone who wants a unique sense of travel and adventure.