Mountain refuge Refuge du Coll del Torn

The water should be solved before it comes. The nearest source is almost 2 km away, so this free shelter calls for basic autonomy from the exit or clear planning of the on-road filling.

In the Matemale sector, within the Capcir and on the eastern side of Occitania, the Refuge du Coll del Torn appears in a very marked transition area. The nearby relief links the thumbnails and rounded tops of the high plateau of Caprir with more open and stony sections, an important detail to be oriented on the ground: it is not the same continuous forest environment as that of a clean ridge, but an intermediate step where the visibility, the exposure to the wind and the reading of the itinerary change.

That position makes sense especially as a refuge of passage. They move around long-distance itineraries like the HRP , GR 10 , Tour du Capcir or the Chemin Vauban, so it can serve to start a long day on a journey or to fit an intermediate night between valleys and hills. More than a point intended only for a concrete ascension, it works well as support on routes that link and change sides.

It may also have an interest in short exits towards immediate elevations, because the Pic de Caputxet is very close and the Pic de la Socarrada is located in the near environment. However, through the network of routes around it, its main role seems more linked to the continuity of the march than to the use as a fixed base of several days.

The 1.870-meter level does not place it in the high extreme mountain, but it does place it on a level where time can change quickly and where wind, fog or a cold day greatly alter the sense of effort. If it is proposed as a free haven within a journey, it is appropriate to reach with margin, sufficient water and capacity to adapt to a land that easily passes from more friendly areas to open and more exposed sectors.