Parking after the Cabane de l'Anyell Morta.
(S/E) After the barrier, the path is initially very wide, marked by railway sleepers. It then narrows to a good path marked in yellow that climbs into the forest. You can also continue on the track that curves to the right, but the path is closer to the stream and more inviting.
A concrete footbridge on the left is tempting, but do not take it (except to admire the small waterfall) and stay on the left bank of the stream in the forest.
You come out of the forest onto a large meadow with a well-maintained hut on the right. If you look carefully, you can see an orri a little further away and higher up on the same western slope; in 2010, it appeared to be undergoing restoration (Orri de la Coume).
(1) Cross the stream on a footbridge made of two large beams and follow the clearly visible path marked by a sign for "Lac d'Aygue Longue". The path climbs south-east then south and skirts the mountain on the eastern flank, overlooked by a rocky ridge. This climb, which is steady and shaded in the morning, is quite pleasant, punctuated by rowan and birch trees. The view to the north widens, and you can see the side of Saint-Barthélemy scarred by talc mines.
The trail becomes steeper and rockier as it passes a rocky spur - this is the only place where I got (weak) Orange mobile phone reception (see Remarks below). You enter a more mineral world.
(2) Water intake with several large buildings, we cross a concrete footbridge. The stones become larger and more frequent: this is the characteristic glacial landscape, a huge staircase composed of steep climbs followed by flat sections with small lakes. You have to climb a series of three locks, sometimes on unstable scree but without danger, to reach the lake that you think you are about to discover but which keeps you waiting.
(3) The lake is truly magnificent, almost round, in a small, beautiful, almost enclosed cirque, overlooked by a lace of ridges to the south, where the silence is impressive. Often on these heights you can hear the murmur of the valleys, but here there is nothing, not a sound of human life.
Ascent of the Pic de l'Homme
Follow the eastern shore of Lac d'Aygue Longue along large rocks, where a steep, clearly visible path leads to the Col de la Parade.
(4) Col de la Parade. The view on the other side plunges down to a small cirque (the Jasse de la Parade) with a few tiny ponds.
The route to the northeast on the ridge is obvious and marked by an unmarked but clearly visible path. The path occasionally passes along the north side. The slope is steep and the view is sometimes slightly vertiginous, but there are no difficulties.
You arrive at a pre-summit very close to the actual summit to the south-east, which is slightly higher. To reach it, you have to descend slightly into a tiny pass where you pass through a small rock gate before climbing back up.
(5) Pic de l'Homme. The return journey follows the same route back to the car park (S/E).