Archivo de la categoría ‘Hiking’ 
The question we are asking these days, amid this storm of cold and snow and where the Eurpean continent seems a Siberia landscape, is if this cold weather is normal.
It seems that while Europe has had some of the most severe storms in recent decades, other parts more used to this kind of inclement have had a milder winter. In fact, Greenland and Alaska are living an extremely mild winter with temperatures 10 degrees above what would be normal for this time of year.
Has the weather gone crazy? Experts say this storm is due to a reversal in the atmospheric currents that defins the weather in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Which in more technical terms, is a negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation.
Not to worry, or no? It appears that this phenomenon is repeated often enough, but experts don’t remember an extreme situation lasting like this in the last 50 years. In fact the Arctic Oscillation period wasn’t as bad since 1950.
Now, the next question we ask is if this unusual whether is a consequence of climate change.
Climate-change skeptics insists that one thing is the natural variability of climate and another is the global warming from the accumulation of greenhouse gases. So, every heat wave or cold winter can not be attributed to climate change. The only way to know if it is the consequence of climate change it is studying these changes over time and seeing how it has evolved in number and intensity.
Perhaps, when we are certain that these problems are caused by the emission of greenhouse gases it will be too late.
I here are two images explanatory (in spanish):
North Atlantic Oscillation
North Atlantic Oscillation
A few days ago I spoke about Madeira. We had the opportunity to enjoy some days in this Atlantic island and go hiking in its mountains.
As I already commented, hiking is the main tourist attraction in Medeira. Madeira has 2,500 miles of trails and Levadas and in this post I wanted to explain to you with a little more detail what the “Levadas” are.
The Levadas are an endless network of canals to carry water between the different parts of the island. They were originally created to provide water for the southern region, drier than the northern region. So in the mid sixteenth century, the island inhabitants began building these water channels along all of Madeira.
As the Madeira orography is very mountainous, the construction of these channels implied a large effort by the inhabitants of the island. Many Levadas are literally carved into the cliffs of the mountains, and often goes through tunnels. In fact, there are over 40 kilometers of tunnels throughout the island of Madeira.
In total there are over 2,200 kilometers of Levadas on the island, just so you can get an idea of the magnitude of this hydraulic engineering.
Well, these Levadas can be walked, meaning that we can follow many trails that run parallel to these wather canals or sometimes on the same wall of the Levada.
Some Levadas are in hidden corners that provide the traveler with a great experience in remote and beautiful landscapes in the interior of the island. Other times they are located along cliffs at the seaside.
To hike one “Levada”, it is indispensable to carry a flashlight and a waterproof raincoat. Also in some of them you must be extremely careful because they have very aerial zones without protection.
All the tours that we propose here are the most spectacular of the island (in Spanish):
- 25 Fontes – Cascada do Risco
- Boca do Risco – Espigao Amarelo
- Caldeirao Verde
- Camino de la Costa de Sao Jorge
- El balcón de Ribeiro Frio
- Levada Nova
- Península de Sao Lourenço
- Pico Arieiro – Pico Ruivo
- Pico Ruivo
- Ribeiro Frio – Portela
We´ve also left the link to download the tracks and waypoints of all these routes: Tracks and waypoints hiking in Madeira
And if you prefer the PDF: PDF Hiking in Madeira
Senderismo en Madeira
Madeira is a complex island for its orografy, with strong contrasts between the south coast, warmer and populated, and the north coast, green and wet, dominated by a central mountain called Ruivo Peak (with 1,861 meters of altitude) and a large plateau.
Hiking is the main tourist attraction in Medeira. It has 2,500 kilometers of trails and “Levadas”, an endless network of canals to carry water between the different parts of the island.
In general the routes are well marked. The “Levadas” don’t present any difficulty, and the other many trails are marked with appropriate signs of PR or GR.
To do one “Levada” it is indispensable to carry a flashlight and a waterproof raincoat. Also in some of them you must be extremely careful because they have very aerial zones without protection.
All the tours that we propose here are the most spectacular of the island (in Spanish):
- 25 Fontes – Cascada do Risco
- Boca do Risco – Espigao Amarelo
- Caldeirao Verde
- Camino de la Costa de Sao Jorge
- El balcón de Ribeiro Frio
- Levada Nova
- Península de Sao Lourenço
- Pico Arieiro – Pico Ruivo
- Pico Ruivo
- Ribeiro Frio – Portela
We´ve also left the link to download the tracks and waypoints of all these routes: Tracks and waypoints hiking in Madeira
And if you prefer the PDF: PDF Hiking in Madeira
Senderismo en Madeira
In this post I’m going to share with you a wonderfull walking path very close to Barcelona: The “Camino de Ronda” of “Costa Brava“.
The “Camino de Ronda” is a path that runs along the “Costa Brava“, close to the sea, at times on cliffs, which used in the past by the “Guardia Civil” to prevent smuggling.
Today, it has become a wonderful promenade overlooking the sea in one of the most beautiful coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula: “La Costa Brava“. This road has been restored in recent years.
Part of the “Camino de Ronda” goes on the GR 92. The GR 92 is a long distance route that crosses Catalonia and never deviates too far from the coast.
It begins in Portbou in Alt Empordà, and finishes in “Puente de l’Olivar” in Ulldecona, Montsià region. But El camino de Ronda continues to the north in France and to the south in Valencia.
We had the opportunity to do a small part of the GR 92, from Portbou to Roses, through Cadaqués and Port Lligat and across the entire park of Cap de Creus. Without a doubt, a splendid journey in the Costa Brava.
Camino de Ronda
I’m going to explain to you in a series of post, three applications for the Iphone 3G that leverage its incorporated GPS technology that can be useful for our excursions in the mountains:
- GPS KIT
- MyTrack
- Trailguru
In this post I’m going discuss the features of the GPS Kit application.
The price of this application is € 7.99 in the App Store and it allows us to obtain certain information such as speed, average speed, altitude, distance and position (longitude and latitude, etc.).
One of the main features of this application is that it helps us to create “tracks”, ie the application is capable of storing the position each few seconds and then drawing our route on Google Maps or Google Earth. At the end of our tour we can send these tracks by email in a KML file.
On the other hand, It also allows us to create Waypoints, which anable us to highlight the important places of our journey.
One interesting option is the Map, which helps us place ourselves in Google Maps with sufficient accuracy. To do this, obviously we must have GPS coverage, and also 3G coverage to download maps from Google Maps, which in the mountains is unlikely.
Some features of this application are:
- Maps (Google Maps)
- Quick View route and direction arrow
- UTM coordinates
- Several tracks storage
- Unlimited track points
- Waypoints
- Stadistics course (length, time, altitude, etc)
- KML Routes
- Lock screen and brightness controlThe only drawback of this application is that to trace one route the iPhone must be turned on all the time while using the GPS,. This means that the battery will drain quickly. When the application is turned on, the battery life is little more than an hour.
From two weeks ago, I’ve been practicing spinning or cycling regularly, twice a week.
As you may know, spinning (also known as cycling, indoor cycling or cycling roof) is an aerobic activity that is performed with a stationary bike in a room to the beat of music.
It seems like it was created by an American cyclist (Jonathan Goldberg) in 1992 when he was looking for a group aerobic exercise like aerobic, steps, etc.
This activity has a many health benefits:
- Strengthen the cardiovascular and respiratory system.
- Burn calories.
- Lower cholesterol.
- Strengthen legs.
- Etc.
I must say that prior to the first class I had my doubts: All these kinds of classes with loud music and with a screaming instructor, they seemed unattractive to me. But a friend persuaded me to go!
The first class, I didn’t love it very much. Riding a bike and pedaling for an hour didn’t seem the best way to spend time. But I went again and again.
In the third session, the class was improving. Everything is in getting the rhythm of the music, and strange to say but once you catch the trick it’s like dancing on the bike.
It’s Very fun and recommended. The most important thing is that you don’t realize that an hour has passed and you have done an good aerobic exercise. You feel refreshed after a boring day of work at the computer.
A good experience worth trying. But above all, don’t despair in the first sessions: try three sessions in a couple of weeks, you’ll see that you’ll feel better every session.
Spinning
Mountain enthusiasts know that weather in the mountains is unpredictable. The morning might begin as a beautiful day with sunshine and in the afternoon the worst of storms is declared . So we know that we must always be cautious and not be trusting, even though the forecasts are good, and always carry warm clothing and some food with us, just in case.
Authorities could not confirm if this is the case of two sisters who froze to death on Saturday after being caught by heavy winds and snow in the Puigmal in the Catalan Pyrenees area (Queralbs – Ripollès). The Puigmal is one of the most emblematic mountains of Catalonia and one of the most traveled of all the Catalan Pyrenees.
The two women were among a group of five people who finished the ascent of Puigmal on Saturday November 7th. On the descent, the good mornig weather changed as the meteorological services had warned, and ushered in a heavy storm of snow and wind.
The visibility was virtually zero and the climbers were disoriented. The temperature fell to -2 ºC degrees, but the wind chill factor could have been as high as 25 degrees below zero celcius.
Not finding the way back, the group decided to split in two. The rescue personnel found the first of the climbers around nine o’clock, three hours after sunset. Firefighters and hikers were always in contact by mobile phone.
It appears that, despite bad weather conditions, hikers were able to follow the directions given by the firefighters, so inicially, the general managment of Civil Protecció Emergències didn’t find negligences.
When firefighters arrived at the first of the climbers , they observed that one had signs of severe hypothermia. In Campdevànol Hospital, where she was transferred, doctors failed to revive her. Neither was it possible to reanimate her sister who was rescued arround one o’clock AM in the other group. The remaining members recovered favorably.
Sad news that we would rather not have had to tell.
Top of Puigmal
During the month of October 2009, a team of Wildlife Environmental Technicians of the Generalitat de Catalunya observed a group of 20 dolphins with four cubs off the coastline of the Natural Park of Cap de Creus (Alt Empordà).
The 20 dolphins are one of the largest groups seen in this region after the epidemic that took place two years ago.
The epidemic Morbillivirus, is a illness that particularly affects this species and in 2007 caused the deaths of 41 dolphins along the Catalan coast. The virus causes the infected animals to weaken and eventually died after beaching on the coast.
After the epidemic, the Department of the Environment activated a plan to care for stranded dolphins along the coast.
Yesterday’s sighting is a significant step in the conservation of cetaceans in Catalunya.
The group of dolphins was sighted about five miles from the Cap de Creus, while they were swimming in the waters of Submarine Canyon Cape, at a closer than usual distance from the coast.
The canyon is a major area of concentration of nutrients that are normally used by cetaceans and birds.
Recently, Environmental Technicians also detected significant concentrations of three different types of terns, an endangered bird species.
Dolphins in Cap de Creus
The Way of Saint James (French path) or the Path of Stars (“El Camino de las Estrellas) , is The Way of Saint James by excellence. From the border between Spain and France in Roncesvalles until Santiago de Compostela in the Spanish Atlantic coast, The Way of Saint James is a nearly 800 kilometre westward journey on ancient path.
The Way of Saint James can not be described, it’s the pilgrim who, step by step, must discover the diverse landscapes and places that are offered throughout the road. Through the ancient and enigmatic stones that mark the routes and make the roads, bridges, chapels, churches, cathedrals, monasteries. Which are simply the footprint left by our ancestors, whose goal was to reach eternity, there at the “end of the earth”.
There are many reasons to make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela: religious, sporting, cultural, culinary, etc. Whatever your reason, it’s a unique experience worth living.
After nearly 800 kilometres, when you arrive to Obradoiro Square, the end of this journey, a host of emotions run through your mind: joy, pride, satisfaction, etc.
I personally felt a deep sadness; that the wonderful experience through Spain from east to west had come to the end. Gone were many days of suffering, loneliness, joys, cold, heat, and sharing many wonderful hours with the people that I love and who I share my life with. At that moment, I discovered that the objective of The Way of Saint James is not to arrive, the road itself is the reward … perhaps like life itself!
Good way, pilgrim!
The Way of Saint James
Teide
The Teide Mountain is the highest mountain in Spain and one of the highest mountains in Europe. It is located in Tenerife Island in the Canary Islands in front of the southern Moroccan coast.
The Teide has a height of 3,718 m above sea level and it is a huge volcanic cone with several craters. The Teide is the only active volcano in Spain but the last eruption took place in 1798.
There are many paths that allow us up to this wonderful peak but only one allows us to climb Teide Mountain from sea level. This path is called The Teidetón.
The start of this trail is located in Playa del Socorro near Puerto de la Cruz village. From this point the trail starts to gain altitude through the Orotava valley until it reaches the large open area of Las Cañadas del Teide. From this point we can see the huge volcanic cone.
Finally, the trail starts to climb between the lava falls until The Teide peak. From here, the views are wonderful: The Atlantic Ocean at our feet and on clear days we can see the neighbor island of La Palma.
In total, this route has a distance of about 30 kilometers and an ascent of about 4,000 meters: All a difficult challenge for nature and sports lovers.
Teidetón
