Acrocephalus Blog

Russell (3207m)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:05:00 +0000

Route: south face and Great Cornice

Area: Maladeta

Orientation: S

Climbing date: 2012/09/22-23

1st summit climb date: 1865

1st summit climbers: H. Russell, C. Packe

Difficulty: II/II+

Elevation gain: 1235m in 2 days

Time: 8 hours (2h first day and 6h second day)

Lenght: 11.84km

Exposure: **

Commitment: **

Gear: Regular hiking gear. Depending on the snow conditions, crampons and ice ax maybe required. Also, a sling could be useful if there is unexperienced people.

Overall rating: *****

It's a long time since my last hike, so I recover this one from my archives, which was still unpunlished. The Russell Peak (3207m) is the most eastern summit within the Maladeta mountains. Also it was the last summit for me on the Maladeta mountains east to Aneto. It seemed a good candidate to be my 50th 3000m summit.

We decided to plan a two days route, as the mountain is pretty far from home, about 5 hours driving. We arrived at Puén de Coronas, where the route starts, at lunch time. The weather was pretty nice, but the forecast was not so optimistic. After having lunch we started walking. The first part of the route follows the GR92 (red and white tags) to the Pleta de Llosás. There, the route turns north and starts going upwards strongly. It climbs the right side of the valley until it reaches the Ibón Inferior de Llosás (lower lagoon), where we pitched the tent. The lagoon is surrounded by the impressive Aneto and Tempestats summits and its beautiful ridges. There we enjoyed a beautiful night under the stars at 2500m. The next day we waked up at 6:00h when it was still dark. After having breakfast, at 7:00h we where ready to go up. The route surrounds the lower lagoon eastwards and climbs the left bank of the stream draining from the Ibón Superior de Llosás (upper lagoon). After a while (be careful not to descend to the lagoon) we leave the route to Collada dels Isards (or Collado de los Bucardos) and turned north, climbing hard. We were then walking up the valley between the Tempestats (left) and the Russell (right) peaks. It does not take too much to have good views of the Russell southern face and the Great Cornice. We located the corridor which descends from the Russel Breach. At the base of this corridor starts the Great Cornice. The weather was turning a little bit unstable. We decided to continue but ready to do down as fast as possible if it turned worse. We left the hiking poles, as we needed to use our hands to climb. We overcame a first rock step (I/I+) to reach a balcony where we could easily walk. Then we reached a more steepy and longer corridor (II/II+) where we had to be careful and look for the better route. The most difficult part is about 30m, then it is steepy and slippery, but easy. Finally we reached the summit plateau. There the wind was very strong, and the last meters to the summit were a little bit of a pain because of it. Finally we reached the summit. We really enjoyed it despite of the cloudy, windy and cold weather. We descended pretty fast to run away from the wind. At the tents we had a snack. After packing everything, we continued to the cars where we arrived at about 16:00h.

Calendari de natura / Nature calendar 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 09:38:00 +0000

Ja us podeu descarregar el nostre calendari de natura per al 2013. Cliqueu sobre la imatge per accedir a l'arxiu Esperem que el gaudiu! / You can download our nature calendar for the forthcoming year. Click on the image to get it. Enjoy it!

Aragüells (3037m)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:22:00 +0000

Route: Puén de Coronas and Ibones de Coronas

Area: Maladeta

Orientation: S

Climbing date: 2012/07/12

1st summit climb date: 1880/08/10

1st summit climbers: H. Russell, F. Barrau

Difficulty: easy

Elevation gain: 1055m

Time: 7 hours (no stops)

Lenght: 8.5km

Exposure: *

Commitment: *

Gear: Regular hiking gear. Depending on the snow conditions, crampons and ice ax maybe required.

Overall rating: *****

On July 12th my girlfriend and me climbed the Aragüells summit. This is not a difficult or long climb, but it is worth climbing it because of its great views over the Maladeta mountaing range south face. During summer months there is a shuttle from Plan de Senarta to Puén de Coronas. This is pretty expensive (16€ round trip), but it is the only way to get there unless you want to walk all the way up (9km). So, we started walking at Puén de Coronas (1956m). First of all we followed the trail to Ibones de Llosás, but after about 1km we left it and followed the trail to Ibones dde Coronas. This first part of the hike was not really step until we reached the Pleta de Coronas (2072m). There we could see our summit for the first time. There the trail starts a step climb to reach the Ibonet de Coronas (2250m). We countinued climbing up following some trail traces and milestones. The trail climbs beside a waterfall just before reaching the Ibón Inferior de Coronas (2614m).

Ibón Inferior de Coronas

We surrounded the lake south basin. After a while we left the trail to Aneto (NE) to head to Cregüenya/Aragüells Saddle (NW). The hike to the saddle is a bit tricky, climbing and jumping over boulders. We advise you to walk though the gully between the Aragüells and the Juncadella Spire. Just below the saddle we found some snow patches.

Cregüenya/Aragüells Saddle (2897m). Aragüells Peak (left) and Juncadella Spire (right)

Panoramic view from the summit towards the Maladeta mountain range.

At Cregüenya/Aragüells Saddle (2897m) we turned SW to climb the ridge up to the summit (3037m) looking for the easiest way. The wiews there were wonderful.

Then we started the descent. Instead of following the ridge we followed some milestones which lead us directly to the base of the peak. From there, we backtracked the trail to the beginning. There, we relaxed bathing our feet in the chilling river water while waiting for the shuttle to go down.

Normal (80m, V+), Cavall Bernat, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Line: Normal

Area: Cavall Bernat, Montserrat

Orientation: O

Climbing date: 2012/03/20

1st climb date: 1935

1st climbers: J. Boix, J. Costa & C. Balaguer

Difficulty: V+

Length: 80m

Exposure: **

Commitment: *

Equipment: bolts and huge pitons

Gear: 10 quickdraws. There is the chance to place friends on the dihedral if needed

Overall rating: ****

Last Tuesday I met Lete after almost 4 months and we went climbing probably the most mythical spire in Catalonia: the Cavall Bernat. It was my first climb there, and we choose the easiest Normal Line (80m, V+). This spire was first climbed on October 27th 1935, being an incredible historical climb.

The 1st pitch (8m, V+)

The usual approach takes the Vallmala trail and climbs hundreds of stairs. To avoid these staris, we took the Sant Joan funicular. We walked the Sant Jeroni trail for about 1km and, after a lookout on the left, we turned right following a descending trail to reach the Vallmala Trail. We crossed it and climb a slab to reach a new trail. We turned right and followed it until we are just below the saddle in front of the spire. Then, it takes just a couple of minutes to reach the base of the line. We prepared the gear and started climbing. The first pitch is clean and easy (II+), just a couple of slabs to reach the 1st belay. There starts the real climb. This is the crux of the line. Originally, this was a, 8m clean pitch very hard to protect. However, now there is a bolt which protects the hardest movement. To tackle this pitch (V+) it is better to unclimb a couple of meters before climbing straight to the bolt. Once overcome this movement, there are good holds that allowed us to reach the 2nd belay. The 2nd pitch (40m, V) follows the evident dihedral. There are 8-9 giant pitons and a bolt. Furthermore, there can be placed as many friends or nuts as needed. The 3rd belay is on the top of the dihedral and is very comfortable. The 4th pitch (40m, III+) was clean and lead us directly to the summit. There we enjoyed the great views with a wonderful weather. We were quite lucky with it, as we started to prepare the rappels it turned windy and the sun disappeared behind the clouds. The first rappel (20m) lead us to the 3rd belay and the second one (50m) directly to the ground.

The 2nd pitch (40m, V)

After packing all the gear, we started walking down. Instead of taking the direct trail down, we walked the ridge to the south, enjoying great views of the surroundings. Finally, we reached the Sant Benet trail which led us the base of the Elefant, La Panxa del Bisbe and eventually to la Vallmala trail. Following it down, we reached the Montserrat monastery and the parking lot.
Summarizing, this is a great classic line. It is a must for any climber visiting the area. I give 4* to it. I don't rate I 5* just because the rock is pretty polished after 77 years of climbing.

Aresta Brucs (90m, IV+), Agulla de l'Arbret, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Line sketch taken from Escalatroncs blog.

Line: Aresta Brucs

Area: Agulla de l'Arbret, Agulles, Montserrat

Orientation: S

Climbing date: 2011/03/06

1st climb date: November 1957

1st climbers: J. Cerdà, J. Riera & E. Auqué

Difficulty: IV+

Length: 90m

Exposure: ***

Commitment: *

Equipment: bolts and rivets

Gear: 5 quickdraws

Overall rating: ****

After almost two months without climbing last week I went to Montserrat once again. I met two of my climbing mates, Ramon and Jaume, to climb a very classic route. The line chosen was the Aresta Brucs at Agulla de l'Arbret. It is not a difficult line, but it has a certain degree of exposure which makes this line great for mental training.

First meters of the 1st pitch

I picked up Jaume at 8:00 and we met Ramon at 9:00 at Monistrol de Montserrat. We headed to Can Maçana where we left the car. We walked the trail to Vicenç Barbé refuge. Then, we took the wrong way and climbed the Canal Ampla to Portell Estret, which made the hike a little bit longer. Anyway, this was not a problem as the hike is wonderful. Finally we arrived at the base of the wall. A thing to take into account: even if the wall faces south, the base of the line is shadowy because of the Bessones. On one hand, this makes the line base pretty cold. On the other hand, the first meters of the line are always a little bit slippery.

The comfortable 1st belay

The 1st pitch (IV, 35m, 5 bolts) climbs on the left of a characteristic hole in the wall. As I've said, the first meters of the 1st pitch may be pretty hard, not because of the difficulty but because of the cold fingers and the slippery holds. Just on the hole we barely flank left and keep climbing up. The 1st belay (3 bolts) is on a very comfortable cave. We joined the 2nd and 3rd pitches resulting in an interesting 55m pitch (IV+, 55m, 5 bolts). We left the belay climbing on the left of the cave. It is pretty vertical and the holds are great, providing a pleasant climb. We continue climbing toward a short wall (2m, IV+). Having climbed this wall we continue up to a saddle where there is the optional 2nd belay. The last 15m are pretty exposed, no anchors and III+ (even if I feel it is closer to IV). The abseiling installation is on the spire east face, just in the saddle with a rock. The rappel has 50m, but there is an intermediate installation beside a tree making it possible to rappel with a single rope (20m+30m).

To go back to the car we took the right trail which led us directly to the refuge again.

Roses Bay winter pelagic trip

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:17:00 +0000

As usual, last Saturday we carried out the annual APNAE pelagic trip at Roses Bay. We use to run this winter pelagic trip on mid January, but because of the strong winds that blew at the Empordà for almost a month and then the ship maintenance, forced us to postpone the trip until the end of February. Probably because of this, the trip produced less birds than usual, with very few Shearwaters. The best seabirds were up to 11 Black-throated Divers and 7 Razorbills. We also saw a Peregrine Falcon. After the boat trip, we had some tapeo at Empuriabrava and then we continued birding. We first went to Estany d'en Pericus, because there had been seen a Spoonbill. Even if there were good numbers of birds, there was no sign of the Spoonbill. However, we had some nice birds such as a 2nd year Common Gull, Ruffs, Little Stints, Dunlins, Spotted Redshanks, ... Then we moved to Estany de Vilaüt to look for Glossy Ibis. There were no Glossy Ibis at all, but we saw good numbers of waterfowl including many Pintails. What a wonderful bird! Finally, we spent the last hour at Tres Ponts to try to see or hear the Great Bittern. We had no luck with this birds, but we enjoyed the great views of hundreds of birds going to roost.

Esquivabolas (145m, V), La Cajoleta, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Line sketch. Click on the image to get a pdf file of it

Line: Esquivabolas

Area: La Cajoleta, Ecos, Montserrat

Orientation: S

Climbing date: 2012/01/12

1st climb date: November 2010

1st climbers: J. Solé & L. Alfonso

Difficulty: V

Length: 145m

Exposure: **

Commitment: *

Equipment: bolts.

Gear: 8 quickdraws

Orientation: South

Overall rating: ***

Last Thursday I met Jaume again and together with my brother we went climbing to Montserrat. It was the first multipitch climb for my brother, so we choose an easy line. Furthermore, I'm still recovering my injured leg, so an easy climb was great. We went to a new area for me, Ecos, to climb the Esquivabolas (145m, V) to La Cajoleta. This is a humble spire with a nice rock and great views from the top.

Bernat beginning the L1

We parked at Can Jorba and took the Camí dels Francesos (French's Trail). After a steep way up we arrived to Coll del Musset, from where we could see our goal. We unclimbed to the north following yellow paints until we reached the Canal del Migdia. We crossed it and a few meters after we reached the base of the wall (blue paint).

The beginning of the line is shared with the Aresta Brucs line, until the first bolt. Then the line turns left until it reaches the 1st belay (2 bolts). The 1st and the 2nd (III+ and IV+) pitch are pretty similar, a slab that gets steeper until it reaches the 2nd belay (2 bolts) just below the roof.. Then, the line flanks left (3 bolts) until the V movement, well protected with 1 bolt. Once overcome it, it goes up (IV+) to the 3rd belay. Beware that at the end of the pitch there are many loose rocks that could fall. This last pitch is pretty nice, with some air under our feet.

Bernat facing the V movement.

The abseil system is on the north face, and the rappel is pretty short (about 15m). From the saddle, we have a couple of options. Some people abseil from a Holm Oak on the west face, but it seems there is no abseiling installation placed there, so some auxiliary ropes are needed. As we are not rappel fans, we climbed the face opposite to the first rappel (about 15m, no rope needed) and walked the ridge until we found some yellow paints that go down. We followed them (sometimes it is a little bit tricky) until the beginning of the line.

To summarize, this is a good line to begin the multipitch climbing. The bolts are distant where it is easier, but the difficult movements are properly protected. Also, the 3rd pitch is worth climbing. Finally, the surroundings are great, and the stunning views from the summit will not disappoint you.

Aresta Brucs (110m, IV+), Agulla Sense Nom, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Line sketch. Click on the image to download the pdf file.

Line: Aresta Brucs

Area: Agulla Sense Nom, Agulles, Montserrat

Orientation: SW

Climbing date: 2012/01/07

1st climb date: September 1945

1st climbers: J. Camarassa i A. Gumà

Difficulty: IV+

Length: 110m

Exposure: ***

Commitment: *

Equipment: there are bolts and rivets.

Orientation: South

Overall rating: ***

Last Saturday we went to climb the Aresta Brucs or Normal Line to the Agulla Sense Nom (Nameless Spire). This time we were a party of three: Toni, Mireia and me. Furthermore, it was going to be our first multipitch climb completely autonomous, so we were a little bit nervous. The line is not really difficult, but the distance between anchors sometimes is large. Thus, this was a great line to start our climbing career while training our climbing state of mind.
The approach is pretty easy. We park at Can Massana and we have to take the trail to Vicenç Barbé refuge. After the refuge, the trail turns north. When it arrives to Canal Ampla, we turn left to El Portell Estret. Just before getting there, we arrive to the wall base.
The 1st pitch is an easy slab (III, 35m) to reach the 1st belay. It is places in a ledge with 1 bolt and 4 (I guess) rivets. The 2nd pitch is very similar to the previous one, but a little bit more steep (III, 30m, 2 anchors). The 2nd belay is on a pretty comfortable ledge. The 3rd pitch starts with a steep section (III, 1 anchor) to reach a shoulder on the ridge. Then, we have a short vertical wall (IV+), properly protected with 1 bolt on the more difficult section and a rivet just after. Finally, we reach the top of the line (3 bolts). There we enjoyed the great views of the area before going down. The rappel is on the north side of the spire, and is not really long (20m-25m). It leads to a saddle, then we have to go down west to reach the main trail. We had all the gear with us, so we had no need to go to the wall base again. We turn right (north) to reach El Portell Estret. Then, we went down and walked all the base of the northern wall. Great views!
Summarizing, this is a nice line, to climb without worrying, while enjoying the great views of the area.

Nature Calendar 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:40:00 +0000

Our Nature Calendar 2012 is already available. Just click on the image below to get it. For free!! / El nostre Calendari de Natura 2012 ja està disponible. Només heu de clicar a la imatge de sota per descarregar-vos-el. Gratuït!

Aresta Brucs (V-, 90m), Saca Gran, Agulles, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:50:00 +0000

Line sketch

Line: Aresta Brucs

Area: Saca Gran, Agulles, Montserrat

Orientation: S

Climbing date: 2011/12/17

1st climb date: September 1958

1st climbers: J. Cerdà i J. Riera

Difficulty: V-

Length: 90m

Exposure: ***

Commitment: *

Equipment: there are bolts and pitons. A medium size Camalot (#1, #2) may be useful at the crack of the 1st pitch and at the 3rd, but we didn't place any.

Orientation: South

Overall rating: *****

L1 crack

On December 17th I met Lete again for a classic line climb. This time Toni joined us. This was his first multipitch climb ever. This was also my first climb after the accident, so It was really ok for me to choose an easy climb. We arrived at Can Massana a little bit late, but as the climb was short and easy it was ok. Moreover, it was really cold and windy, so we didn't want to start too early. We started the approach walking towards to Coll de les Portelles. It was a nice hike, and we enjoyed it. When we reached the saddle we turned left following some red signs. We continued hiking, we climbed a fixed rope and after a while we reached the base of the wall. It took 45'-60' to reach the line.

Agulles Reg

The beginning of the 1st pitch was a little bit tricky, mainly because of the cold. We started below and left of a tree. We have to reach this tree and clip a bolt. There we can see a nice crack (IV). Beware as the rock at the beginning of the pitch is a little bit loose. We climbed the crack to its end. Then we flanked right to reach the belay. This first pitch was strange, mainly because of the cold wind. We could barely feel our hands! The first meters of the 2nd pitch are the hardest ones. After clipping a piton in a hole (it is useful a long sling) the line goes right to reach a little crack. There we turn left again clipping a piton and a bolt to reach the 2nd belay, really comfortable. The wind was very strong and cold, making the climb pretty uncomfortable. We rushed and started the 3rd pitch. The first meters were easy, almost walking, until we were below a slab with a crack. The wind was getting harder, and the ropes were flying! Climbing this slab is the hardest part of the line (V-). The crack is very useful at the beginning, until we are on the right of the slab. Then, the holds become smaller and the wall more

Agulles Northern Wall

vertical. Once overcame it, it gets pretty easy to the summit. It was really windy and cold, so we hurried up and abseiled. The rappel installation is on the west face to reach the top of a corridor. This is in pretty bad condition, so we prepared a new rappel to reach the base of the wall. When we reached the summit, the wind was blowwing at 60km/h and the temperature was 4ºC, giving a chilling temperature of -15ºC. We had planned another climb, the Aresta Brucs at Agulla de l'Arbret, but my leg had had already enough climbing. Furthermore, the chilling temperature was very uncomfortable. As we had some time left, we hike to Coll del Porc (Pig's Saddle) and go back below the great northern wall of the Agulles Region while enjoying the great views.

Villafáfila and Tierra de Campos

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:25:00 +0000

Summary

At the beginning of December we spent a long weekend birding at Villafáfila lagoons and Tierra de Campos county. This is probably the most important geese wintering grounds in southern Europe, with about 50.000 individuals. These are mainly Greylag Geese, but scarcer geese can show up, such as Pink-footed or Bean Geese. Furthermore this area harbours many dryland specialities, such as the endangered Great Bustard, Black-Bellied Sandgrouses, Lesser Short-toed Larks or Black-winged Kites.

We stayed at Hotel Zaravencia (http://www.hotelzaravencia.com/) at Toro. The hotel is not really good, so if you don't need to stay in budget you can try a better one, such as Hotel Juan II (http://www.hotelesentoro.es/). Anyway, even if you have your dinner already booked, I advise you to go out to have some "tapas y pulgas" while drinking some local wine. You won't be disappointed! The city itself is worth a visit, with some small palaces and a really nice polychromatic church. Even if it is not close to the birding sites, it is well located to reach both. Weather can be a problem there, specially the fog, so take it easy and plan some extra day in case of heavy fog.

December 8th 2011

We left Girona at 7:30h and started the 900km drive to get to Toro. Our first stop was close to Barcelona, to pick up some partners and have a brief coffee. We continued or journey and soon we entered the Lleida Drylands. There we had our first interesting bird species, a flock of about 100 Little Bustards beside the highway. This was a great start. We left Catalonia and entered Aragó. There were the Monegros, a typical dryland area which holds some of the most interesting birds in Spain, such as the endangered Dupont's Lark. We didn't stop there, as we had to drive many kilometers and we had already visited this area before (see http://www.acrocephalus.net/2010/05/weekend-at-ebre-drylands.html). We continued driving along the Ebre River with a great diversity of landscapes, from dryland to riparian forest. This produced a good range of birds even if we were driving: Red Kite, Merlin, Jackdaw, Griffon Vulture, ... At lunch we stopped at Embalse de las Cañas, close to Logroño.

This is a dam which harbours a good range of ducks and other wildfowl, including Common Pochard and Tufted Ducks. There we saw our first Greylag Geese and some Pintails. We also looked for the Bearded Reedling which sometimes shows up here, without luck. After lunch, we continued our drive. There were 350km left! It didn't took a long time to get into the fog. The visibility was awful, and we had to drive really slow for the last 200km. Finally, we arrived at the hotel at about 19:30h. We had some time to do some "tapeo" and drink wine before having dinner. We were really exhausted, so we went bed pretty early.

December 9th 2011

Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)

After a scarce breakfast we drove the 45km to Villafáfila. It wasn't very promising. The fog was pretty dense and the visibility really scarce. Our first stop was at Villardón Lookout. The visibility was pretty bad, but we managed to see a lot of ducks and the firsts hundreds of geese. We decided to continue hoping the weather would get better. Just before getting to the visitor's center, we turned left (signposted "Estación de Transferencia") to explore and area told to be good for the Great Bustrads. No luck at all! Just before getting to the visitor's center we found a huge flock of geese. We could check it just before the fog closed again. Great! We saw the only Pink-footed Goose of the trip. It's a shame that just few of us could see it. By the time we got to the visitor's center, the weather had improved. It was very cold, but at least the visibility was good enough! We walked along the birding trail, which visits some lagoons with nice birds. There were good numbers of wildfowl, including Common Pochard, Tufted Duck and many geese. After exploring a little bit, we managed to get a Greater White-fronted Goose and a Bean Goose. Great, a couple of scarce geese. We continued walking. At a certain point, we had a glimpse of an owl. Was it a Short-eared Owl?? We tried to see it again, and when we found it it was "just" a Tawny Owl. Nice bird! After having explored these lagoons, we decided to explore the fields north to Villafáfila and Tapioles to get some Great Bustard.

Flock of Great Bustards (Otis tarda)

It didn't took too long to see the first group of Great Bustards, but we continued exploring to get more birds. We get some other interesting species, such as Hen Harriers, Black-bellied Sandgrouses and even White Storks! We explored the area (being very carefull with the mud and the dirty roads) for the rest of the morning and we went to have lunch to Fuente de Revellinos de Campo lookout. After having had lunch, we continued south until the dirty road ended. This produced more Great Bustards and a flock of about 1000 Common Cranes. The day was short and we were getting late, so we decided to go back and head to Otero de Sariegos. We drove a dirty road NE to the lagoons which produced some nice birds. We passed the ghost town and explored the southern fields, which produced a nice Merlin. Just before, sunset we went to Otero de Sariegos to wait for the geese going to roost. While waiting, we could hear some Little Owls and Tawny Owls calling. It took a long time for the birds to come. First, they came some flocks with a few geese. There was also a nice Common Cranes flock. Now it was night. Suddenly, we heard the calls of some thousands of geese coming to roost. It was a great show! Many flocks of geese in V shape coming to roost for about 10 minutes under the light of the full moon. This was an unforgettable experience!! After the show, we decided to go back to the hotel. Before getting to Toro we had some more good birds: not less than 3 Lesser-eared Owls! When we arrived to Toro, we went for some "tapas y pulgas" and wine to celebrate the great birding day.

December 10th 2011

Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus)

After having lunch we drove the 85km to Fuentes de Nava Lagoon. The visibility was pretty good, but showers were expected. As we drove, we managed to see some birds. At a certain point, we saw a strange kestrel. I quickly braked and, just after looking through the binoculars, I realized that the kestred was a Black-winged Kite. Great! This was a lifer for many people. We continued driving to Fuentes de Nava. We started exploring the area from the south. We started at La Güera lookout, walking the dirty road along the drain channel. There was quite a lot of wildfowl at the lagoon, but nothing outstanding. Then we moved north and stopped at Cantarranas Lookout. From there, we explored the trail which led to La Cogolla lookout. I expected to see some interesting passerines there, but it was very quite. We just saw some Penduline Tits, Chiffchaff, Goldfinches, ... At the end of the trail we had a great surprise with a bid flock of geese. They were mainly Greylag Geese, but also there were 7 Greater White-fronted Geese and 4 Barnacle Geese. Great! A new goose species for the trip. From there we moved north, to the other side of the lagoon (Corralillos Lookout), where we had lunch. From there we saw a Bar-headed Gooses. Some were very happy, as it was a lifer, but it is not countable in Spain (????) because of uncertain origin. After lunch I wanted to explore the fields north to the lagoon to look for Short-eared Owls. However, we couldn't explore them properly, as they were really muddy. Moreover, there were no voles at all, so it wasn't a good year for this owl. Then we decided to move to Boada Lagoon. This is an endorheic basin which hold a good number of birds. The most interesting thing there is the landscape, and the surrounding fields which harbored thousand of geese (they say about 10000). There, we also saw some waders such as Golden Plover and Dunlins. Unfortunately, short after we arrived it got dark and started raining, so we had to leave. It was our last night at Toro, so we had a great "tapas" dinner with much local wine. After dinner, it was time for the classic football match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Fortunately, our team won it (1-3).

December 11th 2011

We woke up a little bit earlier than the previous days. After breakfast, we said goodbye to some people who stayed there and started the long drive home. We went pretty straight forward, as we had 900km to get home and we didn't want to arrive to late. We stopped at Candasnos lagoon. This is an old irrigation pond which now harbours a good range of birds, mainly in spring, but also in winter. It is in the middle of the Monegros Drylands and close to the AP-2 highway, making it very suitable for a visit while exploring the Monegros (see http://www.acrocephalus.net/2010/05/weekend-at-ebre-drylands.html). Quite a lot of birds were there, being the most interesting the Red-crested Pochards, the only ones for the trip.

Mompart, Gorro Frigi, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:06:00 +0000

Mompart Line sketch (D).Extracted from
http://blogdelguillem.blogspot.com/

Line: Mompart

Area: Gorro Frigi, Els Gorros, Montserrat

Orientations: NE

Climbing date: 2011/10/31

1st climb date: September 18th 1955

1st climbers: A Mompart & A Caparrós

Difficulty: IV+ (V if you climb the last Magic Line pitch, as we did)

Length: 190m

Exposure: *****

Commitment: **

Equipment: there are some bolts and some really old rivets. We placed some cams (Camalot C3 and C4 0.5-2)

Orientation: South

Overall rating: *****

Yesterday we met Lete again after a couple of month of our last climb together. As usual, we choose a classic line. I wanted to climb on Els Gorros area at Montserrat, where I had never climbed. We choose the Mompart line, established on 1955. It was the 3rd line on the summit, after the Normal line by Ll. Estasen on 1920 and the Haus-Estrems on 1945. In fact, the Mompart line is an easier version of the Haus-Estrems, avoiding its more difficult 4th pitch (IV+/A0).

The 1st pitch (III+, 1 bolt) starts just below a tree on the right side of the wall. It climbs a crack. There is just a bold, but it is possible to place some cams in the crack. The 1st belay is on a tree with no bolts, but the tree is solid enough to ensure a secure belay. The 2nd pitch (IV+, 2 rivets) climbs a crack (II) at the beginning. When it ends, the wall becomes a little bit more vertical (IV+) until it reaches the 2nd belay (3 bolts). I think that the 3rd pitch (IV, a rock bridge and a rivet) is the most beautiful one. To leave the belay we flanked right a little bit to reach an area with big pebbles on the ridge. There is quite a lot of air under our feet. Then we climbed straight up until we were at the level of the belay. Then we started flanking left, an impressive flanking but with very good holds, until we reached the 3rd belay (4 bolts). This belay is known as the WC, as there is a rock which reminds a WC. To start the 4th pitch (IV) we exit the belay on the left. The hardest movement of the pitch is the first one. Then, it is a highly psychological pitch, as even if it is not difficult, there is just an anchor and it is hard to place more until it reaches the 4th belay (4 bolts). The 5th pitch (V) of the original line is an easy II slab, so we decided to climb the last pitch of the Magic Line. After having overcome the boulder movement (V) we reached the summit with no problem. We didn't spend much time there, as it was foggy and windy. We unclimbed the normal line (there is a ferrata there) until we reached the saddle between the Magdalena and the Gorro Frigi. Finally, we walked the trail until Sant Joan and, walking again, we reached the Montserrat Monastery.

Bassegoda (1375m)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:11:00 +0000

On Saturday 10/29 we went hiking to Bassegoda (1375m), one of the highest summits in the Alta Garrotxa Natural Park. The original idea was to discover some unknown trails for us. However, the black clouds and a faint rainfall made us change our minds. We decided to climb this summit, as we already knew the trail and it wasn't as long as the original option.

We met at Besalú, and we had to wait for quite a long time because ... one of us had forgotten the hiking backpack at home! So we had some coffee and a croissant. When she arrived, we drove to Sadernes and then up to Ca n'Agustí. We started walking at about 9:30h in the morning. We headed towards the Mare de Déu de les Agulles hermitage, a very nice Romanesque building. The we had a snack and continued the hike towards the Santa Maria Saddle. Just before arriving there, we turned right to reach the ridge. Now the fog was really dense, making the landscape quite unreal. We walked the ridge up until we reached the summit rock. It was a shame that we couldn't enjoy the views due to the fog, as it is really impressive! We flanked the summit walls on the right until we reached the ferrata to the summit. We didn't spend much time on the summit, as it was really windy, cold and foggy. We unclimbed to Pla de les Bateries and then we followed a dirty road following the GR11 (red and white paints). After 1 kilometer or so, the trail turns lefts and goes down to El Corral de Principi. We had lunch there. The trail continues on the left side of the valley, crossing some pine woods. We arrived to the Baumes del Cànem (Hemp Caves). After a while there is a crossing, and we turned right. The trail goes down until we reached the starting point.

It is a very nice rute, not too hard and its trails are not too difficult to follow. Furthermore, there is a stunning view from the summit ... if there is no fog!

Gómez-Xalmet (145m, V/A0), La Prenyada, Sant Benet, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:31:00 +0000

Line sketch.
Extracted from http://escalatroncs.wordpress.com/

Line: Gómez-Xalmet

Area: La Prenyada, Sant Benet, Montserrat

Orientation: S

Climbing date: 2011/10/15

1st climb date: 1957

1st climbers: J Gómez & J Xalmet

Difficulty:V/A0

Length: 190m

Exposure: ****

Commitment: **

Equipment: there are bolts and some rivets. Cams are useful for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th pitches.

Orientation: South

Overall rating: *****

It was about two weeks ago when we climbed this line, so it's time to give a brief description about it.
It was first climbed in 1957 by J. Gómez and J. Xalmet. Because of its beauty it has become a very classic line. Because of this, the rock is quite polished (specially on the 1st and 2nd pitches). However, the line is worth climbing.
To approach it we have to climb the Escales de la Vallmala up to Sant Benet Refuge. Behind the refuge starts a trail that will lead us to the beginning of the line.
The first pitch (30m, V/A0, 6a if free climbed, 8 bolts/rivets) is the hardest one. It is also the least pleasant, as it is quite polished. Then, it is a little bit tricky to find the appropriate body position. The first part is a mix of chimney and dihedral progression (you can also use 2 trees there to enhance the protection). Then, you arrive to the hardest part of the pitch: getting out of the chimney and reaching a crack just over it. However, there are many rivets there, so aid climbing is possible if you are not able to free climb these movements (as me). If I'm not wrong, the belay has 4 bolts. The hardest part of the second pitch (30m, V-, 1 piton, 2 bolts) is the beginning, as it is pretty slippery. This pitch is a mix of slab and crack climbing, allowing to enhance the protection by placing some cams and using a couple of trees. The 2nd belay (2 bolts) is pretty hanging and is quite uncomfortable. The 3rd pitch (35m, 4 bolts) is mainly slab climbing. It is better to start it on the left side of the bolts. It is also possible to enhance the protection placing some cams and using a tree. The 3rd belay (no bolts, just a nice tree) is mounted on a tree and is pretty comfortable. The 4th pitch (25m, IV) has no anchors at all, but you can use the bolts which belong to another line belay and it is pretty easy to place some cams. The 4th belay (3 bolts) is awesome, really comfortable and great views. The beginning of the 5th pitch (25m, IV+, 3 bolts) is nice, vertical with really good holds. Then, it is just a promenade to the summit, where the is the 6th belay (3 bolts, I think). The rappel (40m) is on the north face of the summit. We continued going down making some tree tunneling and unclimbing some small walls using a static rope. However, we went too low and we had to climb again to reach the refuge. I will describe the easiest way (as I've read in some blogs) to get to the refuge. Just after the rappel we we descend a little bit until it is possible to climb L'Abortó (a spire in front of the line we've just climbed). Then, we rappel again to reach the refuge trail. Someone has told me that it is possible to unclimb from the saddle between La Prenyada and L'Abortó.

Gran Diedre (150m, V), El Calderer, Pedraforca

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Line: Gran Diedre

Area: El Calderer, Pedraforca

Orientation: N

Climbing date: 2011/09/17

1st climb date: July 7th 1957

1st climbers: JM Anglada & F Guillamón

Difficulty: V

Length: 150m + 200m to exit

Exposure: *****

Commitment: ***

Equipment: slighlty equiped with pitons. Take some friends and nuts.

Orientation: North

Overall rating: *****

On September 17th I met Ramon, Jaume and Nuri to go for a really nice climb: the Gran Diedre (150m, V) at El Calderer, at the Pedraforca mountain range. We met at Saldes, and the weather was not really good, with even some rain drops. We had some coffee and, as it wasn't raining yet, we decided to go up. We got to the refuge and turned right. Just before a boulder there are some trail signs that go up. We follow it. Even if the line starts with 4 III/IV pitches, these have tricky rock and we were worried about the weather, so we headed up to the ledges (name painted on the rock) that lead to the beginning of the line. A short rappel (15m) will let us to reach the line. The 1st pitch (IV+, 35m) has the difficulties on the first moves, to get into the dihedral. Then, it is just climbing to reach the 1st belay. We joined the 2nd and 3rd pitches (60m, IV+), giving a long and enjoyable pitch. To exit the belay, it is best to climb the slabs right to the dihedral (IV+) instead of getting into it. Then, just before getting to our 2nd belay, there is a little bit overhanging wall (IV+). We also joined the 4th and 5th pitches (50m, V), getting a long and sustained pitch. Just after leaving the belay, we have to climb a dark chimney (V). After it, we have an athletic dihedral-crack (V). Eventually, just before getting to the 3rd and last belay, we have to overcome a short vertical wall (IV+). We are now at the end of the line, however we still have about 200m climbing to exit the wall. We followed some painted orange dots to the right, that cross a slab (IV, no anchors there) to reach a bolt beside a tree. Then, we walked a ledge until we reached a low wall. We belayed below it. Then, we climbed the wall (II) and flanked (III, 1 piton) a very aerial wall. We climbed a short wall and reached a saddle where we belayed (1 bolt). From there we walked using the rope until we reach the Collet de la Cova (Cave Saddle). Beware not to throw rocks there! From there we descended to the Bretxa del Gat (Cat's Breche) and then we walked down the scree slope to reach the trail that would lead us to the refuge.

Normal (50m, V), La Campana, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:00:00 +0000

The original line sketch can be found at the Escalatroncs wblog

Line: Normal

Area: La Campana, La Plantació, Montserrat

Orientation: SW

Climbing date: 2011/08/31

1st climb date: October 1943

1st climbers: J. Casanyes, J. Mengod & L. Vilallonga

Difficulty: V

Length: 50m

Exposure: *****

Commitment: *

Equipment: slighlty equiped with rivets. We used some friends and nuts and a bolt hanger

Orientation: South

Overall rating: *****

As I said in a previous post, after having climbed the GEDE line at El Sentinella we moved to the nearby La Campana (The Bell) to climb its normal route. Getting there fron El Sentinella was pretty demanding, because of the dense bushes which forced us to practice some bush tunneling. After some efforts we arrived to the pass between El Rave (The Radish) and La Campana, where the Normal line (50m, V) starts. However, the usual approach is much more comfortable. It follows the Sant Jeroni trail and, after having passed the Sant Jeroni Lookout, it turns left to follow a descending trail (white and yellow signs) until it arrives the to pass. The route was first climbed in October 1943 by some of the most active post Civil War climbers, proving the great skills of these climbers. The first pitch starts just below a visible rivet, easily reachable. Then, we flanked right following a crack where we placed a Camalot C3. At the end of the crack there is the hardest (for me) section of the line: getting into the crack-dihedral. There are no good foot holds and the hand holds are not that great. Once in the crack-dihedral, the climb is easy if you find the correct body positioning. If so, then the elegant and enjoyable movements will make this climb great. The crack-dihedral allows to place cams and nuts to enhance the existing (scarce) protection. The belay (2 pitons and 3 rivets) is on a little ledge. We exited the belay to the right clipping on the belay to avoid a possible factor 2 fall, as the pitch is pretty unprotected (a single rivet). We also placed a Camalot C3. The second belay (2 bolts) is on the top of the spire and it is very new. The rappel (25m) is on the north-west face, from a small tree. Once on the ground, we surrounded the north-west spire base to reach the beginning of the route.

Even if this is pretty short this is a really nice route, and a must if you pretend to know the Montserrat climbing. It can be easily climbed together with the GEDE at El Sentinella providing a great climbing day with a pretty historic climbing aftertaste.

GEDE (95m, V+), Sentinella, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:00:00 +0000

Original line sketch at http://escalatroncs.wordpress.com/

Line: GEDE

Area: Sentinella, La Plantació, Montserrat

Orientation: SW

Climbing date: 2011/08/31

1st climb date: September 1953

1st climbers: J. Santacana & J. Gómez

Difficulty: V+

Length: 95m

Exposure: ****

Commitment: *

Equipment: fully equiped. It has been re-equiped with stainless steel glue-in bolts, so now we can find new glue-in bolts and old rivets. We also used small cams (Camalot C3 and smaller C4) to protect the most exposed areas and a bolt hanger to use in a couple of heads.

Orientation: South

Overall rating: *****

On August 31st I met Lete once again for a couple of short but very interesting lines. The first one to El Sentinella (The Sentinel) is reported here, while the other one will be reported later. We arrived at about 9:30h to the Monastery. We took the funicular to Sant Joan superior station. There we took the Sant Jeroni trail and followed it for about 15'. A few meters before getting to the Sant Jeroni lookout there is a trail on the left that goes down flanking the east face of El Sentinella. Just after there is the base of the south ridge and the beginning of the line. The GEDE line is a really nice one. First climbed in 1953, it is a good evidence of the savoir faire of the 50s climbers in this area.

This wasn't my best day. I hadn't slept really well and I didn't felt like climbing that well. Fortunately, Lete offered himself to lead the climb. We prepared all the hear and Lete started to go up the 1st pitch (45m, V+). The route is protected with chemical bolts even if they are pretty far away from each other. However, Lete's experienced climber eye was able to find small cracks and holes to place some cams, thus increasing the protection. He was climbing left and right looking for the easiest solution to gain meters. Take into account that the re-equipment of the route has straighten the route a little bit, not always climbing the easiest way. When Lete arrived to the belay, I started climbing. As I've said before, I wasn't feeling really well and the climb was making me suffer quite a lot. My feet slipped a lot and the holds got smaller as I touch them. Anyway, I finally arrive to a short vertical wall (V+). I look for the best way, try it, but no luck, I cannot go up. No problem, I use the quickdraw to progress (A0) and it's done! I keep going on the same way until arrive at the first belay. There, I give all the quickdraws and other gear to Lete who continues the climb. The second pitch (40m, V) is quite similar to the previous one but a little bit easier: good rock which provides a great climb ... provided you feel good! Finally, we both arrive at the spire summit. The abseiling set up is at the north face. Beware, the downclimbing to the set up is quite exposed. The rappel has a length of about 40m, which most of them are overhanging. Once we arrive to the ground, we surrounded the spire east face to reach the base of the ridge and all our belonging.

Civis-Genís (150m, V), Dent de Cabirol, Pedraforca

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 09:29:00 +0000

Original sketch of the line at
http://escalatroncs.wordpress.com

Line: Civis-Genís

Area: Dent de Cabirol, Pedraforca

Climbing date: 2011/08/28

1st climb date: July 1968

1st climbers: E. Civis & G. Roca

Difficulty: V

Length: 150m

Exposure: ****

Commitment: ***

Equipment: semi-equiped with bolts and pitons. We also used nuts and cams (Camalots #0.75, #1, #2) on both pitches and belays.

Orientation: North

Overall rating: *****

Yesterday I met Ramon to go climbing to Pedraforca north face. It's been a long time since I got there for the last time, back in September 2003, when I climbed Homedes (460m, V+/A0). I'm still training to lead multipitch lines, so we choosed a very beautiful but not too long line. This is the easiest climb to this wall, but it is really nice.

The line climbs the clear spur, first on the right side (shadows), to cross at the left side (sun) at medium height. It exits using the upper dihedral.

2nd pitch.

We met at Saldes, and after a brief coffee we drove the dirty road to the parking place. There, we choosed all the gear (we didn't want to take much gear) and started the approach. After 5 minutes we reached the Estasen Refuge. We followed the Camí de l'Enforcadura and, after about 10 minutes, we turned right to climb a scree slope known as Tartera de Cabirols (tartera means a scree slope in catalan). We probably didn't climb the slope through the appropiate way, as we just found some cairns at the very end of the slope. There were three people before us, so we decided to have a snack below the route while waiting for them to start the first pitch. The first pitch (30m, V, 3 pitons) starts on a dead tree, but we started just below. When we reached the tree, we continued climbing a crack slightly to the left. Some people uses the tree to help themselves, but I think it is quite annoying, as it is possible to climb without its help. At the end of the crack there is a nice place to put a cam (Camalot #0.75). Then, the line flanks right (2 pitons there). After the flanking, the line goes up to overcome a crack by jamming a little bit. Just after it, there is the first belay (just one bolt, strengthen it with some nut or cam!). The 2nd pitch (35m, 4 bolts) is simply great. First, it climbs a short wall and, just before overcoming it, it flanks to the left to reach a very aerial ridge. Superb! After a few meters of climbing this ridge there is the 2nd belay. The 3rd pitch (10m, 2 bolts) is pretty short. It climbs a wall to reach a ledge where there is the 3rd belay. Even if we didn't do it, it is possible to join the 2nd and 3rd pitches. The fourth pitch (35m, 4 bolts, 3 pitons) was the hardest one for me, not because of the difficulty, but it has some strange passes. The line leaves the belay to the left, where there is a crack which is not difficult but requires some faith and a good opposition technique. Then it becomes easier until you step on a little tree. There is a slightly left flanking crack with no good holds for neither the hands nor the foots. Furthermore, it is a little bit overhanging. Once again, faith and a nice opposition technique are required. Having overcome this crack, the difficulties have not finished yet! You have to climb a 3 meters wall similar to the previous one. Finally, we reached the 4th belay. The last pitch (35m, 2 pitons) climbs an easy dihedral-crack. When it gets harder, we left the dihedral to the right to reach an easier slab and finally the last (5th) belay. To go down, we first did a 20m abseil a few meters below the belay. There is a fixed rope there, but there is pretty old and didn't look in very good conditions. After the abseil, we walked down a few meters to reach a breach. There there are 2 way to go down. First we can abseil from the breach. The second option (as we did) is to walk down a tricky trail to the south, first through a scree slope (be careful, there are some dangerous cliffs down there) and then through the forest (much better trail there) to reach to Camí de l'Enforcadura. There, we turned left and in about 15 minutes we were again to the refuge and finally to the car.

5th pitch

This is a great route, even if it is not very long or hard, it has a very special and authentic classical flavor. There you can imagine the climbing pioneers looking for the easiest way to climb such superb walls. Furthermore, it has a really good rock and athletic and acrobatic passes, which will make you to enjoy this magnificent route.

Josep Nieto (130m, V+), La Pastereta, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:30:00 +0000

Original sketch of the line and much more info
at http://escalatroncs.wordpress.com/

Line: Josep Nieto

Area: La Pastereta, Montserrat

Orientation: W

Climbing date: 2011/08/20

Difficulty: V+

Length: 130m

Exposure: ***

Commitment: *

Equipment: equipped with bolts and a (hidden) piton. A crack at the first pitch allows to place a nut or a cam (Camalot #0.5)

Orientation: West

Overall rating: ***

Last Saturday I met Jaume for a new climb at Montserrat. We were still looking for lines which would allow us to climb protected from the sun. Furthermore, we had a heat wave this Saturday, thus shadow was a must! We arrived at the parking area at about 9:00h in the morning, and at 9:30h we were already at the wall. After a brief snack we started climbing. Jaume led all the pitches, as the exposure was too much for me. The line starts some meters to the right of an obvious crack, between the Vilmanbar and Funció clorofíl·lica. The first meters of the first pitch (V+) go straight ahead towards a crack where it is possible to place a nut or a cam (Camalot #0.5). Then it tends to go to the left. The distance between the anchoring points was pretty high and a hidden piton made it harder. In fact, we clipped a bolt of the nearby Funció clorofíl·lica to avoid a potentially dangerous fall. The line continues climbing through an easier section (IV+) with distant bolts until a short step (V) before arriving to the first belay. To tackle the second pitch (IV+) we left the belay on its right and climbed parallel to the Funció clorofíl·lica, a few meters to its left. The belay was on a comfortable ledge. The original third pitch (V) climbs straight ahead the spur toward the last belay. However, we decided to use the last pitch of the Funció clorofíl·lica (IV), as we had enough of big distances between anchoring points and the rock didn't look really sane. The abseiling was done using the same line and belays.

Taillón/Punta Negra (3144m)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0000

During our summer holidays we have spent some days at Gavarnie. However, the weather was not really nice, and most of the days it rained. However, we had the chance to climb the Taillón peak (3144m) over Gavarnie. It is not a really difficult climb, but there are a couple of places where attention should be paid. We started climbing at Col de Tentes. The trail was pretty flat until we reached the waterfall from the Taillón glacier. Then, it started climbing until we reached the Col des Serradets and then the nice Serradets or Brèche de Roland refuge. This point is a great lookout over the Gavarnie Circus. Then, we started climbing to the Brèche de Roland. The first place where we should pay attention is the access to the great Brèche de Roland, which usually requires crampons. Once reached the brèche, we turned right (west) to flank the base of the Bazillac sumit. We leave the wall and we reach the False Brèche, between the Bazillac and the stone tower known as El Dit. El Dit is flanked through its north face and it requires much attention as it is quite exposed even if it is not really difficult. Having flanked this tower, the trail is straight forward to the summit. The summit is a great lookout over the valleys and nearby summits, including some mythical summits as the Pique Longue (3298m) with its great glacier; the Balaitus, which is the most western 3000m mountain range; or the whole Mont Perdut mountain range to the East, the higher limestone mountain in Europe. We returned following our steps back.

The Wall (130m, V), L'Elefant, Montserrat

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Original sketch of the line and much more info

(in Catalan) at http://escalatroncs.wordpress.com

Line: The Wall

Area: L'Elefant - Sant Benet - Montserrat

Orientation: N

Climbing date: 2011/08/11

Difficulty: V

Length: 130m

Exposure: ***

Commitment: *

Equipment: fully equipped with bolts, a rock bridge and a piton

Orientation: North-West

Overall rating: *****

Yesterday I met Lete for the first time to go climbing to Montserrat. It was my first climb at Montserrat, one of the most important climbing sites in Catalonia. The chosen line was The Wall at L'Elefant, because of its North-West orientation and its beauty. Moreover, its difficulty was suitable to me. The only problem was that the distance between anchoring points is pretty high, so I asked Lete to lead the pìtches.

We arrived at the monastery at about 9:30h, and there where already thousands of tourists. We started climbing the infinite stairs of the Vall Mala. Hiking with Lete in Montserrat is a great experience, as he is a true man of the area with lots of knowledge to share. At a certain point, we left the Vall Mala stairs and turn East, passing below the Sant Benet refuge. After a tricky hike, we reached the pass between La Momia (The Mummy) and L'Elefant (The Elefant). Then, we downclimbed an exposed corridor to reach the base of the north face. We flank the north face until we see a rock with a blue dot. The line starts a couple of meters to the right. Taking it easy, this approach takes about 1h-1:15h to reach the line. Having reach the line, we had some snack before start climbing and prepared all the gear. As the line is fully equiped, we took the quickdraws (at the original above sketch says that 9 should be enough), but we added some friends (numbers 0.5, 0.75 and 1 Camalot) just in case.

1st pitch (45m, V, 8 bolts)

The first part of the pitch climbs straight ahead (IV-IV+) towards a slightly overhanging section which will be flanked from the left. I was feeling rather strange, even if I was not leading the pitch. My muscles were still pretty cold and it was getting hard to get used to climbing with this conglomerate stone. When it reaches the 4th bolt, the line turns left and flanks over the overhanging section (V). This section, even if pretty nice, was the hardest of the line. The belay is just after this section on a pretty comfortable ledge.

2nd pitch (45m, V, 8 bolts and a rock bridge)

This pitch goes straigh ahead through a slab full of handholds and footholds. However, a proper body positioning will help you not to get too tired before arriving to the belay. At the end of the pitch there is a slightly overhanging section, which demands good positioning and a little bit of strength, but the grips are pretty generous. Just before this section the distance between the anchoring points is about 10m, so it is pretty exposed. Fortunately, I wasn't leading the pitch. The belay is just over the overhang in a comfortable ledge.

3rd pitch (40m, IV)

This pitch is the last but not the least! First the line goes straight ahead to clip in a piton. Then, it climbs a slab and starts a left flanking, a really aerial section with much air under the feet! The belay is a few meters over it. Then, we just have a little climb with no anchors (not necessary) to reach the Elefant summit. The views from the summit are stunning, with great views over the nearby walls and far away mountains.

The downclimb is by the South-West face. The first part is a very narrow chimney, and then some exposed slabs. No climbing gear is required, but much attention should be paid! I don't remember the exact trail we used, as Lete wanted to tour a little bit. This allowed me to enjoy the great walls of El Bisbe (The Bishop) or La Prenyada (The Pregnant) while dreaming about future climbs.

The route was great, pretty vertical and sustained, but with great grips. Furthermore, the place is stunning and the views great. The only cons I can find is that the distance between the anchoring points is too large for me. It it has not been so large I think I could have lead the climb without too much problems. I need to train my psyche harder!

Beidahe Birding Trip. April 24th – May 5th 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0000

This is the report of a bitter-sweet birding trip to the Beidaihe area in China. It was an early spring trip with 195 species recorded and a good range of lifers for everybody. We had everything properly set up at least a month and a half before the trip. However, just before starting the trip we were told that the Hebei province government had decided to ban the access to the most important areas, including the main reason of our birding trip: Happy Island. Finally, our contact in China managed to get special permits for the main areas but not for Happy Island. Thus, what had to be a birding trip to the best spring eastern migration hotspot, turned out to be a highly improvised birding trip along the Beidaihe area coast.

Manchurian Bush-Warbler (Cettia canturians)

For more pictures please visit this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/dani.valverde/China2011?feat=directlink

You can also have the complete report with an annotated systematic bird list at https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bxb705_66NMOMjI1NGY2NGQtM2I4Yy00NDdiLWFjNTMtOWZlMzIzMGNiMjU1&hl=ca

Oriental Scops Owl (Otus sunia)

The logistics: moving around, eating and accommodation.

We travelled from Beijing to Qinhuangdao on a shuttle direct from the airport. We landed on terminal 2 and our shuttle was on gate 15. There is a shuttle runing every hour from 10:00 to 19:00. The shuttle cost was 130 CNY and it took 4h to reach Qinhuangdao. There we met Yuzhen Wang (wyzjeancn@yahoo.com.cn), our contact in China, who was waiting for us with a minibus to take us to the hotel (130 CNY). Yuzhen helped us to book the hotels, to get the permits and to pay the fees to the reserves. We hired the Yuzhen's company services, which included minibus, driver and an english speaking guide, during our stay. They charge between 400-2000 CNY/per day, depending on the distance driven.

As I've said, we weren't free to go into the main reserves, and we needed special permits. We got permits to visit the Lotus Hills (20 CNY) and the Jhanhaiguan Jiao Mountain Great Wall (30 CNY) area only once and planning the visit in advance and announcing it to the authorities. We got special permits to visit the Wetland Park (50 CNY) and the Beidaihe Sandflats (20 CNY) as many times as we needed paying only once.

At Beidaihe we stayed at two different hotels which where quite similar in price and quality. The first hotel was the Jinglong Hotel (350 CNY/per room breakfast included) and the second was Jinshan Hotel (290 CNY/per room breakfast included). At Leting, our base to explore the areas around Magic Wood, we stayed at Dongfang Hotel (320 CNY/room breakfast included). We enjoyed good dinners at the hotels which where really cheap (they costed about 200-300 CNY for a party of eight!). We also managed to get our breakfast packed to take away and eat it while looking for birds. Be aware that sunrise at this time of the year is at about 5:00 in the morning, so having breakfast at the hotel is not an option! We also managed to buy some snacks on the local stores to eat during the day. Finally, if the weather is too good and there are few birds around, you can also eat at some restaurant on the road. Just be careful to eat well cooked food!

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata)

Areas visited

Jhanhaiguan Jiao Mountain Great Wall (May 2nd)

This is a mountain which produced some birds which were not seen anywhere else. Interesting birds there were Père David's Laughingthrush, Grey-sided Thrush or Saker Falcon. This was a nice loop hike which produced other birds such as Daurian Redstart or Peregrine Falcon, as well as a nice number of squirrels.

Jhanhaiguan Jiao Mountain Great Wall

Lighthouse Point (April 26th and April 27th)

It is close to the hotel and it is a good option for an early start before having breakfast at the hotel. The tip is an interesting spot to do some seawatching. It produced some good sea birds such as White-winged Scoter or Common and Red-breasted Merganser, and migrating birds such as Falcated Duck or Upland Buzzard. The trees around the tip hold a good range of passerines such as Yellow-browed, Palla's Leaf and Dusky Warblers or Red-flanked Bluetail. Red-billed Blue Magpie is common here.

Wetland Park (formerly known as The Reservoir, April 26th/30th, May 1st/4th)

This is a wooded area inside Beidaihe with some water streams and ponds. This is an interesting area which produced birds that were not or were hardly seen anywhere else, such as Vinous-breasted Parrotbill and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpeker. The ponds harbour some egrets and herons such as Chinese Pond Heron or Intermediate Egret as well as Eastern Spot-billed Duck. Passerines here include White's Thrush and many leaf warblers (including Hume's Warbler). The ponds and the river attract some raptors, and here we saw Eastern Marsh Harrier, Amur Falcon, Chinese Sparrowhawk, Osprey or Upland Buzzard.

Beidaihe Sandflats (April 26th/30th, May 1st)

This is said to be a very good area for waders, but we really had good numbers of birds on our first visit. These included Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Lesser Sand Plover, Great Knot and one of the best birds of the trip: Little Curlew. We also saw the only Pied Harriers of the trip. As well as at the other estuaries and sandflats visited, the birds moved according to the tides, being the high tide the worst time to look for them.

Birding at Beidaihe Sandflats

Lotus Hills (April 2nd)

This is a forested hill south to Beidaihe which should be good for bird migration, specially for cranes. We saw no crane at all, but it produced a nice Amur Falcon male which delighted us. The best bird at the surrounding area was a Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpeker.

Yanghe Estuary (April 27th/30th, May 1st/2nd/4th)

Estuary south to Beidaihe where we looked for Long-toed Stint and Relict Gull without luck. When the tide is low, the sea side part of the estuary has some mudflats where gather some gulls (we saw Mongolian, Common, Black-tailed Gull and Black-headed Gull) and waders (Far-eastern Curlew and Great Knot among others).

Little Wood (April 27th, May 2nd)

Very degradated wood which produced Yellow-browed, Palla's Leaf and Dusky Warblers, and a nice Red-flanked Bluetail maile and a few other birds. The area around the wood has some salt pans which held a good number of Marsh Sandpipers and a few other waders.

Dapu River and Forest (April 27th/30th, May 2nd/4th)

Here we saw the first Swinhoe's Snipe as well as some other waders such as Marsh Sandpiper, Common Snipe or Black-winged Stilt.

Qilihai or Seven Miles Sea (April 27th/30th, May 2nd/4th)

Big fresh water area which, when the tide was low, held a good number of waders, specially Eastern Black-tailed Godwits. On the south part of the river there is a small forest with grassy fields where we found a Japanese Japanese Reed Bunting.

Luanhe Estuary (April 27th, May 4th)

Saunder's Gull (Saunderilarus saundersi)

This is a very good place to look for waders and gulls. In fact, there we saw almost all the wader species of the trip and the only Saunder's Gulls.

Magic Fields (April 29th, May 3rd)

This should be a very good area for birds. However, due to the severe drought the rice fields where almost dry and few waders where seen. The best birds here where Pin-tailed and Swinhoe's Snipe, and a Russet Sparrow.

Big Wood (April 27th, May 4th)

Formerly this was a single wood but now it is divided into two parts by a road. It produced interesting species, including different bunting and warblers species and the only Blue-and-white Flycatchers and Siberian Thrush of the trip.

Magic Wood (April 29th/April 30th, May 2nd/3rd/4th)

This is by far the best birding area we found on our trip. It is a wood divided into two parts. One part harbors a big egrets colony, including some pairs of Striated Heron. The other part is the best for birding. There we placed the mist nets and trapped or saw many good birds, including Yellow-rumped, Chinese and Taiga Flycatchers, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Siberian Blue Robin or Chinese Thrush, among many others. This wood is surrounded by water channels and grassy fields with Japanese Quail or Japanese Reed Bunting.

Laoyujian Pier (April 28th/29th, May 3rd)

This is the harbour where usually the boats to Happy Island are taken. When the tide is low a good numbers of birds can be seen, including Terek's Sandpiper or Greater Sand Plover. At the bridge we saw a Chinese Egret. There we also saw a Rufous-tailed Robin.

Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii)

Puigpedrós

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:42:00 +0000

Magnificent hiking route to climb the highest summit in the Girona province. If the atmosphere is clear, you will have great views reaching almost half of the Pyrenees. This is not a difficult route but it is demanding as it has an elevation gain of 1100m and lasts 5-6h.

Ebre Delta and Ports de Beseit Birding June 11th-13th 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0000

On June 11th-13th we spent a long weekend birding at Ebre Delta and Ports de Beseit. This time I was guiding a party of people from the Friends of Empordà Marshes Natural Park, to which I belong too. We had a great time despite of the heat and that the migration was almost over. However, we enjoyed the great shows of the birds taking care of their nest and chicks. Moreover, we got some nice birds such as Caspian Terns, Little Bittern, Collared Pratincole or the best of all: Roseate Tern. It was a lifer for me! The counterpart is that very few insectivore birds were seen (just a few Barn Swallows or Common Swifts). These birds are being wiped out of the Delta by the abuse of insecticides. We ended the trip at the mountains of Ports de Beseit, we we could see the Iberian Ibex and birds such as Griffon Vulture, Booted Eagle, Black Wheatear and a surprising Alpine Accentor (at this time of the year it should be breeding above 2300m or so!)

Quite and rainy spring day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:05:00 +0000

Yesterday we had a very quite and rainy day at Empordà Marshes Natural Park. It was not raining in the morning, so we started birding El Matà area, which requires a little bit more walking than the other areas, so no rain was good. However, there was too much water and few waders where seen in a very appropiate place for waders. Then we moved to the reeds surrounding the depuration ponds close to the camping site to look for some warblers. The best there were a Moustached and a Sedge Warbler, but good numbers of Great Reed Warbler and Reed Warblers were singing as well. Then we moved to Estany Europa depuration ponds, where we saw a couple of highlights, a nice male Little Crake and a beautiful Red-rumped Swallow. There were very few birds else, so we decided to go for lunch. After lunch it was already raining, but we are hardcore birders and we decided to bird along the Mornau trail, a very unknown area with very different habitats that uses to produce good birds. It was by far the best place yesterday, and it produced good numbers of Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Willow Warblers and even a Wood Warbler! Then we moved to Tres Ponts to try to see some Aquatic Warbler, which is a very rare but regular spring visitor there. However, almost no bird was seen there. Finally, we decided to end the day at Delfià, one of the last drylands at Empordà Plain. The best birds there were a single Stone Curlew and a Western Orphean Warbler.

Male Little Crake (Porzana parva), Estany Europa, Empordà Marshes Natural Park. 2011-04-22