Las Aventuras de Artur y Meri

2011-12-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

Artur & Meri Toons

2011-11-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada

There are several red rock canyons, the one close to Las Vegas is the 5th most visited destination for rock climbers in the USA. We haven't climbed for about two years, but there are some friends there and we would like to see what they are doing and maybe try the rock again.

Top Rope style

Level 10.10C

There are so many cars that all the parking spots are full, so we park on one side of the road. From the second parking area (calico II), our friends take us into a narrow canyon were we find more than 10 groups climbing "top-rope" style. Levels are from 10.7 to >10.10D and our friends are opening routes up to 10.10D. The routes are bolted and have solid ancors at the top. The rock here is redish sandstone.

Artur and I try a 10.7. How good it is to feel the rock again on my hands! I am surprised of myself to be able to reach the top of my route, although I finish completely exhausted. Soon after that is gets too dark to keep climbing.

We camp in the first-come first-served red rock canyon campground. There are still spot during the night, although it is almost full. There is water, but only pit toilets. The campsites have a big table covered by a sunroof, which may be great in summer. The night is very cold, below 0C, but there is no wind. The moon is appearing now as a thin crescent over the horizon.

Turtlehead Peak trail

The next morning, we hike up Turtlehead Peak, the highest of the park. We park at Sandstone Quarry parking lot. The hike is just 4 miles one way. It is flat the first half, and steep up the second half. The trail keeps dividing itself so that the mountain is full of trails with no clear direction. Lucklily, the Turtlehead peak is clear and we just hike in its general direction. One can't get lost there.
In 1hour 20 min we reach the summit. It is after nine in the morning and we are alone when we get there. For 45 minutes we are enjoying the incredible view of Las Vegas and its casinos and the red rock mountains that surround us.

We arrive back at the car at noon, and it takes us a 14 hours drive to get home. Was it worth it? Yes, of course.

2011-11-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

Telescope (11,049 ft; 3,367 m) & Wildrose (9,064ft; 2762m) Peaks, Death Valley
(Cordada Rapel)

Trail head

It is Thanksgiving weekend and we expect all the roads to be full of traffic, so we leave home at 4am in the morning, expecting to arrive at Death Valley around noon. Luckily we have been early enough to avoid the traffic jams, so we arrive at Thorndike Campground at 12:30pm. There is snow starting from the Charcoal Kilns, but we try to get as far as we can by car. The car gets stuck on the icy road a few hundred meters past the Thorndike campground. The road is steep and we are not far from the Mahogany Flat campground, so we turn around and park in a flat spot between the 2 campgrounds. We take our overnight gear and start walking around 1pm. It is cold (~4C), but the weather is stable and sunny.

Telescope Peak Summit

In less than 2 hours we are at the spot where we planned to camp, approximately in the middle of the way up. It is early and sunny so we decide to leave the backpacks and summit today. We know that it will be dark after 5pm, but the way back is easy and we can do it with our headlamps. The trail is steeper and longer than we expected and the last 300m of elevation is riddled with switch backs, with plenty of snow and some ice. We don't carry crampons, but we are lucky to have taken the poles. I start having altitude sickness after one hour of having left the backpack. I am getting a terrible headache and feeling dizzy, but the peak seems so close and so achievable! I keep walking, knowing that Artur is probably perfectly alright and needs to summit today. We arrive at the summit after sunset but still with daylight. It is really windy and cold. We put on everything we carry with us and hurry down after the obligatory summit picture.
In 1hour 30 min we get back to our backpacks. It is completely dark - we have a moonless night. We walk down still 30 minutes more until we find the nice camping spot that we saw coming up. We set up our tent, prepare a hot dinner and finally rest. We are at more than 3000m altitude. We can still feel the altitude and the temperature has dropped to below freezing, actually outside the tent we are at -5C (23F). But then, the surprise, the moment than all mountaineers enjoy, the view that no picture can show: a perfectly moonless sky, with stars so shiny than seem closer to us, like if we could reach them. The wind is not blowing any more, the beauty is breathtaking.

Telescope peak from the trail going down

Our tent in the morning

The next day, another blue sky and freezing temperatures. Luckily the water and gas were in our sleeping bag so they are not frozen. We have a hot breakfast, pack and hike down to the parking lot in ~2hours.
The day is so beautiful and it is so early that we decide to hike Wildrose peak , a 8.5 miles round trip from the Charcoal Kilns parking lot.

That peak is easy, pretty steep and it is extremely windy at the top.
The trail is also longer than expected, with a long detour to the east before heading to the peak, but it is very easy to follow and we run into plenty of people, including kids.

Wildrose Peak Summit

The view is quite spectacular, we can see Death Valley quite well. Worth coming up. Now, Las Vegas waits for us!

2011-10-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

4 Tarantulas, 4 snakes and a lot of thinking
Joseph D. Grant State Park

My grandmother passed away last Wednesday and we decided to walk in her remembrance. Most of my family were walking at the other side of the world, from Collcerola to Valldoreig, so Artur and I made our little walk in the surroundings of Silicon valley.
It was a sunny day that certainly would have pleased my grandmother.
The last few days I have thought so much about her advices about so many things that I dedicate this walk to her words of wisdom.

While Artur and I walked talking about the meaning of life, some snakes and some tarantulas passed in front of us, just in the middle of our trail. I am wondering: why today? Is it a reminder that life is so little? That any day any of us can go?

May nature give us her blessings and let us wander on her trails for as long as possible.

2011-06-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Crossing Supercreeks at Kings Canyon
(Cordada Rapel)
We know for sure that Kings Canyon is the place to go if we want to find a wilderness permit at the last moment. Not being as famous as Yosemite and Sequoia makes this wonderful park crowd-free. Also, the road 180 incorporates a new piece of highway every year, so that the original 5 hours and a half that used to take us to get there have been converted in 4 hours and a half. We leave on Friday at 7pm and arrive there around midnight because of the traffic jam getting out of the Valley, specially near San Jose and after Gilroy in Pacheco Pass. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible avoid these traffic jams unless we leave very early on Saturday. The campgrounds in the Cedar Grove area are almost empty aso we can choose where to camp. Saturday morning the wilderness permit station at Roads End starts offering permits at 7am. There are only 2 people in front of us to get the permit and it's already 9am. That is great!
We have read everywhere that there is a lot of snow up in the high Sierra and the weather has been terribly good for the last week so there will be plenty of water on the creeks. Just in case, we have taken snowshoes, crampons and snow gear, but as soon as we see the mountains we realize that the snow is way higher than we expected. The weather for this weekend is also expected to be good so we leave most of our winter gear in the car. The backpack, though, is still pretty heavy: we carry the bear canister, tent, winter sleeping bag and more winter clothes than we should carry.
Our chosen trailhead is Lewis Trail, just before Cedar Grove. The idea is to hike to Frypan Meadow, set camp there, and hike Mt. Harrington the next morning (11009ft, 3355mt.).
The beginning of the trail in pretty steep. We hike around 5 miles and almost 2000ft of altitude in about 2-3 hours and we stop to rest. I am exhausted and need a long rest to continue. We have passed to creeks that have way to much water, so we hike up the creek until we find a bit tree that we can walk on to cross safe.

After walking a little while more, though, the Lewis creek crossing becomes an impossible mission. The water is too fast and there is too much. The tree to cross is too thin and is wet and sleepery. We don't feel confortable crossing with our big backpacks. We hike up along the right side of the creek, trying to find a better place to cross, but after one hour of bushwhaking we realize that we are not going to find the crossing spot and we are becoming too tired. So we decide to search for a nice place to pass the night in a saddle at 7800 feet. It takes us one hour more to get there, but there aren't any other spots free of bush and flat where we can set our overnight camp. When we set camp we have run out of water, so we still have to walk to the creek (down 15 minutes more) to get some dirty water and potabilize it.
The evening is warm and we still have many hours of light, we can practice ioga and climb some boulders around and hear the birds and the animals that suround us. It is really a wonderful summer day. We couldn't have choosen a better weekend.
The next morning we hike up the ridge until there is too much snow to continue. The snow starts at around 8000 ft and it is still hard enough so that we can walk easily on top without problems. We arrive just over the psicological line of 3000mt (9862ft) and decide to hike down.
To be our first mountaneering weekend of the summer we are quite happy.
The sour muscles will last this time 4 days, but it has been worth it.

2011-04-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

Water, Wasser, Aigua
San Jordi 2011
Yosemite National Park
(Rudy, Artur i Meri)

Per San Jordi toquen roses, ja ho sé, però aquest cop tot va ser aigua.... per tots costats.

2010-08-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

Mt. Gibbs (12764 ft, 3890 m) and Monroe Hall Research Natural Area
(Artur and Meri)

East of Tioga Pass there are several campgrounds that are a lot smaller than Tuolumme Meadows and have a higher chance to have free sites on Saturday morning. We wanted to try Sawmill Campground, a walk-in campground that seemed peaceful because of the fact that you have to walk a while to arrive at the campsite. As we expected, the place was nice, clean and calm and we were lucky to get the last free spot on Saturday noon.

It took us 3 trips to the car, each one 10 minutes, to bring all our stuff to the site. As it was hot and I didn't remember that we would be so far from the car, we had taken the cooler and the big stove. After having lunch, instead of going to the car again, we just started walking from our campsite to the Carnegie Institute Experimental Station. This was a really good choice. There is a well maintained path to the station and it continues into the Monroe Hall Research Natural Area. The trail enters into the valley that leads to Mount Conness (12590 ft) and White Mountain (12057 ft), wandering on the right of Lee Vining Creek. The valley is gorgeous at this time of the year. The snow has almost completely melted and everywhere you look it is full of water and flowers. We found quite a lot of people on the trail, including groups of rock climbers. We are not sure but we think they are climbing the south-east wall of Mt. Conness. Following the trail, it took us around 2 and a half hours to get to the top of the saddle and walk a little bit along the ridge to Mt. Conness. As it was getting late, we didn't have time to reach the peak of Mt. Conness. There may have been at least another hour left to go. In 2 hours we arrived back to our campsite, just as the sun was setting. We still saw 3 or 4 rock climbing teams passing by and were wondering where they were all coming from.

Artur in front of Mt. Conness

On Sunday morning we heard voices at 4am, some rock climbers passing very close our tent, apparently a little lost and off trail. Where were they going? Its still a mystery. We got up at 7am and saw several more teams of people with ropes and helmets going in direction of Mt. Conness.

After breakfast, and only 2 trips to load the car, we left the quiet campground towards Tioga Pass and parked at Mono Pass trail head (it has 3 bear lockers). From there, we hiked 1h30min gently sloping up to Mono Pass.

Mono Pass

Then we started hiking up Mt. Gibbs by the south-southeast ridge. The terrain is full of loose rocks so our pace was rather slow, but in around 2 hours we arrived at the peak. We didn't see any other people on the trail (or lack thereof), but read in the summit register that at least 2 groups of people had climbed the peak earlier the same day. As it was sunny, not very windy, and still early we had lunch and took a nap before starting down.
The amount of flowers in this area was spectacular. The snow was also almost completely melted and the landscape was full of colors of the different flowers.

We hiked down on the north-west ridge. There are some areas with big rocks and steep slopes that slowed us down a little bit, but in general it was easier going then the south ridge on the way up. In 2h 30 minutes we were back at the car without major problems. The streams at this time of year are quite low on water or altogether dried out so we could cross them without difficulty.

2010-08-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

Sunnyside Bench Trail (Upper Falls) and Ledge Trail (Glacier Point) - Yosemite Valley
(Cordada Rapel)

Yosemite Valley is usually so crowded that doing a hike without people seems impossible.... unless you go to Sunnyside Bench Trail or the Ledge Trail. Both are half-day hikes, mainly class II with some class III steps. Both are very steep, slippery at moments and exposed. Those trails feature lots of adrenaline for normal hikers and fun for rock climbers.

The Sunnyside Bench trail hikes up to the bottom right hand side of the Upper Falls, just below the base of Lost Arrow Spire. It took us 2 hours to climb up and about half that time to go down. We were surprised by a rattlesnake on our way up and a smaller stripped black/yellow Garter Snake on the way down.

The first half of the trail is quite flat and easy to follow but it is very exposed. You don't want to slip here. Later it becomes steepper and there are some class III steps also with a bit of exposure. The last part is mainly slabs and the main danger is the sand on top of them. The view from the top is beautiful. The Upper Falls are near but not enough to get wet.

We did this as an afternoon hike. The good news is that after the way down there is the store and an ice-cream was waiting for us.

On the next morning we hiked the Ledge Trail. It seems to be the third deadliest trail in Yosemite. Well, if I had known that before, I may not have done it. The reality is that it was beautiful, especially the couloir at the end. It took us 3 hours to arrive at the intersection with the 4-mile trail, almost at Glacier Point. And then, 2 more hours to get down to the road by the 4-mile trail. The Ledge Trail itself is exposed and slippery at some crucial moments. The good news is that it is well marked by yellow and orange stripes, so when we doubted we just had to look for them.

The first 2 thirds of the trail are dry and rocky, but when we turn left into the couloir the trail changes completely.

It becomes like a small garden full of flowers, with a creek in the middle that we had to cross several times. It is so full of vegetation that we had some difficulties to follow the marks and cut through the bushes. Sometimes the vegetation was so thick that we could not even see our feet. Here we also encountered the added difficulty of slippery wet rock.

Both are recommendable hikes to avoid people but they are risky and can have bad surprises. The snakes, though, were good with us.

2010-07-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

Tenaya Peak (10280 ft / 3133 m) and Mt. Hoffmann (10850 ft / 3307 m) - Yosemite National Park
(Carlos, Rudy, Artur and Meri)

Both are day hikes, not strenuous and incredibly beautiful. It took us 2 hours to get to Tenaya Peak from the Tenaya Lake (Sunrise trailhead).

Rudy in front of Half-Dome and Yosemite Valley

It is a crosscountry hike, with a lot of slabs and some grade III passes that can be avoided depending on the way up. Our only adventure was crossing the river at the begining of the hike. There was too much water so we had to take off our shoes to cross, wading through the calf-high stream. We hiked up a little east of the south ridge, staying west of the stream that runs down the valley, and hiked down via Mildred Lake. In a bit more than one hour we were cooling our toes on the beach of Tenaya Lake.

Tenaya Peak throning above Tenaya Lake

One of the most beautiful views from Tenaya Peak is the Yosemite Valley from the north-east side, with a spectacular view of Half-Dome from the side that sports the trail on which people hike to its top. The mosquitoes attacked us all day long, as the day was hot and they were hungry.

Before the hike we secured a campsite at White Wolf, one of the campgrounds on Tioga Pass Road. Luckily this weekend there were fewer people in the park than last time we were there, so we did not need to spend extra time driving around to various campgrounds to find a place to pitch our tents. Also this time our site was virtually mosquito free, unlike last time.

On Sunday we climbed Mount Hoffmann. This too is a short day hike, even easier than Tenaya Peak. We left the car at May Lake trailhead, which has ample space for parking and has plenty of bear lockers. There is a trail all the way from the lake to the top of the mountain which makes it busier than Tenaya Peak on which we saw only the odd climbing party on their descent.

Mount Hoffmann

While Rudy and Meri were arriving in less that 2 hours to the 'official' top (the one with the antenna), Artur had time to climb that one as well as the 3 minor peaks. Carlos reached us on the first peak just as we were starting to head down.
The mosquitoes were a lot worse than the previous day and we were all but bathing in bug repellent to keep them at bay. After lunch, though, they seemed to rest from the heat and give us a break.
Again, in little over one hour we were back at the car, ready for a good wash in a nearby creek.

2010-07-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Tuolumne Meadows Menagerie & Mt.Dana (13053ft - 3979m)
(Nighty Night Deer, Dana Peak Marmot, Lembert Dome Chipmunk, Campground Rabbit, Plenty of Huge Mosquitoes & Cordada Rapel )

On Saturday 4am we woke up for a long weekend. We wanted to arrive at Tuolumne Meadows before anyone else to get a first-come first-served campsite. Of course, it was the busiest weekend of the year in Tuolumne Meadows, and the first one with open campgrounds, so our attempt was futile. Some of the campgrounds were still closed for too much snow or water and the others were already packed from the previous days. We drove to the east of Tioga Pass looking for more campgrounds and still found some full and some closed. We found the first free campsite at the last campground that appeared on our map, Aspen Campground. The mosquitoes ravaged us without mercy. Luckily the weather was good and we could still get some exercise bushwhacking from the campground to a no-name 9500 ft peak in direction of Mount Dana.

Later that evening we had company from a deer, which would insist during 2 nights in keeping us company for a while (and trying to steal our food from the table).

On Sunday morning, we got up at 6 to hike Mt. Dana. The previous day we had seen that we didn't need any snow gear unlike expected. There were only a few patches of snow along the whole route, and even those could easily be avoided if necessary. It took us 3.5 hours from the Mono Pass trail head at Tioga Road to the peak (13053ft, 3979m). From the trailhead, we walked less than one mile until we got to the crossing with Dana Fork river. Then, we continued on the left side of the river and hiked up by the west ridge. On the top, a highwayman marmot was trying to get some of our food. Given its well fed appearance it had obviously been successful with its overt attempts on other mountaneers.

We hiked down via the south-east ridge. Our original idea was to traverse to Mt. Gibbs, but we were too tired for that and it would have made for a very long day. We hiked back to the parking lot following the right side of the Dana Fork river, same as we came up. We needed more than 3 hours to make it back. The rocks of Mount Dana's eastern slope are big and not very stable, so our pace was slower than usual.

The next day we changed to Tuolumne Meadows Campground inside the National Park. From there, we hiked to another no-name peak on the way to Ragged Peak, with an altitude of ~10400 ft. It was a very nice hike, and I highly recommend it. We returned via Lembert Dome (9450ft), hiking the easy peak from the east side and going back to the campground via the Pacific Crest Trail at the side of the Lyell Fork River. We were surprised by the little beaches that we found around this side of the meadows and enjoyed being able to wash our dust covered faces in the clear snowmelt water.

In the evening a seemingly very confused and lost rabbit came to search refuge at our tent for a couple of hours.

Tuesday was the day we had to go back home, but we wanted to do at least some short hike. So we decided to climb Indian Rock peak. The trailhead is one mile before Porcupine Campground and has bear boxes. It is a weird hike because you start going down before you actually climb. It was only a few miles, so in 1h10min we were on the top.
The view is spectacular - from Indian Rock one can see the north-west face of Half Dome.

Not surprisingly, and after wonderful weather for 4 days, we started seeing black clouds growing quickly above us. A thunderstorm formed rapidly and we had just enough time to get to the car before the clouds started to let out their content, accompanied by angry growling. Few minutes later our car was bathed in hail. Pretty scary to be out there with those ice rocks coming down onto your head.

2010-04-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Mt. Silliman (11188 ft - 3410 m)
(Rudy, Artur & Meri)

Mount Silliman is usually an easy hike, but we had read many reports talking about bad weather at the last minute. We took all our snow gear, including crampons, snow shoes, shovels, ice ax and beacons and got ready for any possible bad event.

We arrived at Sequoia National Park in around 4 hours, and a while later we were already at Lodgepole taking our self-issued wilderness permits. There were very few people and way too much snow (more than 1 meter on the parking lot), but the weather seemed really good. Actually, it was warmer than we expected and with so much snow we thought that the avalanche hazard could become significant.

The snow helped us to walk well with snow shoes for most of the way up, not too soft, not too hard. Except for some dry spots at the begining of the trail, all was packed with snow. We used the GPS to find our way up because there were no tracks that could help us when we started following Silliman creek. Thanks to other trip reports found on the Internet we had the way points well defined and could get to the meadow without much difficulties. We found the way up more strenuous than we expected, maybe because we hadn't been training a lot lately. It took us 4 hours to get to the camp, at the bend of Silliman creek, just below the slabs. The place is really flat and big, and the snow was perfect for camping. We found a part of the creek that was accessible so we didn't need to melt snow. In front of us we could see the slabs and a nice couloir. Maybe for another year...

Inside the tent we were below zero Celsius. At night, the sky was clear and the moon was really small, like a melon slice, so the stars were especially bright.

The next day we woke up at 6am, already with daylight. We hiked up to Silliman Lake around 30 meters to the right side of the creek. The snow covering the creek seemed to be ready to fall in form of avalanche at any time, so we made sure to be well to the right and avoid being caught in the worst case scenario. We had our beacons turned on. We walked with snow shoes but changed poles for ice ax. After arriving to the lake, which was completely covered with snow, we saw the peak for the first time. There was still a steep hike in front of us and the snow was becoming harder, so we changed snow shoes for crampons. At this point Rudy started having problems with his crampons. For some strange reason the crampons disassembled themselves when he made a step. As the snow had becomen quite hard and the way became really steep, he decided to go back to camp. Artur and Meri continued for around half an hour until the peak. It was around 10:20am when we arrived. The day was becoming really sunny so we covered ourselves with plenty of sunscreen. There was almost no wind. We made our entry into the peak log and went down quickly to catch up with Rudy. With several nice and long glisades, we arrived at camp in one and a half hours. There was a marmot close to us. It had made its personal snow cave. We had plenty of time to have lunch, dry the tent a little and rest. Then, we changed to snow shoes and poles and made our way back to the parking lot in 2 hours.

Pictures used by permision from Rudy Ortega

2010-03-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

Garrapata State Park

Meri has finished all her exams. The day is bright, the sky is blue and the weather channel says we will reach 21C. The perfect day to go to hike by the sea.

In around 1 hour and a half we arrive at Garrapata State Park. There are a lot of people, but we are lucky to find a spot to park. There are not many trails to choose: one that goes up the hills, and another that goes to the shore. We choose both. In the morning we try the hills. They are incredibly full of spring flowers. We hike up the Soberanes Canyon Trail, which is full of Redwoods. Some of them are really big. And we hike down the Rocky Ridge Trail. The weather is so nice that we can eat, make our coffee and take a nap without having to put on more clothes. There are some benches with good views to the sea. We hike for around 6.5miles, counting a small loop up around the hills, and gain 1977ft of altitude.

In the afternoon, the hike approaches us to the shore. We can even test the sea water with our feet. Without much effort, we can see the whales passing in front of us. We hike up the Whale Watch Peak, of 61m. From there we have an impressive view of the coast and the hills. The sky is still blue; there are no clouds, no fog and almost no wind. It is a wonderful day.

2010-01-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

Glacier Point, Yosemite

(Rudy, Artur & Meri)

If the weather permits at this time of the year it is worth going to snow camp at Glacier Point.

We passed the night of the first weekend of 2010 on this marvelous spot just in front of Half Dome.

It took us a little bit more than 4 hours to get to the parking lot of Badger Pass Ski Area. Luckily, we didn't need chains and the road was in very acceptable conditions. We requested our permits for overnight parking and camping in the park at Badger Pass ranger station and started hiking quite early, at 10am. The paved road that leads to Glacier Point in the Summer is the snow trail groomed for skiers and snow shoers in the winter. There are 10.5 miles to Glacier Point with some 800 feet of altitude change. The road was so perfectly groomed and the snow so compact that we actually didn't put our snow shoes on until the last meters at Glacier Point. Walking with boots was quicker than planned, so in ~5 hours we were at our destination. We looked for a nice spot to camp without being seen from the road (mandatory in this area) and had still more that one hour of day light left.

We could see the starred sky for few hours before the moon rose, at it was almost full, lighting all the incredible landscape we had in front of us.

The night was not as cold as forecasted; the temperature only dipped to 30F (-2C).

The next day the sun was shining so we had a perfect view of all Yosemite Valley, the waterfalls and the domes. In ~5 hours we got back to our cars. The road is really boring [Artur: and I mean really, really boring]. We would have preferred a nice trail.

2009-11-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

Lost around Buena Vista Peak we climbed Bruce Peak (9743ft, 2970m)

Yosemite NP

On Thanksgiving weekend we decided to get a little bit of cold and hike up to the Sierras. We had never been on the south side of Yosemite and knew that Wawona had some trails worth trying. In ~4 hours we arrived at the self-permit station at the Wawona Hotel and self-issued a permit. The parking at the trailhead has bear lockers and a restroom. The day was clear and relatively warm. After having a quick lunch we put on our backpacks, which weighes ~18Kg, and started the long hike up to Chilnualna Falls. During the first 2 hours the trail is windy and steep uphill with nice views to Wawona valley. Afterwards, the trail meanders through forrests and is flatter. We climbed about 4000 ft before deciding to stop to make camp. It was around 4:30 and we knew at 5 the sun would already have set. There were some patches of snow but we found a nice dry flat spot to put our tent. We had decided to take the route south to Buena Vista peak and camp near Grouse Lake.

On friday the day was quite clear and we started walking at 8am. We planed to be at Buena Vista Peak at 12pm, and then go down to Buena Vista lakes via the north ridge. To arrive at the peak we had to hike the last part crosscountry, as no trail leads you there.

At 12:30pm we arrived at a peak thinking that is Buena Vista Peak. Happy but very cold, we had some lunch and decided to hike down the ridge to a lake that we could see clearly from the peak. On the way down there was a steep unexpected step that we had to pass. There was snow and ice so we put on our crampons and jumped down the rocks. At this moment we started realizing that something was weird and that the reference points didn't correlate with the map and the coordinates. We realized that we had been in the wrong peak (Bruce Peak) and that we were actually going farther away from the trail. Also, we were leaving the area for which we carried a map. Worried, we decided the go back up the ridge of the mountain we had just climbed. It started snowing and the ridge was too steep and too far so we found a relatively nice and dry spot and camped on a semiridge. The snowfall and the wind got heavier. It became dark and cold and we didn't know if the day after we would be able to climb that ridge with so much fresh snow. We started worrying about the avalanche hazard and started thinking how much food we had. How many days could we stay here before somebody came to look for us? Nobody knew that we were there. The permit was self-issued, maybe nobody would ever look for us!

During the night there were some moments when the snow storm stopped. We had a nice moon shining down on us and everything was already white.

On Saturday, we woke up early, at 5:30. The idea was to start walking as soon as we had sunlight. We looked again at our map and almost in all directions there was a steep incline. So we decided to take the shortest path and go up the ridge we took the day before. As we approached the ridge it seemed more impossible to climb. The snow covered the flat rocks of Yosemite but it was powder that would slide pretty easily. We found a couloir that seemed more accessible.

The snow was deep in some places but we managed to climb the ridge taking turns leading and without major slides. It had snowed a little more but now it was finishing and it seemed that the weather was going to improve. To make sure we found the way back, we decided to return to the trail we hiked the day before, as we had the track on the GPS and we would be able to follow it if the snow had hidden the trail.

Fortunately, the way down was not very steep and we found the trail soon enough. There was snow all the way down until Chilnualna falls, but the trail was visible almost always and when not we had our GPS.

After a long day of 8 hours, 17 miles and 5800ft of elevation drop we arrived at the trailhead. At Wawona there was no snow, the sun was shining, some people looked at us saying: real hikers!!

We were exhausted but happy. Our body would remember that trip for a few days. Artur would have joint problems for the week and Meri her favourite giant blisters.

2009-10-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Maui

Haleakala National Park. Backpack and night inside the crater.

Banyan tree: HUGE!
Warm fresh watter falls
Wai'anapanapa State Park: Sunrise from our tent.

2009-06-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

Mt. Shasta (14179 ft, 4.322 m)

(Peak Climbing Section - Loma Prieta - Sierra Club)

El Mont Shasta és un dels volcans de la "Cascade Range" que travessa tota la costa oest dels USA. És un volcà espectacular que destaca per ser un pic solitari sense altres muntanyes altes tapant-lo a la vora. Es pot veure des de molt lluny. És, a més, el segon pic més alt de Califòrnia, després del Mont Whitney.

Nosaltres vam fer la ruta "west face", que passa al costat del Casaval Ridge.

Divendres vam sortir a les 5pm de la feina i a les 10 de la nit arrivàrem al campament que en que vam fer nit: Castle Crags. Està ja bastant a prop de Shasta i queda gairebé tocant a la Hwy 5, de manera que és una parada bastant perfecta. Com que ja plovia des de feia una bona estona i no volíem mullar la tenda vam decidir dormir a dins el cotxe adaptant la part del darrera.

A les 8 del matí del dissabte hem quedat a "Fith Season" al poble de Shasta, allà comprarem els permisos per fer el pic, $20 cada un. Després, pasarem pels Rangers a demanar el permís per dormir a la "wilderness", aquest és gratuit. Ens fan emportar una bossa especial per a recollir els nostres residus (no està permès deixar femta a la muntanya, només pipi). Ens diuen que ha nevat bastant en la última setmana i per això la nostra ruta és la més aconsellable. La ruta més popular té un cert perill d'allaus.

A les 10:30 del matí comencem a caminar des del "Bunny Hut Trailhead", a 1690m d'alçada. D'allà fins a la nostra zona d'acampada hi ha 6 quilòmetres i uns 670 metres de desnivell. La motxila ens pesa 17kgs i 13kgs a l'Artur i a mi respectivament. Fa bastant de vent però la sort és que en pujar una mica estem per sobre els núvols i ja podem veure la meravellosa vista del volcà.

En 3 hores arribem al que serà el nostre camp base. Hem d'acomodar el terreny amb la pala ja que estem sobre neu i podem plantar la tenda amb relativa comoditat. Fem un petit mur en direcció al vent i així la tenda queda bastant arrecerada. Tenim temps de dinar i fer una petita migdiada. Els rangers passen controlant el personal i ens demanen que els ensenyem els permisos i la bossa de residus. A aquests no se'ls escapa res. Després, haurem de desfer neu per al dia següent i dinem i anem a dormir ben d'hora.

El diumenge, a les 3:30 del matí ens llevem. Esmorzem, preparem la bossa de la pujada amb tota la roba d'abric possible, menjar pel camí i aigua. Els grampons ens els posem ja en començar a caminar. Hi ha gent del campament que ha surtit a les 2 de la matinada. ELs podem veure iluminant tota la via de pujada amb els frontals. Hi ha lluna plena, el cel està serà i el vent huracanat del dia anterior sembla haver amainat una mica. A les 4:30 del matí comencem a pujar. Trigarem 6 hores en fer la pujada. La neu és dura i tenim la sort que ja ens han fet traça les cordades anteriors. Adelantem alguns grups a mig camí, alguns van encordats i molt lents. Nosaltres som 11 i puje a una velocitat acceptable. El vent comença a fer-se més fort quan apareixem al primer coll. El fred és considerable, per sort al coll ens comença a tocar el sol per primer cop. A les 10:30 arribem al pic. Hi ha molta gent que ens ha aparegut quan ens acostavem a Misery Hill.

Després de quedar-nos uns 20 minuts al pic, i veient que els últims dels nostres companys ja han arribat, comencem a fer la baixada. Després del coll, la baixada la farem en "glisade" (=culenbajen), la qual serà de més de 1000 metres de desnivell. Així, en 2:45 minuts estarem ja de baixada al campament, recollirem, i cap al cotxe en una hora i mitja més.

2009-05-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

Goat Mountain (12.207ft, 3.721m) i Mt. Hutchings (10.785ft, 3.287m)
Kings canyon National Park

(Rudy, Artur i Meri)

Dissabte al migdia, recollim els permisos a la "permit station" de "Roads End", hem tingut sort i no s'havia acabat la quota del camí. Ens diuen que probablement trobarem el llac on volem dormir gelat, però realment sembla mentida amb la calor que fa aquí a la vall.

Comencem a caminar passades les 12 del migdia el Copper Creek Trail. Pujar 5000 peus de desnivell - més de 1500m - amb 16 quilos a l'esquena no és el que s'acostuma a fer un primer dia de cap de setmana llarg. Especialment després d'haver-se llevat a les 5 del matí i haver conduit unes 5 hores i mitja. Però volíem dormir a alçada, així que fem el cor fort i la Meri arriba mig morta.... però arriba. L'Artur, com sempre, arriba fresc com una rosa! Hem trigat unes 6 hores, les dues últimes especialment lentes.

Plantem el campament a uns 10.000 peus (3.000m), però sense arribar al llac (Grouse Lake). Tenim la sort de trobar-nos rodejats d'arbres que ens pararan el vent i el fred i tenim ben a prop un rierol que ens farà d'habituallament liquid.

El diumenge, sortim a les 7:30 del matí. Trobem el llac gelat tal com ens havien dit, després de creuar una quants rierols. Per pujar a Goat Mt. agafem la ruta sud-est. La idea és rodejar una mica la muntanya pel sud i després crestejar fins al pic. La primera part serà molt empinada, amb part de roca i part de tartera. Arribem primer al fals pic, que és rodó i no presenta cap problema

d'accés. La part interessant tot just comença. Queda davant nostra una cresta relativament llarga de grau 3 i en algunes ocasions bastant exposada. Sabem que en Rudy té vertigen i ens preocupa una mica però com que està animat i és valent comencem a pujar lentament. Quan arribem al segon fals pic (12.100 ft, 3.688m) , i davant nostre es presenta més cresta i més exposada i amb una travessa de neu a uns 45 graus, en Rudy se'ns planta i ens diu que la seva filla no es mereix perdre un pare tant aviat (per cert, té raó, és una nena preciosa de 2 anys).

Així que dinem una mica, i decidim baixar en retirada per la vessant est de la muntanya. La baixada serà ràpida en un primer moment però després haurem de fer un trenca-cames amunt i avall per vorejar més roques, zones de bastant desnivell i no arribar a cap paret.

El dia, per sort, és fantàstic. Anem parant de tant en tant per mirar les muntanyes de l'Eastern Sierra que tenim davant, uns quants quatre mils impressionants estan al nostre davant. La bellesa de la Sierra és enmudidora. Quantes muntanyes ens queden per fer! Quines parets! Quines crestes! Quin granit!

Cap a les 3 del migdia arribem de tornada al llac original i poca estona més tard al nostre campament base. Ens anirem a dormir aviat. L'Artur li ha faltat fer pic, així que decidim llevar-nos a les 4 del matí del dia següent per poder fer el Mt. Hutchings.

Així, el dilluns, a les 4 del matí ens llevem i sense gairebé ni esmorzar ni un simple cafè pugem cap al Hutchings. Després d'una desorientació inicial per la foscor i els arbres, ens dirigim crestejant

cap al pic. La ruta és gairebé tota nevada (a aquestes hores la neu és bastant dura) així que ens posarem grampons. Els últims 100 metres són de cresta de segon/tercer grau, que fem al anar però voregem al tornar per la vessant est. En una hora estem al pic, i al sol encara li queda estona per sortir... anem baixant lentament fins que ens podem parar a veure la sortida de sol quedar-nos satisfets d'aquest despertar.

En poc menys d'una hora tornem a estar al campament. Aquest cop sí: cafè, esmorzar calent... ens ho hem merescut. Tranquil·lament anirem desmuntant el campament i en poc més de tres hores baixarem els 5000 peus de desnivell fins al cotxe. A baix, dinar a la vora del riu, serà el nostre comiat a aquest cap de setmana tant perfecte.

2009-05-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

Moses and Maggie
(Peak Climbing Section)

Moses and Maggie són dos tres mils que es troben al sud del Sequoia National Park, dins del Sequoia National Forest. El camí que ens porta als pics està rodejat dels sequoies més antics del planeta. Són com gegants que et vigilen, silents, majestuosos, t'acompanyen amb la mirada i t'observen intrigats. Un d'ells, ja caigut, serà el que ens permetrà passar el riu, que ara és massa ràpid i va massa ple.

Arribem a l'inici del camí el divendres sobre les 10 de la nit. Són gairebé 5hores i mitja de cotxe. Per sort la lluna és plena i el cel clar i tenim bona visibilitat. Un munt de vaques en mig del camí ens recorden que hem d'anar en compte a la carretera. La porta que havia d'estar oberta des d'avui roman tancada, i per tant haurem de fer uns quants quilòmetres més per arribar a la nostra destinació. Dormim al campament abans de hidden valley i el matí següent ens llevem a les 5:30 del matí.

El dissabte se'ns presenta espectacular. Hem de fer camí fins a trobar un lloc còmode i sense neu per acampar 12 persones, això ens durà a travessar el riu per sobre d'un sequoia gegant en posició ascendent que ens farà tremolar a tots les cames una estona. Després de 3 hores, finalment trobem una zona acceptable i seca per acampar,

posem tenda i bivacs i marxem a fer el pic més alt: Maggie (10.234feet, 3.119m). Passada una hora inicial de esgarrapades entre arbustos aconseguim arribar a la neu més sòlida. Amb 4 hores arribem al pic, rodejant el fals pic d'abans per l'esquerra. La baixada la farem per la vall, al costat del riu, per evitar més esgarrapades, i arribarem a la nostra zona d'acampada a les 6 i mitja del vespre. Sopem i dormim, estem esgotats, no hi ha temps per veure la lluna plena.

Diumenge pugem a Moses (9.331feet, 2.844m). El primer obstacle tornarà a ser creuar el riu, que farem per sobre un arbre humit i relliscós no massa segur. Poc després veurem un ós tot just davant nostre caminant tranquilament en la mateixa direcció que nosaltres. Més tard, trobarem aquestes flors en perill d'extinció: Erythronium grandiflorum ssp. pusaterii.

Arribarem a la cresta, bonica, llarga i exposada, amb lentitud i estarem a punt d'abandonar-la diverses vegades. Un company del grup fins i tot cau i surt plè de sang de rascar pedra. Per sort, finalment, i amb l'ajuda de piolet i escalada gairebé de 4rt grau, arribarem al pic tots sans. El cafè al pic no deixarà de sorprendre a algun dels nostres nous companys de viatge.

Finalment, arribem al campament, recollim tenda i utensilis i fem camí de tornada cap al cotxe.

Per majoria absoluta no passen pel sequoia gegant al creuar el riu de tornada però ens haurem de tornar a descalçar per passar les aigües ràpides i fredes uns quilòmetres més avall.

El cap de setmana acaba després d'haver fet uns 44 quilòmetres i més de 3000 metres de desnivell, alguns amb una motxilla considerablement carregada. Ens sentin vells i cansats, però contents.

2009-04-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

Sequoia National Park
(Ós, marmota, coiot, cèrvols, artur, meri i altres bèsties vàries...)

Trobem a faltar els sequoies gegants i la neu, i passar la nit a la muntanya. Així que baixem les 4 hores que ens separen d'aquest paratge de boira i gegants amb la idea de fer algún pic i que no ens toqui massa la pluja. Encara hi ha molta neu i el campament es troba sota mínims. Trobem una de les últimes places i posem la tenda sobre terra mullat i gelat. Per sort, uns veins que tot just marxen ens dónen la llenya que els ha sobrat de la nit anterior i podrem fer un bon foc quan el fred i la nit avancin. Un coiot passa per la nostra bora ensumant els menjars de la gent. No sembla preocupar-li massa la nostra presència.

La nostra primera sorpresa és la caminada de 2 milles a Tokopah Falls, és maca i ens trobem al bell mig del camí un ós buscant termites en un arbre. Tot just acaba l'hivern per ell i està ben prim. Però ni s'immuta en veure'ns. Uns centenars de metres més endavant una marmota sembla voler tenir una conversa amb nosaltres. Sembla que el fet que els turistes de temporada encara no han arribat fa que la fauna sigui més despreocupada que de costum.

A la nit farà fred, se'ns congelarà l'aigua i sembla que part del gas. Però el matí s'ha llevat amb el cel completament blau, el sol ens toca a la taula mentre esmorzem, és la primera vegada que estem en aquest parc i no fa boira ni núbol.

Pujem a l'aparcament de Wolverton. Pel camí se'ns creua un grup de cérvols. Des d'allà hi ha adaptats uns quants camins per fer esquí o raquetes de neu. Agafem el camí que ens porta al "hut" de Pear Lake. "Hut" és el més semblant als refugis que nosaltres tenim als pirineus i alps. Aquest s'ha de reservar amb molts mesos d'antelació. A mig camí ens trobem el guarda del hut i ens explica que fan una loteria al novembre per asignar places de tanta gent que el demana. També ens trobem de tornada 2 homes que ahir a la nit es van perdre per la boira i no van poder arribar al hut, han hagut de dormir a mitja muntanya. Sort han tingut que portaven tenda.

El camí són 6 milles, les dues primeres hores són de pujada i després baixes i pujes divereses vegades més. Passen a la vora de dos llacs gelats i finalment arribem al hut a les 3 hores i mitja d'haver sortit. el paratge és meravellós. Estem en una espècie de circ, sols, amb unes cascades al voltant. Tenim tot just davant el "Alta Peak" que sembla esplèndid per pujar i té una cresta temptadora. Haurem de tornar a l'estiu a rascar roca. Els núbols han començat a aparèixer els últims 20 minuts de camí i ens preocupen una mica. Són negres i podríen baixar fins a fer-nos impossible la vista del camí. Així que dinem ràpid i fem la nostra petita cafetera i marxem sense gairebé ni descansar cap a baix. Per sort els núbols es faran més densos però no ens arribaran a tapar. Arribarem al cotxe en menys de 3 hores. El desnivell acumulat que hem fet són 1400 metres en uns 18 quilòmetres.

2009-04-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve

A mitja hora de casa nostra hi ha diversos parcs que formen el "Open Space Preserve District". Són petites joies d'harmonia que fan que la Bay Area sempre tingui el gust de la natura a prop. A la primavera les flors salvatges omplen aquests turons i els ocells canten sense parar.

Avui tenim la sort de tenir un dia fantàstic, fa calor sense ser exagerada i no hi massa gent. Ens estem dues hores tranquilament fent els 8 quilòmetres que gairebé envolten tot el parc i els tres petits llacs que hi ha. Ens quedem parats de la zona que dóna al pacífic: sembla que estiguem tant lluny de la civilització!

2009-04-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Henry Coe State Park

(Tots els colors de primavera)

Hi ha vegades que les imatges valen més que les paraules...

2009-03-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

Round Top (3.164m)
(Loma Prieta Chapter - Sierra Club)

Aquest cap de setmana fem dos pics: Red Lake Peak el dissabte, dormim a la neu a prop de Carson Pass, i Round Top el diumenge amb la gent del Sierra Club.

El Red Lake Peak serà ràpid i ens servirà d'aclimatació. És un 3000 facilet que pujarem i baixarem en 3 hores. Podrem investigar el terreny i buscar un lloc maco i lluny de la carretera per plantar les tendes. Curiosament descobrim que hi ha bastanta gent acampada a prop nostre. Sembla que hi ha un bany "artificial" d'aigua calenta que no aconseguim veure.

La nit serà sense lluna, un cel estelat impressionant i un vent que gairebé no toca la tenda però el soroll que fa no deixa dormir. Tenim sort d'estar ben arrecerats.

A matí següent ens trobem a l'aparcament a les 8:30 amb la gen del Club. El Round Top, però, ja és un altre estil de muntanya. Una muntanya molt maca i a la vegada una mica tècnica, amb grimpada final i cresta. Som 19 persones així que l'aproximació que es podria haver fet en dues hores es retarda bastant. La meitat del grup va amb esquis i l'altra meitat amb raquetes de neu. La pujada passa al voltant del Winnemuca Lake, planejant durant uns 3 quilòmetres i després comença a pujar de valent fins que als últims ~200m es fa més empinada i alguna gent es queda ja abans d'arribar al coll. Als últims 30 metres deixarem raquetes i esquis i canviarem a grampons i piolet. Hi ha gel però principalment és roca i neu tova en una grimpadeta fins al cim.

Després del vent que ens acompanya tot el camí, el cim es presenta estranyament tranquil. Dinem amb sol i una temperatura relativament agradable. No ens estem molta estona ja que la gent que

no ha volgut pujar al cim està esperant-nos i deuen estar agafant molt de fred.

Baixem i tornem a mig perdre al camí, per sort tenim els GPS i aconseguim trobar el cotxe.

Ens queda el gust de cim, una cresta pendent per a fer a l'estiu, i un bosc tot just descobert que no necessita de permisos especials per a accedir-hi. Sabem que tornarem...

2009-03-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

Cañada del Oro open Space Preserve
(Loma Prieta Chapter, Sierra Club)

El dia es lleva molt núvol. Esperavem un sol magnífic però ens haurem d'esperar a que vingui la primavera. En uns 40 minuts de cotxe cap al sud, aparquem a l'entrada de Cañada del Oro. Som unes 24 persones disposades a fer, si podem, els 30 quilòmetres de caminets pel parc que ens ha preparat el Dan.

Aquest grup és molt ràpid, més que caminar, gairebé corren. Sort en tenim que estem una mica entrenats. Els turons són molt verds i estan plens de flors.
Disfrutem d'aquest dia que de tant capritxós només ens donarà els raigs de sol just a l'hora de dinar. Podrem fer la xerrada i una mini-migdiada.

Mentre el Dan busca bolets, ens explica com reconèixer la famosa "Poison Oak", semblant a les ortigues però que piquen més i més cada vegada que les toques. També aprenen nous noms de flors, tant diferents de les nostres conegudes mediterrànies.

Acabarem cansats però contents. A l'Artur les últimes 3 milles se li han fet eternes i a la Meri les plantes dels peus li cremen com punxes que penetren dins dels òssos.

En Dan i la Carmen ens conviden a tot el grup al tradicional pica-pica que fan després de les caminades d'un dia. Però avui tenim la sort de provar la cervesa casolana que han fet a casa seva i un guacamole boníssim. Què millor per acabar el dia!

2009-03-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Dewey Point - Yosemite

(Rudy, Artur y Meri)

Después de casi 4 semanas lloviendo tenemos dos dias de sol. Nos apuntamos encantados a la propuesta de Rudy de ir a pasar otra noche acampando en la nieve en uno de los picos con más vistas de Yosemite Valley que se puede hacer en invierno sin tener que andar muchas millas: Dewey Point. Un poco más de 4 horas y parada obligatoria para poner cadenas nos lleva al aparcamiento de Badger Pass. Pedimos el permiso de "overnight camping y parquing" a los rangers y nos dicen que seremos más de 30 personas acampadas cerca del mismo lugar! Parece que aquí a la gente no le da miedo dormir a -15C. Vemos un grupo de unas diez personas que van con trineos por lo que llevan hasta mesas y sillas.

El camino solo tiene 3.5 millas (5.6 km) que haremos por encima de la cresta al ir y por los prados al volver. Compartimos la senda esquiadores y los que vamos en raquetas de nieve. Hay mucha nieve!

Llegamos a Dewey point en unas dos horas y el paisaje es verdaderamente espectacular. Se ve

El capitán majestuoso justo delante nuestro y la Half Dome en el fondo preciosamente nevada. No hay viento, hay muchos pájaros, hace sol... Buscamos donde poner la tienda que segun normativa no puede verse desde el camino y debe estar como mínimo a 30 metros de qualquier punto de este.

Encontramos un lugar precioso dónde veremos salir el sol por la mañana y nos tocará directamente a la tienda. Por la noche llegaremos a -15 C pero no tenemos frío, ya hemos aprendido las lecciones para estar suficientemente abrigados en estas temperaturas. Tenemos una luna bonita que iluminará el paisaje casi toda la noche (bueno para las visitas nocturnas).

Dormiremos, como siempre en estos casos, unas once horas. Principalmente porque fuera del saco hace frio.

Por la mañana efectivamente vemos salir el sol (unos más que otros - de verdad, lo busqué mucho rato en mi saco, pero no salió). Los pájaros siguen cantando, como si no les afectara el invierno ni el frío. El resto de ruidos son casi siempre trozos de nieve que caen de os árboles.

El día acabará muy bién, volveremos a hacer fotos del valle en Dewey Point y en unas dos horas volvemos al coche. Se nos quedaran las ganas de volver y la próxima vez ir hasta Glacier point - son 10 millas. Igual pronto....

2009-02-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Snow Camping Seminar
(Sierra Club-Loma Prieta Chapter)

Primer vam tenir la classe teòrica. Tot un dissabte d'aprendre maneres de suportar el fred i evitar congelacions, material necessari, com plantar tendes, fer iglus i refugis de neu, com evitar allaus, etc...
Finalment, vam fer la sortida pràctica. Erem 19 persones, incloent 5 instructors voluntaris del Sierra Club. Quedavem a les nou del matí al punt de sortida a Bear Valley, al final de la carretera Hwy 4. Per poder arrivar-hi sense haver de matinar massa vam anar a dormir el divendres a un camping proper, també vorejats de neu però sense massa rasca.

Així que muntem tot el material i caminem la milla que ens separa del nostre destí. En una petita clariana muntarem les tendes, la cuina, i farem les pràctiques de construir un iglú, una cova de neu i un refugi de neu d'emergència. Tindrem la sort de tenir un cap de setmana immillorable amb una nit freda però esplendidament estrellada. A la nit arribem a -7C però ens hem protegit tant que no passem fred.

Potser el més interessant del cap de setmana, però, és la gent que hem conegut i el que hem après d'ells. Diferents maneres de cuinar, diferents maneres de plantar tendes, de vestir-se de desfer neu... diferents opininons i tots contents de ser allà i passar-s'ho bé.