Location
On a path in the forest between La Palma de Cervelló and Corbera de Llobregat.
Participants
SastRe.O
Plans
I had been planning a track for attempting this one, but the elevation profile was scaring me. Specially the last slope to reach the hash area, and having to ride back home. Had also been considering if taking a bus, maybe bike/bus, or even bike/jog. But in the last moment, today after lunch, decided that I would indeed bike all the way and simply take my time. As I said, is not the distance that was bothering me but the elevation gain..
Expedition
So after lunch loaded my GPSr with the track, a few geocaches (maybe I would be lucky) and took off. First towards Pallejà, copying what I did here. In Pallejà started the first climb. Well, the second. The first one I took for granted.
This started to be undiscovered area for me, so at least I had already that. Discovering places. And not so bad, steady climb but manageable slope. And the I started hearing.... gunshots? BANG BANG First I thought hunters, but looking up I say a few parked cars. Maybe a shooting range? It was always rounds of two, BANG BANG so the hypothesis of shooting range was gaining weight. A few meters later I crossed another biker and asked me something. Is there a shooting range here? He was as clueless as I. We suposed there had to be one, since it didn't feel like hunters for being always rounds of 2 shots. He was specialy curious, because from where he came, there are some quarries and signs advising of possible explosions on the area. I am checking now on the internet, and there is indeed a shooting range there, so mystery solved.
Now I reached La Palma de Cervelló, beautiful town with some cliffs on the background, and here started the fun part. Almost 3km with an average slope of 9% (:. What scared me at home. Mixed feelings. The typical dilemma of "why am I after that random point the internet told me to reach" vs "if it weren't for that random point the internet told me to reach I would have never discovered this place". I had like 30 minutes for thoughts like these, but never stopped biking.
Once on the upper part of the route, I searched for a geocache as a reward, and finally went after the precious coordinates.
They were easily reached since the point was almost on the path. Had to fight a little the undergrowth and a sudden velociraptor, but I ended victorious.
Took a slightly little different path to go back to the village. There I had planned to take the same path as before, but on the spot I stopped to eat something saw some signs that made me think that I could avoid a climb by adding only a few kilometers. Always risky when I abandon the planned path to take a different one I discover in situ, but it was a success.
To face the last climb to reach home, I turned on the radio and having on the background some people debating the last news in sports helped a lot to ease my mind and not think on the biking and remaining distance left.
In the end, 43.5km with +/-715m. Not bad.
Tracklog
Photos
| View of what was ahead of me. Weather/light was not great for pictures. |
| Curious church I found in Pallejà. |
| No wonder it's called Quarry of the red hill. |
| Palma de Cervelló and its cliffs on the background. |
| View from the highest point of the expedition. |
| Frühlingskiefer on the path next to the hash. |
| This is Corbera I think.. ? |
| Where I stopped to eat something before going back down. |
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Achievements
Other Geohashing Expeditions and Plans on This Day
Expeditions and Plans
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