JODUBA.COM :: Hiking

Aigüestortes - Portarró d'Espot

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 14:01:00 +0100

Aquestes vacances, hem anat a passar uns dies a la Vall de Boí. Si hi ha una cosa que s’ha de fer, si o si quan estàs a la Vall de Boí és pujar a Aigüestortes.
El Portarró d'Espot és el coll de muntanya que uneix la vall de l'Estany de Sant Maurici amb la vall d'Aigüestortes per l'estany llong.

Continue reading Aigüestortes - Portarró d'Espot

Aquestes vacances, hem anat a passar uns dies a la Vall de Boí. Si hi ha una cosa que s’ha de fer, si o si quan estàs a la Vall de Boí és pujar a Aigüestortes. Es pot fer a peu, o es pot fer amb “taxí”. Els taxis s’agafen a la plaça de Boí, i et deixen al Tossal del Sant Esperit a uns 1830m.

El taxí ens deixa a la zona que li dona el nom el parc, a les Aigüestortes. Per trobar les passarel·les haurem de caminar una mica, i les trobarem a la nostra dreta.

Com el dia estava una mica ennuvolat, vàrem decidir deixar-ho per la tornada, i ens vàrem enfilar cap al refugi de l’estany llong i l’estany. El cel es va començar a aclarir a mig camí del refugi.

Un cop arribats al refugi, teníem ganes de mes... així que vàrem decidir anar cap al Portarró d’Espot. El Portarró d'Espot és el coll de muntanya que uneix la vall de l'Estany de Sant Maurici amb la vall d'Aigüestortes per l'estany llong.

Tot pujant al Portarró es pot veure l’estany Redó, i unes vistes increïbles del estany llong. La pujada es força directa. Si fins al refugi hem fet molt poc desnivell, ara toca fer-lo tot de cop.

Al tram final, les forces comencen a faltar, i com en un parell de dies volíem fer cim, la Gemma decideix prendre el sol a l’esplanada d’abans de coll, i la Judit mira de conservar tota l’energia.

Des de el coll, no es pot veure l’estany. Per això cal anar fins al mirador. Els senyals marquen 15 minuts, com la Gemma esperava vàrem fer un primer tram, potser uns 10 minuts, però encara quedava força pel mirador.

A la baixada vàrem patir una mica de peus i la Núria de botes noves... tot i això el sol havia sortit i vàrem gaudir de les passarel·les de les Aigüestortes.

Tour del Moleson amb neu

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sat, 29 Apr 2017 14:19:00 +0100

Pel pont del primer de Maig, en Jaume va venir a Suissa. La setmana havia sigut molt fred i plujosa. A finals del mes d'Abril i en vàrem trobar fins a 80cm de neu.

La idea original era anar a fer la via ferrata que puja fins al cim del Moleson, però amb aquesta neu ens vàrem conformar a fer un bon passeig per la neu, estirar les cames i fer una raclette a Gruyere.

Continue reading Tour del Moleson amb neu

The three Montronds

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 14:21:00 +0100

Continue reading The three Montronds

Today I needed to go out for a walk, ... for some time, I had a fixation to climb the summit close the Faucille. Checking the maps, I've learned that it's called Petit-Montrond, and decided to continue the crest and climb the Montrond, and the Grand Montrond. Just after the Grand Montrond there is a geodesic point that is where is finished my hike the day I've climb the Reculet. So challenge will be to have hiked from "Col de la Faucille" to the Reculet.

The path starts at the base of the ski resort of col de la Faucille. First we will climb the Petit-Montrond. There are several paths, in fact there is a ski lift to the summit. I've decied to follow the forest track, the only downside it's that it's a paved up to the summit. The climb is quite quick, in less than 30 minutes I was at the Petit-Montrond. Great views of la Dôle, Montblanc and Geneva region... I don't want to stay long, other than the views, it's not a nice place, a big communications tower and the ski lift kill the beauty of the place.

From here we will continue the crest. It starts with a heavy descent, I will not be happy to have to recover the altitude that I'm losing now. Once the descent is over, we start ascending the Montrond from the north face to avoid the clifs facing Geneva. After the fast climb and fast descent, now we are suffering to adapt to the right pace. At the summit there is a group discussing if it's better to have Netflix or HBO, not interested. I forgot my water bottle in the frigde, no time to waste. Let's take a couple of pictures and go to the Grand Montrond.

There is not much descent to get to the Grand Montrond, in no time I got there. The views from here are impressive. From the Summit we can see where we started, the Dôle, the Montblanc, the geneva region and the impressive crest that we hiked over. We can see the geodesic point where I left the crest the day I did the Reculet. Let's close the loop.

The map clearly shows 3 paths leaving the geodesic point BNE. I decide to take the one that seams to be the shortest to get back to the car. Only one problem, very soon I will discover that is not traced. Maybe it's a snowshoes path ? I had to cross the forest until I meet with the forestal path. From there the descent is comfortable and fast. Once the croses the ski slope, I decide to take the slope and get faster to the car.

Total time, 2h 15m, I did somethign wrong as the maps said it will take me about 3h 30m..

Kaaterskill Waterfall, New York

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 14:22:00 +0100

Continue reading Kaaterskill Waterfall, New York

After an intense week with the Honeywell connected homes team, working on documenting architecture, I had an almost free Saturday, my plane was at 19:00, and I didn't want to spend my day at the Long Island beaches. At about 2h from New York city, there is the Catskill Mountains, it's a typical place for the newyorkers to go and breath some fresh air. A friend recomended to visit the Kaaterskill Waterfall and so I did. It's an easy walk, provably in 15 mins from where you park the car.

It takes about 3h from from Melville to the start of the trail, and that if you drive early morning when there is no traffic. I got there by 10:00 am, and it was freezing cold, only 2 degrees celsius. I didn't came prepared to do any kind of hiking activity, so I put my trainers, and the everyday coat. For backpack I used my laptop backpack, with the laptop... I didn't want to left it alone in a convertible car.

The first surprise was to find the path with half an inch of fresh snow, everything it was quite slippery, and the tracktion of the trainers was not ideal. In about 15 minutes I've reached the base of the waterfall. The day was a bit covered, but the views impressive. There I decided to climb to the top of the waterfall. The problem it was that the stairs were covered in snow or ice. It's was a bit tricky.

After the stairs, it was much easier, it enters the forest and it was more manageble. Once on the top, there is a path that brings to a view point. After the photo and looking at the clock, I dicided to explore a bit more and I did some hike on the snow to the base of the lake.

Returning was more complex, going downhill with no tracktion, no walking sticks, no crampons... but I didn't want to lose my plane, so it was interesting, and I did it with out any accicent. Back at the car, temperature was still cold, provably 3 degrees... but 3 hours later at JFK airport, the temperature was already 20 degrees.. didn't help to heal my cold.

Coll Formic - Matagalls - Sant Marçal - Sant Bernat

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 16:56:00 +0100

L’excursió l’hem feta un dia clar d’octubre amb tots els colors de la tardor... Comencem amb una trobada Sant Bernat del Montseny, on deixarem un cotxe, ja que aquest serà el nostre punt d’arribada. Amb cotxe anirem a coll Formic. D’allà farem el cim del Matagalls, baixarem cap a Sant Marçal i tornarem cap a Sant Bernat.

Continue reading Coll Formic - Matagalls - Sant Marçal - Sant Bernat

Feia temps que no sortíem a la muntanya amb l'Angel, i ens havíem proposat de fer alguna cosa el proper cop que vinguéssim per Barcelona. Al final per raons diverses, sols vàrem ser la Judit, l'Angel i jo.

L’excursió comença amb una trobada Sant Bernat del Montseny, on deixarem un cotxe, ja que aquest serà el nostre punt d’arribada. Amb cotxe anirem a coll Formic.

A coll Formic sempre hi ha gent, i no son pocs els que s’apunten a pujar el Matagalls. El camí esta molt ben senyalitzat, no te pèrdua. El camí sols trobarem arbustos, terra de pissarra i unes vistes increïbles privilegi de que el Matagalls o més ben dit el Montseny s’alcen de forma solitària.

El dia ja feia pinta de fred hivernal, els colors començaven a pintar la tardor per les muntanyes.

La pujada al Matagalls des de coll Formic és molt agradable, mica en mica es remunten els 600 i pocs metres de desnivell, nosaltres ho vàrem fer en cosa d’una hora i mitja, l’alpina deia que serien 15 minuts més.

Al cim una mica de vent, i una gentada com a la majoria de cims fàcils i populars, el que no ens esperàvem era una tropa de més de 50 bicicletes, ... però la majoria varen pujar amb la bicicleta al costat, ...

Un cop hem reposat... toca anar cap a Sant Marçal. En aquest punt, tenim forces i ganes d’intentar fer les Agudes i potser el turo de l’home. Des d’aquí dalt, semblen a tocar... el que no es veu es que Sant Marçal esta uns 650m metres més avall...

El camí de baixada comença sortejant la tropa de les bicis... ràpidament entrem en una fageda. Els colors de la tardor, les fulles taronges ens acompanyen i esmorteeixen la nostra baixada.

A coll Pregon, els ciclistes es varen para prendre el sol o a saber.. nosaltres continuem cap a Sant Marçal. El camí comença força planer, amb petites pujades i baixades... però és força llarg... més pujar al cim, aquí tot i ser baixada vàrem fer un temps de 1h 45m.

Vista la hora que era, que ja som a la tardor.. vàrem decidir no arriscar a tenir que fer la tornada de nit, així que decidirem d’anar directament cap a Sant Bernat.

El Camí es força planer, ple de castanyers... ens fem un tip de collir castanyes... ja tenim sopar. Això si es el tram mes llarg de tots. Hi ha un moment que sentíem veus i ens pensàvem que ja hi érem... però no, encara en teníem per una altre hora mes...

Al final, son 3 trams de mes o menys 1h 30m cada un, i uns 4km cadascun.
Un cop a Sant Bernat, ens donem compte que la clau del cotxe que havíem deixat a Sant Bernat esta a coll Formic,...

Creux de Champ,Diablerets

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 16:10:00 +0100

Creux de Champ has been a surprise. Our intial intention was to strech our legs, but the hike has surprised us with incredibles views and majesitc waterfalls with the source on the Glacier 3000 glacier.

Continue reading Creux de Champ,Diablerets

Després del dia intens d’ahir, avui volíem fer una passejada curta per estirar les cames. Hem decidit anar cap el sector de Diablerets. Hi ha una vall, que ens tenia intrigats, quan agafes el camí del coll de la Croix, veus al fons una majestuosa paret vertical que s’enfila fins mes amunt del Glacier 3000.

Així doncs avui ens hem decidit a fer l’exploració de la vall, es diu “Creux de Champ”. El camí comença en l’esplanada de una fabrica de ciment o d’àrids que recuperen del riu. És un camí fàcil, de fet la primera part es del “parcours vita” uns recorreguts per fer esport esponsoritzats per una asseguradora.

Quan hem vist que el camí començava a donar mitja volta, hem decidit seguir pujant, aquest cop per un camí de turisme pedestre, els de Wanderland.ch... el camí s’enfila per una carretera, que ràpidament esdevé una pista forestal...

Un cop hem sortit del bosc, unes vistes de postal, una paret immensa en la que hi comptem dues o mes rescloses de dalt a baix, rescloses formades pel desgel del les glaceres. Les vistes et fan pensar el la mort d’en Sherlock Holmes juntament amb en Moriarty, si be no son les mateixes, i son molt mes altes que les de Reichenbach.

Les rescloses es veuen, però ens falta molt per poder-les tocar, de fet el camí s’hi apropa força, i les podem veure força be, però tot i així estan lluny. Si revisem els plànols, no hi ha cap camí que passi aprop de cap de les dues...

Ja tenim excusa pel proper cop, anar a l’aventura i obrir camí entre els prats fins arribar al peu de la resclosa principal.

Roc du Châtelet desde Solalex

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 16:17:00 +0100

Avui hem anat a fer el que tenia que ser una passejada, en realitat hem fet una excursió molt interessant. El cami comença a la cabana de Benjamine, que esta a un parell de curves d'arribar al parking de Solalex.

Solalex és una esplanada o pastura increible que hi ha al final del cami del mateix nom que surt desde la plaça de la Barbaluouse a Gryon.

Continue reading Roc du Châtelet desde Solalex

El camí va per dins de un bosc d'avets i s'enfila molt ràpidament. Hem remontat els 513m de desnivell en menys de 1h i mitja. És un camí de cabres, esta molt ben senyalitzat i podem trobar runes de velles muralles, i una casa de la que sols en queden 3 partes, però el camí és molt estret, hi ha moments, que no tens clar que puguis posar els dos peus un al costat de l'altre. Avui el camí estava molt mullat, sort hem tingut dels pals per evitar més d'una relliscada.

Les vistes s'obren a mesura que pujem i els grans avets deixen lloc a vegetació de més altura. Fins i tot en un dia de boria com avui, podem veure fàcilment, Gryon, Les Chaux, i a mesura que remontem podrem veure el fons de la vall.

El cim esta a sols un 10 minuts del coll, es de molt fàcil access... be, si no fos per que la part més alta del cim esta en una altre roca, i que per anar-hi cal fer un salt per sobre d'un barranc de decenes de metres de fondaria. Avui amb tot humit, herbes per tot arreu i amb un salt que acaba en tenir que fer una mica de grimpada, ens hem comformat en veure les vistes desde una aresta menor.

Desde el coll, el camí de tornada comença divertit... tot mulllat, tot enfangat, vertical... sort de la cadena que hem fet servir per ajudar-nos a baixar els primers metres..., després les coses es normalitzen i tot i que baixa força ràpid, podem fer-ho amb seguretat. El cami travessa un parell de cops la torrentera que ve del cim, amb un rajoli d'aigua. Les vistes de Solalex i la seva tartera son impressionants.

En total hem fet la volta en unes 2h i 45m (incloent parades)

Llac Tanay - desde Miex - Flon

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 24 May 2015 21:54:00 +0100

You can get to the small village of Tanay by Taxi, or by a 4x4. Otherwise, you have to park your car at the car park in Flon, from which point on there is a path for you to hike to Tanay. Nevertheless, in entering the town of Flon, there was a person organising where we were meant to park our car who did not appear like he would let us go on even if our car fitted the requirements.

There is a path that is well signaled to the right of the trail, right after the car park. The path goes through an alpine forest which protects us from the sun, but that doesn't stop us from sweating, seeing as the slope is so steep. Throughout our excursion, we met with several people, the majority of which were mountaineers - but do not be surprised to meet someone wearing ballerina shoes, struggling to climb the steep slope, slipping on the moving rocks under their feet.

As we arrive to the col of Tanay where the taxi stop is, we can see the first few houses. As we descend to the lake we can see the mountain refuges and restaurants.

The village of Tanay or Taney is the perfect base for the ascencion to the Grammont or Les Jumelles, but it is not time today. I am looking forward to coming back when we have more time.

Continue reading Llac Tanay - desde Miex - Flon

La Givrine - Haut Mont - Le Vermeilley

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 10 May 2015 21:56:00 +0100

This weekend we went on a small excursion to the Col de la Givrine. The Col de la Givrine is situated above Saint-Cergue before arriving at the border between la Cure (Switzerland) and France. Surprisingly, the majority of the path is paved.. Next time we will take our bike instead.

The path is slightly uphill, and it is very well signaled, and is surrounded by many other paths which inspire us for future excursions.

Here, during the winter season, we can find people snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing, and even riding on dog sledges.
In the summer we find people riding their bicycles and most of all, a lot of people in the mountain restaurants to taste the typical swiss cuisine.

Continue reading La Givrine - Haut Mont - Le Vermeilley

Panta de Santa fe del Montseny

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 17:53:00 +0100

El Panta de Santa Fe del Montseny is one of the first natural parks I have ever visited. The walk was very calm - the greatest risk would involve getting angry at a tourist who thinks the mountain is an amusement park, or a space where everyone can have a barbecue without any sort of consideration or respect for the environment.

We arrived when there was still some space for us to park our car at the parking lot. It was a cloudy day and it was cold, which was why we decided to have a brief walk. We had work to do, and little interest in feeling cold.

The walk wasn't much more than an hour of stopping to take pictures at each flower sighted...

When we arrived at the parking lot, it was a total mess. Very chaotic, almost like the exit of a football stadium.

A recommended walk. If the weather happens to be nice, take advantage of it and make the excursion longer!

Continue reading Panta de Santa fe del Montseny

Bois de Chêne

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 08 Mar 2015 22:58:00 +0100

Continue reading Bois de Chêne

It appears that spring has started and with such sunshine, it is a delight, being able to stretch your legs in the forests around you. At the town of Begnins there is a forest of oak trees, which is a scientific reserve. Like everything around here, it is well maintained and signaled. It is a rather flat path - no inclination. In the middle of the forest we crossed a stream and small, clear lakes with an impressive mirror effect.

In the forest, all you can hear is the sound of the water from the stream, and we were lucky enough to hear a woodpecker and a bunch of other birds that accompanied us in our little excursion. Towards the end, we were accompanied by three leaping deer.

Rochers de Naye

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 09:03:00 +0100

Above Montreux, there are the Rochers de Naye. The initial idea was to go from the col de Jaman to the summit, but in the end we decided to take a shortcut by taking the train that leaves from Montreaxu. The route taken by the train has some very impressive views. The excursion is rather vertical - it climbs about 500 metres in about two hours of walking. The most annoying part is that at the beginning, you constantly climb and descend, only to be at the same level. Once you arrive at the canal, the path climbs towards the col with impressive viewes of the Leman lake.

Continue reading Rochers de Naye

The Rochers de Naye is a mountain you can reach by taking a cog train, which is very typical for Switzerland. At the summit there is a small hotel with a small exposition about the mountain fauna, especially about marmots. They have examples of dissecated mountain animals, but there is a series of cages where you can see marmots representing the different species around the world. There is also a botanic alpine garden, where we evidently find edelweiss.

It is a rather steep mountain, and on one of its facades, there is a via ferrata we will probably do another day. But as one could expect on this type of mountains, the other side is very accessible.

The excursion began at Montreux where we took the cog train to the station in Jaman. The train is a bit expensive - if you like, you can take the car to the col of Jaman, but it takes 45 minutes longer.

Once arrived at the station of Jaman, we have the 'Dent de Jaman' right next to us. From this point, we have to descend to find the path - it is 30 metres we go down that we will soon have to rise before arriving at the next train station, from which point on we will yet again descend until an elevation of 1.672m, passing beneath the Rochers de Naye. At the end of the descent we can find a canal that climbs vertically until the col - it is rather vertical but it is still feasable without the use of hands. The path is full of little stones, which is why it is important not to slip.

Once arrived at the col, the views are impressive - we have the Leman lake below us, with the Alps in the background. Behind us, we can see the antena of the summit of the Rochers de Naye. From the col, we have 20 minutes of hiking until the train station, and from the station about 10 more minutes until the summit. From the summit, if the day is good, we can enjoy 360 degree views - we have the Leman lake and the alps on one side, and if we look towards the Botanical garden, we can sight the Hongrin lake. From the summit we can see the 500 metre vertical slope we have climbed up, and the station of Jaman is directly below us. If we feel like walking further, we can walk towards the end of the via ferrata or we can descend between the cages with the marmots and then take a walk through the botanical garden, where we can see the edelweiss.

Núria, Finestrelles & Queralbs

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 17:56:00 +0100

On the weekend of the 12th of July, together with Jaume, Neus and Narcis, we wanted to hike from Núria to Carança but due to the bad weather, we decided to simply hike to the summit and return. The initial idea was to go up the Puigmal but as the excursion is long and a storm had been forcasted, we decided against it. Instead, we decided to hike up Finestrelles. When we arrived back at the Vall of Núria we realised we had lost the last the train, and as if we hadn't hiked enough, we were forced to walk all the way back to Queralbs, and ended up walking for 11 hours.

Continue reading Núria, Finestrelles & Queralbs

We stayed over at the apartments in Núria, which were very luxurious in comparison to where I had stayed previously around this area. We awoke with the sound of the cog train, realising it was already 9 in the morning. Luckily (or not) Jaume was also a bit late, and his train arrived at 10 in the morning. Somehow, we ended up walking at 10 in the morning. No comment....

The excursion starts behind the sanctuary of Núria, where we take the path that goes towards Finestrelles. which passes through the camping zone. It is rather well indicated, although we did do it the day before the race - cursa de l'olla - for which there were marks and indications everywhere.

The first idea was to go and hike the Puigmal, and that was the direction we were going in, but Narcis had already gone there, and the weather was not very convincing, so we decided to do Finestrelles instead.

Once we arrived at the 'Roc de la Maula', we decided to go along the ridge, rather than following the path. It seems much easier than what its like, and we struggled a little to reach the summit.

Once at the summit, we eat and take a picture. The food, sun and the break helps us retain our strength.

To descend, we take part of the tour of the mountains, in the direction of the Pic d'Eina. We had the intention of going there, but the clouds were worrying us... so at the col of Eina, we take the return path, which takes to the Coma d'eina and to Núria.

During our descent, we crossed the path of several chamois, and at the foot of the Coma d'Eina there was a herd of cows and horses... some marmots came to say hi and when we began to walk again we crossed another herd of Chamois that came to give us company.

When we arrived at Núria, a cog train was leaving. We had one in 30 minutes, and then another in 1 hour 30 minutes. Which gave us time to have tea and a little snack... the waiter was not very quick in serving us, and we were not in a hurry either, and before we knew it, the first 30 minutes had passed, but we thought we still had an hour until the next train came... but to our surprise, there was no such train - it only left at that hour on fridays...

The hotel was overflowing with people, as the next day there would be the race - cursa de l'Olla...

Solutions? Walk all the way to Queralbs... a descent of 3 h 30 m

In the end we walk for 11 hours, but despite the clouds, a fantastic day.

Creux de Van

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 11:51:00 +0100

At the Vall de Travers, in the canton of Neuchâtel, we find a singular circ formation named the 'Creux de Van'. We were lucky enough to find a family of mountain goats - they were calmly grazing at our side as we were gaining altitude. The sights from the superior part of the circ are scary and it is rather annoying to see someone on a mountain bike or a stroller for children right next to you, right after your exhausing walk... but of course, they took the road to get here...

Continue reading Creux de Van

At the Vall de Travers, in the canton of Neuchâtel, we find a singular circ formation called the 'Creux de Van'.

We started the ascencion at the town of Noiraigue, after having left the car in the parking lot where there is the station of the 'service de feu'. We could have followed to road until the 'Ferme Robert' which is a refuge/restaurant and that would have saved us part of the climb, but then we wouldnt have been able to return on the other side, or we would have to climb to get to our car.

The path starts with a strong vertical slope that barely curves. It goes through the forest, the shade for which we were very thankful for. In arriving at the Robert farm, the path becomes flatter, in order to find the centre of the circ.

Once we arrive at the 'Font Froide', the path begins to climb strongly once again, and this time it curves much more. From here we can begin to se ethe circ, and in our case, we saw a family of 7 mountain goats.

The forest is so thick it is difficult to see the rock formation. I think that before the font-froide we simply had an intuition, and then when we climbed, we began to see the outline in between the trees...

Having overcome this climb, we arrive at a clearing and we begin to see the hole. The views are impressive. After a deserved break, we walk around the circ to descend on the other side.

Just after starting to descend, we see the restaurant/farm 'Le Soliat'. The descent is much stronger than the climb. Careful with your knees, they get rather tired...

When we arrive at 1.000 m altitude, we find another restaurant, Oeillons, and there are horses, geese and chicken...

With so many restaurant/refuges, this excursion seems more like a gastronomic route than anything else, but its part of the swiss culture - here the people like to go grazing and then have a good meal in a mountain refuge.

Le Grand Salève: Corraterie, la Grotte d'Orjobet i trou de la Tine

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 11:54:00 +0100

Just in front of Geneva, we have Le Grand Salève. The mountain is not very tall, but it does have a very vertical facade. In the superior part of this facade, there is an aerial passage that almost goes through the rock - it is the Corraterie. From the Corraterie we can see the Trou de la Tine, an impressive rocky formation, which seems, from far, an immensive cave, a hole in the wall but when you are inside you see there is no ceiling. Following the path a little more, we cross the Grotte d’Orjobet, a cave that is adapted with stairs that allow you to climb from 'Le Coin' until the Corraterie. The excursion is very aerial, with impressive views of the Montblanc, the region of Geneva and the Jura.

Continue reading Le Grand Salève: Corraterie, la Grotte d'Orjobet i trou de la Tine

The route begins at the superior cable-car station of the Salève. You can get there by car without any difficulties. The first part of the excursion goes very closely by the road, it is full of people that come to have a barbacue at one of the terraces of the Salève, or at the observatory.

We start walking by a path that comes from the posterior part of the cable-car. We cross the road twice by a path in the middle of a forest. After some time, we arrive at a paragliding base, with good views of Geneva and the lake. Further up, we arrive at the observatory, which isn't more than a restaurant and a base for radio-connections, with many people that have arrived by car to take a picnic. At this point we have great views of the Montblanc on one side and the Leman lake on the other.

Now we begin to see that we are leaving people behind, and that we are becoming closer to a strong cliff at our right. The path enters the forest in descent until it arrives at the Corraterie. It is quite an easy path, with very aerial views. You must be careful with your head, the corridor between rocks is not made for tall people. The views of the villages beneath are excellent.

Towards the end of the Corraterie, we find an immense hole through the rock. It seems like a cave. To get to it, we must enter the forest and descend a little more. From the forest, we see that we have to climb through a little path of stones until we get under the arc of the cave. Once inside, we see that the cave has no ceiling, we are at the 'Trou de la Tine'.

Following the path for the descent, we arrive at the 'Grotte d'Orjobet'. It is a cave that has an exit from the top and bottom, where they have put some stairs. It forms part of the path to go from 'Le Coin' until the Corraterie. From here we turn around and get back to our car.

The guides recommend to tie your children up for safety, but that is a little exaggerated. If you follow the normal rules of precaution of mountaineering, and you are not afraid of heights, this is a very simple excursion and reccommended for everyone.

Gorges du Chauderon

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 11:57:00 +0100

It wouldn't cross your mind, that from the centre of Montreux, and passing beneath the bridges of the highway, there are gorgues like the 'Gorges du Chauderon'. It is an easy walk, but with strong vertical slope. The path is very walkable, it is full of stairs to help us with the ascencion. The change of vegetation changes a lot from the bottom part that reaches Montreux where it seems more like a tropical forest, and the top part is more typically swiss.

Continue reading Gorges du Chauderon

The 'Gorges du Chauderon' surprise you for many reasons. The first is that they start at the middle of the 'viex village' of Montreux. We start going up some stairs until we reach the forest. The second is that they are below the bridges of the highway. Luckily, the pillars are so tall, that at this point, you only hear the water, and you don't hear the sound of any car. Anyway, a little further, when we are at closer to the level of the highway, we begin to hear the traffic.

One of the things that surprises us is how vertical the gorge and its vegetation. It reminds you more of the caves of Batu in Malaysia than a Swiss landscape. The atmosphere is
shady, dark and humid, which we appreciate on a day of summer heat.

Once we cross the second bridge, the gorge becomes less vertical, and the vegetation becomes more typical swiss.

Its a very pleasant walk, although you are rather lazy to start with such a slope at the beginning. On the positive side, the descent is much more comfortable and fast, perhaps in a third of the time you take to climb.

If you have time, you can continue until 'les Avants' and there take the train 'Golden Pass' to return to Montreux.

La Tine de Conflens

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 11:59:00 +0100

A simple 40 minute route from the train station of la Saraz. The climb is of about 100 metres. In 40 minutes you arrive at the dam. Its a magical place filled with energy from the forest fairies. There are two dams and a small beach. The water doesn't seem too clean, but its from the amount of organic matter there is in the forest.

Continue reading La Tine de Conflens

From the train station of la Sarraz, we cross the village until we arrive at the bridge that crosses the river. Once we have crossed the river, we take the road that follows it about 200 metres uphill. After having passed a 'brocante' at the left, we find a path indicated with the typical yellow swiss pedestrian tourism arrows. Here we find a sign that says danger, that there is a shooting range. If the fence is open, you can pass without problem. At this point we enter the forest, in which we climb about 100 metres of vertical slope.

As we approach the dam, the path goes slightly downhill, and this is made easier by some stairs - but you must be careful as it tends to be humid and slippery. At the end of the path we find a little lake and the dam, and if we go deeper into the lake or we go to the small beach there is to the left, we can see another dam hidden at the bottom of a small gorge. The water is a bit cloudy, it seems dirty but further down it appears to be very transparent, which makes us think that it is the excess of organic matter in the forest that gives it this brownish colour.

It is an easy and short excursion, with strongly recommended views.

le sentier de la Ballade à Béatrix, Saint-Cergue

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sat, 31 May 2014 12:05:00 +0100

If you feel like taking a walk after lunch at Saint-Cergue.. there is a walk you can take, called 'le sentier Ballade à Béatrix'. It is welll indicated, with 16 points of information. It starts with a little steeply, but the forest is very pleasant, the views from the old castle are impressive, the invisible ruins, and it goes through a series of rocky formations with interesting caves.

Continue reading le sentier de la Ballade à Béatrix, Saint-Cergue

Le Sentier - Vallorbe

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 18 May 2014 12:08:00 +0100

A simple route, strongly recommended, with very little uphill.

It starts very calmly near the 'Lac de Joux'. There are quite a few people, but these tend to be people that respect and love nature. At around the middle of the lake, you must climb a little to arrive to 'Le Lieux', where we continue touring the lake but this time at a higher altitude. In this route we have been fortunate enough to sight two deer or 'chamois' and they haven't shown themselves to be shy.

Continue reading Le Sentier - Vallorbe

It starts very calmly near the 'Lac de Joux'. There are quite a few people, but these tend to be people that respect and love nature. At around the middle of the lake, you must climb a little to arrive to 'Le Lieux', where we continue touring the lake but this time at a higher altitude. In this route we have been fortunate enough to sight two deer or 'chamois' and they haven't shown themselves to be shy.

When we finish to tour the lake, we descend to the village of 'Le Pont' where we continue touring the lake until the end of the village, where we climb the mountain decidedly to arrive at the col.

Once we have reached the highest altitude, the rest is a descent. As we arrive close to the caves of Vallorbe, we continue following the path that is next to the river until we reach the centre of the village.

Vallorbe-Romainmotier

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sun, 11 May 2014 12:09:00 +0100

We start at the camping place of Vallorbe, with a strong vertical slope untin we cross the col. From there, we descend through a minor road until Vailion. After crossing the village we enter once more at the forest, where we cross a defensive system (the toblerones) where we start once more to descend, following the river. In the last part, we walk next to the river and cross wooden bridges several times.

Continue reading Vallorbe-Romainmotier

Shali Peak, Himachal Pradesh, India

joduba@iwith.org (Jordi Duran i Batidor) — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 13:12:00 +0100

My work brings me to many places around the world. Lately, one of these frequent destinations is India. The city I visit is very close to New Delhi, and the large Himalayan mountains are not too far, only around 400 Km away. But in India, this means 10 hours of driving. Last time I went, I had a monday free, which gave me a three-day-long weekend and the perfect excursion for me to escape to the mountains.

Continue reading Shali Peak, Himachal Pradesh, India

Many times we associate the Himalayas with Everest and mountains that are 8.000 metres tall. But in reality, the Himalayas are an impressive extention - of about 2.400 km long and 400 km wide. The mountain system counts with the largest summits of the planet, but we can also find summits of modest heights, such as the Shali peak, which is about 2.830 metres.

The adventure starts at Delhi, where we take a car to go to Shimla, which are about 400 km away. We take 10 hours to arrive, due to the condition of the roads in India. At the time of the British Empire, Shimla was the summer capital of India. As it is in the mountains, the temperature in the Summer is more agreeable. Shimla is a rather vertical city, with modest houses, small, of many colours. Like all the cities in India, you cannot help but notice how dirty the roads are, and even, how dirty the forests and mountains are.

During my stay, I stayed at the house of my guide. The people of India are special, I don't know if it is the culture, religion, or traditions... but they are very welcoming and they are always there to help you without asking anything in return. Vishal, the guide is proud of his Land and traditions. During our hike he tells me a bit about history, traditions and his own life.

The excursion to the Shali peak starts with car ride of about two hours to get to the foot of the mountain from Shimla. The path is rather easy, it reminds me of the meditteranean forests, with pine and toot tries. At the start, we approached a farm, and the farmer invited us to tea, as it would have been impolite to refuse. So we stopped for tea and talked a bit with him. He was a poor farmer, with a pair of starving cows, but who wanted to invite us for lunch nevertheless. We told him that we would next time, and we continued hiking. He accompanied us for a bit, to prevent his neighbor's dogs from annoying us.

The path to the summit is a cart track, in fact it was a postal road at the time of the British Empire. At the summit of Shali Peak there is a Hindu Monastery.

From the summit we can see the white Himalayas, the 8.000 metre summits and it makes you realise the immensity of the mountains that form the Himalayas.