Grumpy old mountain man living in Spain
Since Dec 2022 we have been running our own Mastodon & GoToSocial servers. What a breath of fresh air the Fediverse has been. We have made many hundreds of new friends from around the world, mostly related to our mountain, tech and nature interests.
Connect with me/us on the Fediverse at:
Just returned from an amazing week in the including a 3 day backpacking trip. After getting our asses kicked by storms on the first night we crossed over the Haute Pyrenees from Spain to France via 2541m pass, spent a wonderfully tranquil night enjoying the "Sleep of the Gods" in a grassy meadow alongside a flowing river and returning next day. Memories that will last for ever. With @khusky
I've arrived in the Pyrenees. As you can see there are some stunning sights. Heading up into the mountains tomorrow
With @khusky
Big country Spain, 10 hours drive north starting today, heading for the High Pyrenees (Pirineo Aragonés, 3000 Ibones) and a weeks backpacking.
Looking forward to some splendid isolation, camping by lakes, crossing high passes between Spain/France and hopefully climbing some snowy peaks.
Today I've had a tough day lying asleep in a field of daisies, under the sun, surrounded by high mountains. It was hell, I tell you, but somebody has to do it.
T-Deck Plus update ...
Only downside to the T-Deck is internal antenna is a bit naff. I am not a natural dabbler & hate getting hands dirty but had no other choice. Took the radio apart, detached internal antenna, attached better one & put it all back together somehow.
It works! Although, just like an IKEA wardrobe, a couple of bits came off and I have absolutely no idea how or where to re-attach them 🤣 🤣
Thanks to "Ray J" for helpful video https://youtu.be/llg40EWJ_R8?feature=shared
Just set my new T-Deck Plus on my local network. Looks a bit like an old Blackberry eh?
Working well on existing home . Will be testing it on the hiking trails next week.
Still plenty of snow around still in Spain's Sierra Nevada. May need micro spikes or crampons to cross snow slopes pre-midday but after that it becomes soft very quickly.
This is @khusky traversing some well trodden slopes near Lavaderos de la Reina
@cutting This is today's webcam shot of part of our route that crosses over a 2700m pass. The route over marked in red
It's a week before we head off to the Pyrenees for a week long trek. Seems there is more snow than normal for June so will have to take crampons and ice axes to cross the high passes and maybe summit some stuff.
Bummer, as adds to the weight. In an effort to lessen the impact on my ageing body I have bought a pair of these. Petzl Leopard Flexlock crampons, very light, only 385 grams/pair (similar to my existing micro spikes).
Anybody used them?
The magical world of the snow tunnel
Lavaderos de la Reina, Sierra Nevada, España 27th May
Don't normally do selfies but does show you my new super duper "Ranger" camera bag from https://www.leichtmut.de/product/the-ranger-ultralight-camera-bag/
Can be worn on chest but I prefer as a waist holster bag rather than across the chest. Only 94g! The bag fitted perfectly onto my rucksack waist belt making it accessible & very easy to open/close. Fully waterproof & offers just the right amount of protection.
Support garage businesses!
Waterfalls tumbling out of Lavaderos de la Reina valley in Spain's Sierra Nevada yesterday
Facebook making it really hard for me to delete my account permanently! 🤬
I haven't used it personally in over a year but have been contributing to our business account. In Europe you have until 27th May to opt out of your posts being used for Meta AI. Problem is, they make it very hard for you to actually "opt out". Turns out, they make it very hard for you to delete your account too.
I attached a SenseCap T1000-E credit card sized tracker to my lovely but very naughty dog, Rita via a small pouch on her collar. When she escapes out of our grounds on her adventures to visit neighbors etc we are able to keep track on where she is via a map on the Meshcore web app.
No monthly fees, initial cost €42 for the T1000-E and €20 for the Lilygo Lora V2.1 attached to laptop. I have contributed to the developers of the software.
I screamed again today 😱 as I disturbed a warming snake out of it's morning slumber. It ran at an alarming pace past my legs stopping briefly to hiss it's annoyance and headed off into the bush.
Dark color, so possibly a Ladder Snake. Could also be a Montpellier or a Horseshoe Whipsnake, I was too frightened to stop and study. Harmless unless manhandled and I certainly wasn't likely to do that 😀.
Here's a archive image of ours of a ladder Snake.
Plenty of water still coming down from the Sierra Nevada on this morning's dog walk. Long may it continue!
Yesterday I did get 12km line of sight messages through without a problem
Test ... tracking @khusky and the morning dog walk from my home laptop using radio network and the repeater on my rooftop.
Interesting possibilities for hiking and backpacking in groups?
Amazing archive. Wouldn't mind getting into this style of mountain biking myself 😆 and the Lairig Ghru route through the Cairngorms is spectacular
Got a right shock getting into my car yesterday. As I reached for the door handle to close the driver door I felt something run over my hand. It was a Scolopendra! I screamed like a demented banshee & flew out of the car, must have looked funny as 😀.
Now we don't have much in Spain that will hurt you but a Scolopendra can inject a venomous bite that can cause intense, long-lasting pain & swelling. I love most living things but draw the line at these 😂
