Grumpy old mountain man living in Spain
Enjoyed spending the day installing Alpine Linux on an old laptop. Runs very quick even with old hardware, low resources and my familiar Gnome desktop. Had some problems connecting wifi, tailscale etc but more down to my lack of knowledge of Alpine. Generally really happy with the result.
Why? PostmarketOS (on my OnePlus6) also uses Alpine Linux as a base and I suspect quite a few future linux handhelds might do similar. Understanding the base system important.
It's #MountainMonday and a very hot humid afternoon in southern Spain, so I thought I'd drop this image. It's from a few years ago in the extreme cold and clear blue skies of the winter Picos de Europe. Peña Regalia (2219) and Pico de la Padiorna (2314) with the Collado de Liordes between. Oh how I wish to be transported there 🤣 Right now!
Just installed Solar Assistant on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W and for the first time I think I am understanding fully my solar set up. Good piece of software this.
Where's my water? Arko, standing in a dry "acequia" channel, on this mornings early morning dog walk.
I broke from the norm, photography wise, yesterday. Instead of the usual 28-60 lightweight zoom, I took a 50mm prime lens. Meant I had to work a little harder for shots and crop in sometimes during post processing but overall enjoyed the change and pleased with the results.
High level hike to the lakes at Lagunillas de la Virgen and Misterioso yesterday. The latter is well named as cannot be seen from 30m away. Still some substantial snow banks that will probably remain throughout the summer
Don't normally post foodie pics but I thought this evenings meal was a bit unusual. Watermelon curry.
In the summer here watermelon is abundant and cheap. Sauté chunks of watermelon in a mix of spices and you may just forget that it is a fruit after all.
My brain went into overdrive at 3am again… 😅 Result was a fresh tinkering session exploring my Fediverse setups.
Slowly moving away from paid Mastodon to self-hosted GoToBlog + PureBlog micro-blogging. Imported 3000+ Mastodon archives with AI help (turns out CursorAI can be useful!). Monthly savings & retaining ownership of my digital footprint. The Yorkshireman in me approves.
Full write-up: https://elperronegro.com/2026/tinkering-social-networks/
My daughters never liked the mountains. Horses, yes. Hills, absolutely not. So naturally, 20 years later, they're qualified outdoor guides who go caving for fun. Cold, dark, wet caves. With bats. I'm so proud. And deeply confused.
New blog post: "I'm So Proud of My Kids", a father's tale of irony, mid-life crises, and bat-infested hobbies.
https://elperronegro.com/2026/proud-of-my-kids/
A rare moment of clarity and hope.
The Barranco de la Luna. A short but very, very sweet half day hike in the Valle de Lecrin this morning. An early start rewards with the best light and colour. And ... we had it all to ourselves. Marvellous!
RE: https://mastodon.social/@hikingdude/116860209716532538
Report about hiking in the Frankische Schweiz (Franconian Switzerland) area of Bavaria, an area that I didn't even know existed.
When mountain forecasts promise "light drizzle" but deliver thunderstorms & hail... & your gas stove dies mid-crisis?
Our 3-day trek near Pic du Midi d'Ossau that turned into a comedy starring a bright pink tent, 30ml/hour rainfall, and an entire 36 hours of tasteless energy bars.
The lesson? Trust nothing, neither meteorologists nor cooking equipment 😂
https://elperronegro.com/2026/mountain-forecasts-wrong-hiking-adventure/
New post is up!
The Nomads hit the Pyrenees for a week of classic day hikes around Panticosa. Alpine meadows full of orchids to a Black Woodpecker being dive-bombed by a Booted Eagle. We crossed into France for Refuge Pombie under the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, tackled Bachimaña Alto's chain-assisted waterfalls, and I somehow managed to lose my wife on a well-marked trail.
Full trip report and zero mountain heroics here https://elperronegro.com/2026/day-hikes-pyrenees-walking-group/
Although I've just got back from 3 weeks and in the I haven't had much chance to tell you about our trip. I was far too tired each night to put together coherent sentences 🤣. This is the first of 3 blog posts and covers the 1st week of the trip (replicated on my GoToSocial site @richard )
https://elperronegro.com/2026/backpacking-pyrenees-june-2026/
Future writing will cover day hikes with our walking group and another about our stormy overnight adventure. Have a great weekend all!
"The World Cup is proof that if not for our leaders, the vast majority of the world's people would get along just fine."
Very true! From @michelleroy78.bsky.social on Bluesky
The Tunnels - Presa de Vadiello, Huesca
The isolated and stunning looking Pic du Midi d'Ossau 2884m as seen from near the Col de Houer to the SW.
I was surprised by the amount of snow still remaining in the Pyrenees. It's going fast though and leaving behind some incredible snow tunnels
Yes, we are definitely back in Andalucia 🤣 Staying in the Sierra Magina mountains near Jaen. There's a party going on at our hotel. So why not join in? So friendly. Good to be back.