Archive of all posts from Mastodon and the Fediverse. 895 total posts.
50 posts per page | Page 14 of 18
After a couple of mountain bivouacs I am sold on using Sleeping Quilts rather than Sleeping Bags.
1. Generally lighter weight (no zip)
2. You can micro manage temperatures much better than enclosed in a bag
3. You can turn & move much easier
4. Zips! There aren't any. How frustrated have I got in the past when zips get snagged whilst trying to extract oneself quickly in the middle of the night?
Photos ... me & my better half tucked in for the night at our last location.
The going down of the sun west of Granada a couple of nights ago. Taken from Collado de Siete Lagunas in the Sierra Nevada. Straight out of camera.
The summit of Mulhacén 3482m yesterday evening from our bivouac on the Collado de Siete Lagunas 3230m to the north. Milky Way showing in all it's glory. Cold temperatures too with strong wind blowing.
#Spain #trekking #hiking #SierraNevada #skies #stars #astrophotography
Came across a site yesterday that created a website for me within 30 seconds. Yes, that's right, 30 seconds. All I had to do was enter a website title, the main selling point and location. 30 seconds later I had a beautiful website with photos, text, testimonials, contact form, features sections, footer etc. All AI generated of course and customizable. I have no doubt it could have been hosted and online for €10 a month, for another mere 30 seconds of my time. Amazing!
1/2
Arko reckons he's fed up of summer now and is ready to go skiing!
Tomorrow we have an overnight trip into the Sierra Nevada visiting the spectacular "Vasar de Mulhacen" path across it's north face. An open bivouac at night on the Collado de Siete Lagunas (3230m), with a knee burning 1600 metre descent to the village of Trevelez the following morning. Should be some really good photographic opportunities. Looking forward to this immensely.
#SierraNevada #Spain #Hiking #Walking #Landscape #landscapephotography
Cancelled my Spotify membership a month ago and have been searching for a self hosted music alternative. Now set up a Navidrome instance on a Pikapod server. Very easy to set up (a few mins and clicks of buttons). Uploaded 2k+ songs from my archives. Cheap to run (approx $3 a month). Accessible on all my devices. So far, so good.
Exciting news that Framework products are now available to order in three more countries including my own: Italy, Spain, and Belgium! That includes the Framework Laptop 13, Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders. Better get my planning head on!
Lots going on in the night skies at the moment, but didn't manage to get any of the Perseids meteors yesterday evening, just the occasional satellite.
32 degrees centigrade at midnight last night! Difficult to sleep. Looking forward to autumn.
I'm quite excited about local-first software development. I've been playing about with Anytype note taking and am quietly optimistic. Good article about how a "local first" approach can set us free from the corporate cloud.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-cloud-is-a-prison-can-the-local-first-software-movement-set-us-free/
There was a beautiful setting moon this morning so whilst my wife was out walking the dogs I borrowed her "good" camera and got this photo.
A tough day yesterday on mainly pathless, steep terrain, but into a wonderfully quiet area full of natural beauty. I'm knackered!
Loma Pua 3226m - Pico Sabinar 2961m - Rio Veleta - Lagunillos del Pulpito - Paso de los Guias - Col de Carihuela
#SierraNevada #Hiking #Spain #landscape #landscapephotography
Just backed Cory Doctorow's
Kickstarter project "The Internet Con - How to Seize the means of Computation". A DRM-free audiobook to halt the internet's enshittification and throw it into reverse (Amazon won't sell it!). Looking forward to this.
Author Chris Stewart joined our hiking group yesterday. Here he is hanging on grimly to the short but spectacular "Paso de los Guias" in Spain's Sierra Nevada mountains
N.B Chris's travel books have encouraged thousands to contemplate the move to Andalucia. "Driving Over Lemons" was the first. Soon to be a TV Series.
#hiking #viaferrata #sierranevada #spain #walking #landscape #landscapephotography #mountains
Arko, chilling after his early morning dog walk. Nothing moving except his eyes
New head torch ... Nitecore NU21. At 43 grams and only €35 it seems like good value on the face of it. Testing it on an overnight soon.
Looking forward to this tonight. A home grown tomato and basil salad with locally sourced garlic and drizzled with a friends olive oil. The simple things in life are the best
Arriving at the ski lifts yesterday we found that the bottom gondola lift was broken and wasn't running. Never mind, one plan closes, gets put on back burner and another one opens.
Instead, we dropped into a quiet valley with just a few animal tracks. This valley was full of streams, greenery, waterfalls and wild endemic plants. A beautiful reminder of how the Spain's Sierra Nevada once was.
#SierraNevada #Hiking #Walking #landscape #landscapephotography
Facing a Future of Drought, Spain Turns to Medieval Solutions and ‘Ancient Wisdom’
Interesting article - think it's unlocked
Managed to just about catch the rainbow appearing in this cascade
Things you love to see!
Piedra Resbaladiza, Sierra Nevada
#waterfall #waterfallwednesday #landscape #landscapephotography #SierraNevada #Spain
Your beer should always be treated with much love. What better way to cool it down than by immersing in pure mountain waters at 3000 metres?
N.B Dear Steinburg ... would you like to sponsor me?
Santuario de Monteagud, Filbares.
Our predecessors certainly knew how to construct mountain hilltop buildings that took full advantage of any cool air and superlative views.
A religious building with spectacular views of the sea, the desert and the mountains. The sanctuary occupies the site of a Muslim ravita called "Montahur" and is a provincial pilgrimage center.
It's taken me some time to figure it out, as I found it confusing initially, but I am now enjoying using the #anytype note taking app. Offline and local first, fully compatible across devices, supports markdown and keeps notes and files in the same place. Worth a look at https://anytype.io
The spectacular climb yesterday out of the Guarñon valley via the trail known as the "Veredon Inferior" in Spain's Sierra Nevada mountains.
#SierraNevada #Spain #Hiking #Walking #Landscape #landscapephotography #mountains
Cons:
1. The SOS button. This is not in the best place and could be maybe be inadvertently pressed, especially when either turning on or sending a direct location message. I'm not sure how long I would have to press it to activate a rescue because I didn't dare try out!
2. Although I had the device clipped to my backpack, it moved around annoyingly when walking. I am going to fix some form of stabilization with elastic or Velcro around the backpack strap.
3/4
First test of the Motorola Defy Satellite Link
We were at 3000m yesterday in a high, remote valley without cell phone signal. Seemed like a good place to give this device a test. I sent two positional messages and then two text messages to two different people, of which I received one (asked for) reply back.
#hiking #backpacking #satcomm #outdoors #communication
1/4
Yesterday we used the spectacular trail leading down into the Coral del Veleta and access to Veleta (3394m) north face. An awesome place!
#SierraNevada #Spain #Hiking #Walking #Landscape #landscapephotography #mountains
A blast from the past ... heading out onto the Aiguille du Midi arête, heart in mouth! The Grand Jorasses behind. Space all around. My first time in the Alps, 1983
Just moved our company project from Github to @Codeberg. An easy migration as it turned out.
Now, I don't really regard myself as a "proper" programmer, more like an enthusiastic amateur, but I am always happy to support #FLOSS open source projects. "A free home for free projects", unlike GitHub which has the giant of Microsoft behind it. I will support and donate
Took delivery of a Motorola Defy Satellite Link today. I dived in so the setup took longer than expected! Initial test message though was super quick to pair, acquire satellites & send. Looking forward to a real test in the mountains next week. For price of the unit and subscription cost it's remarkable. Good safety communication backup for all outdoor enthusiasts especially when cellphone coverage is sketchy. More next week
One amazing thing about our walking group today was that out of a total of 11 people attending, 4 were full time committed Mastodon users. How good is that?
It's 37C outside. You are in the midst of a fierce spanish summer. Either "head for the hills" or as we did today, head to some dramatic local gorges and refreshing, cooling waters. Marvellous!
Rio Santos, Albuñuelas.
#andalucia #spain #hiking #walking #rivers #waterfalls #waterfallwednesday
As it's 35°- 40°+ here now over the next week (and possibly until mid-August), it's time for my own "summer of coding" to start. Our company website badly needs a long overdue overhaul, so I plan to introduce dark mode, simplified navigation, less "clutter" & revised galleries amongst other things. Using @eleventy, Tailwind and Shoelace.
I'm hoping too that the calf injury will allow me to get some light hiking again (above 2000m+) soon.
My wife candidly snapped this a few days ago during a routine visit to the cardiologist. Clean bill of health!
Find it amazing that he can Bluetooth into my ICD (Implantable Automatic Defibrillator), tweak things & make adjustments. So lucky to have this device.
1. When heartbeat is too slow, it sends tiny electric signals to the heart.
2. When heartbeat is too fast or chaotic, it gives defibrillation shocks to stop the abnormal rhythm.
3. Works 24 hours a day.
Everyday use, I don't notice it
Author and political scientist Ian Bremmer commented, “The idea that we get our information as citizens through algorithms determined by the world’s largest advertising company is my definition of dystopia.”
This is a really interesting article on the present state and likely future state of search.
Grade 1 calf muscle tear. Puts me out of next week's mountain trip unfortunately 😭. It happened a couple of days ago after a big day in the hills. I felt it go walking up some small steps leading to our greenhouse. Easily done I'm afraid when the muscles are tired and I hadn't done any post exercise cooling down. Lesson learnt. Now for some weeks of post injury rehabilitation
Just treated myself to the new Motorola Defy Satellite Link. Seems like a great cost effective, simple to use, add-on device for the day hiker/ climber/ cyclist / remote worker on land who are simply looking for peace of mind when travelling to areas where they may have limited Mobile connectivity, to keep in touch with friends and family and summons emergency services if needed.
https://gpstraining.co.uk/blogs/reviews/motorola-defy-satellite-link-review
#satellite #communications #hiking #climbing #mountaineering
Zamárraga, erigeron de Sierra Nevada (Erigeron frigidus)
We found this at 3460m on Mulhacen in Spain's Sierra Nevada mountain range. Endemic and critically endangered species. Lives on poorly developed stony schist soils in shaded areas. Not usually found below 3,000 meters of altitude but can bloom up to 3460m between June and September.
#flora #naturephotography #wildflowers #spain #sierranevada #nature
First harvest of green peppers. They smell and feel so fresh. Freezing some and maybe having fajitas tonight!
#gyo #growyourown #greenhouse #selfsufficiency #allotment #gardening #garden
The Sierra Nevada Poppy (Papaver lapeyrousianum).
Only grows near the summit of Mulhacén at 3,381 meters of altitude. After the 8 months of snow has melted, and from cracks in the rocky slabs, a small creeping plant with hairy leaves and green stems emerges. A flower of red petals and yellow stamens is born. It blooms only for a few weeks between July and August. Endemic, endangered and precious! Lucky to see these yesterday.
It's a long time since I went up Mulhacén, in fact pre heart problem in 2019. First time to 3482m altitude on the highest mountain in mainland Spain. Of course, today we went up the finest way to the summit ... where the west ridge abuts against the north face. It's a hard pull from the Collado de Ciervo but worth it for the views to the left down to the diminutive Laguna de la Mosca
#mountains #landscape #landscapephotography #hiking #Spain #walking
After a night in the hills I came back home to Lanjarón to be met by the towns annual week-long fiesta. A celebration of colour and noise. Senses a bit blown. Enjoyed it, but think I prefer the quiet of the hills.
After debating with myself for 30 mins about whether to venture out into the cold to answer the call of nature I eventually left my tent. The sky was amazing. I guess then was not the time to start learning astrophotography but I put the camera on a tripod and a 20 second timer and pressed the shutter. I took a lot of blurry ones but this is the best I managed. Might have to learn how to do it properly 🤣
#astrophotography #nightsky #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
Images from the last 2 days trip to visit "Lake with No Name" at 2900m altitude! A magical, serene place where nature ruled. Humans don't often visit here, if ever.
My head is filled with images and experiences from this trip, the stars overhead, the tumbling waters, the stillness, the Ibex and even the mid-morning break to make a cup of tea! Here are just a few digital ones from a mind blowing overnight camp.
#backpacking #hiking #trekking #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #Spain
We arrived at the "lake with no name" yesterday afternoon. At the exit of the lake a delightful stream fell out of the hidden valley. I don't normally take a tripod, yesterday I did. Meant I could slow the shot down and close the aperture. Came as a complete surprise when I saw the subsequent image and the path made by water droplets seemingly jumping out of the stream. I guess I will take my mini tripod wherever I go from now on 😀
My first overnight trip into the Sierra Nevada mountains since the Pacemaker implant starts tomorrow. Just one night camping by a remote lake. Haven't packed yet but target base weight is 5kg, water and food taking the overall backpack weight to under 8kg🤞 Looking forward to a night in the mountains
Just installing Crunchbang plusplus 12 on an old laptop. Crunchbang has always been one of my favourite #distros. It's remarkably fast, even on old kit, and uses the Openbox DE. Enjoyable