Boars Die, Drones Fall and Spirits Rise (Montsec Bikepacking Loop)

Boars Die, Drones Fall and Spirits Rise (Montsec Bikepacking Loop)

That’s the village of Benabarre where I spent the last day and a half. So I spent two nights there. It was gonna rain for a day and a half. Then I went around the village a little bit, charming, and I found a horse. So I was able to sit out the the rain.

And it stopped raining last night. The soil is very heavy. Today is gonna be sunny so I’m hoping it dries a little bit, at least the surface of the trails, because it’s freezing at night. Tonight is gonna be minus two, so it might get dangerous tomorrow morning to be on the

Trail if it’s frozen. What’s going on here? Hunting probably, huh? I feel like the hunters in Spain, they feel like they own the fucking country. They label every fucking inch of the country. The Montsec Bikepacking Loop in the summer. Must be really, really epic. I love it. Ciscar

It’s pretty good even in December. Yeah, pretty good. It’s great, it’s just the the temperature is not super pleasant. Today is pleasant, I mean I can’t complain. I’ll be complaining this evening when the temperature will drop well below freezing. It’s not gonna be super fun, humid at minus two in my tent.

I just hope the trail gets a little drier today. Hopefully the sun will shine and dry it a bit, otherwise tomorrow morning it’s gonna be very complicated. There’s not much grip as well, but we manage. I’m coming from here, at this junction, the app says keep left and then slightly left.

I check the map and I have to go right. This app, turn by turn, is a little stupid. Fantastic scenery. I love it. I love it! Going down slowly but surely. I don’t want to destroy anything with all these rocks. I think I should sing a bit.

I could hear some hunters around here. Maybe they think I’m a wild boar. This is the village of Ciscar. I guess if my pronunciation is right, there’s probably not much going on. None of these villages has anything going on, to be honest. There aren’t many opportunities to

Buy food in these little villages because most of them, they don’t have a shop or a bar. And since I started till here, so it’s basically a little bit over half of the Montsec Loop, I don’t think I went through a village that had a supermarket, or at least I don’t remember.

But definitely the last few days, no. And in two or three days I will arrive to a bigger village that has a has a couple of supermarkets. I saw it on the map, there is Dia, so there is the opportunity to have cheap food.

I mean most of the people that they come to do the Montsec Bikepacking Loop they probably don’t care because they they have the resources to pay for a slightly more expensive food or they probably don’t even cook, people stop at the bar or restaurants have food.

I think I will stop around here to have lunch. These rocks look sweet. That’s gonna be my seat. Lunch is over. Made myself a sandwich. These are my views post lunch. I decided to stop halfway through because it’s a nice place in the sun sheltered by the wind.

I was getting to be very hungry. I didn’t want to wait till I arrived to the Ermita. I’m sure you cannot see but down there, there are some peaks, they are full of snow. It snowed a lot in the last day, day and a half.

Those are the Pyrenees, so the Montsec doesn’t get as much snow. After lunch I took my last pill of Meloxicam. 7 pills, 7 days, 50 milligrams a day. Now I need to stop because otherwise I risk to damage my liver or my stomach, even though I was taking omeprazole, it’s a gastro protector.

But 50 milligrams a day, it’s the highest dosage. Now let’s see how’s the next few days. This pill should have effect until tomorrow and then after tomorrow I think I can complete the route in four days. Let’s see, then I have to get to Barcelona but I can do all paved roads.

So now the app told me keep left. There’s one road on the left, one road on the right, one road straight. Keep left, where would you go? Like have a guess. You go there, no? Keep left. No, keep left is going straight. Spectacular! Montsec Bikepacking Loop Very, very fun. Very enjoyable.

Another great day of riding. It’s getting a bit windy, but I think it’s okay. It will get very cold in an hour or two. Tonight, minus two. At some point this must have been a big, big river. Now there is not much going on. But beautiful. Finestrae, 4.5 km. This is another side.

Diversion from the Montsec Bikepacking Loop I think I’m gonna skip it. I’m such a lazy bastard. One hour to sunset. Still climbing up. Now it’s a little flat for a kilometer and then it will go up again. I need to climb another four or five kilometers I think.

In about five six kilometers if I turn right I can get to a refugio. Then I’ll be dry for the night. There are two problems though. Problem number one from the turn off. There are 7.5 kilometers downhill. So it means that tomorrow morning I have to climb it back.

And second of all I think you have to pay. But I don’t have internet connection at the moment. So let’s see when I get there, I try to see if I can find some more information online. Look at these birds, I don’t know if they are falcons, they’re really big birds.

That could be eagles as well, you know. Very Big Now they move ahead here. We are about a kilometer or two away from before. Look at the view, it’s wonderful, very wonderful. What a view! What a view! Look at that. And let’s see if there are many trees.

I show you the view on the left. Ah yes. See the mountain with the snow? The first one has snow only on the very top, but the ones behind they have loads of snow. Another fantastic day on the Montsec Bikepacking Loop 30 minutes to sunset. It’s getting windy and chilly.

Here the hunters, they have two wild boars. The biggest one they killed. Look at that. They killed 8 wild boars and they sell them to butchers. It’s a bit sad to see the wild boars dead there, but to be honest, they have to. There are too many of those wild boars.

And they have no predators, because basically there are no wolves, nothing. They keep reproducing and then it’s a problem for the whole ecosystem. Jesus, look at that. Sunset was a few minutes ago. I still have one kilometer to the turn off. The temperature is dropping.

I’m not sure how accurate is this 4.8 degrees It’s dropping fast. Okay, this is the turn now. I need to take a decision.

Cycling the world – Europe: 144 episode
Embark on a captivating journey through Catalonia’s Montsec Bikepacking Loop in this fifth episode, where adventure unfolds under the Spanish sun. Departing from the village of Benabarre after being stranded by heavy rains, I set off into a day that promises the chill of early winter with the sun high but temperatures heading below freezing by nightfall. The trail outside the village, shrouded in woods, offers a blend of beauty and challenge, with muddy paths and the unexpected thrill of nearby hunting operations targeting wild boars. Each dirt road leads me from one vibrant valley to another, showcasing the colorful woods in their early winter attire. As the afternoon progresses into a lengthy climb towards sunset, the effort keeps me warm against the cold, even as I experience a minor setback with my drone. Amidst the ascension, a mesmerizing dance of probably Griffons above heralds the expansive views of snow-covered Pyrenees in the distance. The day’s ride, though marred by the sight of a hunting party’s catch, closes with a breathtaking orange sunset that blankets the sky, woods, and road, marking another remarkable day on the loop.

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