The 'Official' 2013 Aragón HISS Report

[rem47]

But it was not all hard trails:

Glad I took this picture as I don't remember much of the evening - local wine in a bottle with no label.

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Spectacular gorge with the old and new bridges over Rio Esera

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The pass between Sort and Vielha - made interesting as the local farmers had driven a huge herd of incontinent beasts through all the hairpin bends

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It was a pleasure riding with you amigos!

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Phil and I passed through the Desierto de Monegros - me having just gone onto reserve as we entered. Rotopax was my security.

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Sunrise in Argenten-Chateaux then home

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[Simon_100]

Thanks Richard for your fab posts and pix. You've really caught the whole sessence of the HISS this year - including the adventures just getting there and back, I'm really glad the cloud stayed off the Port de la Bonaigüa pass for you on your ride over to Vielha

It's funny how folks' 'off-trail' escapades are only coming to light now that the headmaster's cane is firmly locked back in its cupboard

I think I can guess the one Johhny and the Jets went down with the roots and the water crossing at the bottom - did one like that with my mate Miguel Angel in spring that I specifically refer to in the Route 1E trail. But I didn't see ny of these sorts of stockedes that you unwittingly rode into in all of my travels around the zone.

Hi Richard

Bravas means brave, rough (as in Costa Brava) or wild - Also hot and spicy when referring to food like bravas sauce
Res in my dictionary says animal or beast, Google translates it as beef.
My gut feeling is that you were looking at wild pigs being reared for hunting or their meat. The terrain is better suited to wild pigs. Either way they are dangerous, hence Peligro. They are fearless and stand their ground if you come across them or if they feel threatened they will charge you. Did I mention the huge tusks???

Simon, perhaps this could be a kind of initiation for new HISS members. LOL :unsure:

I'm glad you all made it out alive

Johnny - 'rezas' definitely means cattle, i.e. cows, here you seee them being herded from the Sierra Morena to the Sierra de Albarracín, where you lot evidently found the stockade for the lively, agressive, testosterone saturated machos



The wild pigs that you are talking about are wild boar - there's no way these are kept in any kind of corral or stockade. They are quite dangerous as obstakles you should avoid riding into, but all the talk I've ever heard of thier ferocity is largely urban myth, we come across them quite often walking with our dogs in the Pyrenees!

Otherwise you may be thinking of the Iberian pig, the ones that make the very best ham and are often referred to as semi-wild. But this really means that they've never been selectively bred and they're quite docile - wel as docile as any porcine is when they want to be! :laugh:

These are kept in fenced encloseures, which makes the region around Cadiz and up into Extremadura look oddly like English parkland, but not in Teruel, who's ham, despite being some of the best you can get - ask Dermot and Amanda - isn't made from 'Iberico'.

More photos from me soon - hopefully one from the BBQ in which Polly isn't looking as if she's crying :laugh:

Regs

Simon

PS the only Lone Wolf remaning unaccounted for is Paul - last seen leaving for KTM Zaragoza to collect his new clutch slave cylinder. As I havent had a call from them asking where he is I guess he made it by hook-or-crook and I think he was due to set off on the Santander or Bilbao ferry on Wednesday - any news Paul?

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[bikenav]

hello guys home late last night safe and sound and on the bike.try to get pics out of phone and write a bit later. just like to say thanks again for a great meet and everybodys contributions great places great riding brilliant people.
Paul.

[rem47]

One of Phils videos is coincidently taken at 3E1 on the Javalambre Summit Romp - a really nice route. The route you said you have not travelled Simon. We carried on the track for another 200m before realising we had missed the turn which you can just about make out in the foreground going off to the right of the picture where Jonny is. In places there was no visible track to follow on the ground.

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[rem47]

Thanks Richard for your fab posts and pix. You've really caught the whole sessence of the HISS this year - including the adventures just getting there and back, I'm really glad the cloud stayed off the Port de la Bonaigüa pass for you on your ride over to Vielha

It was a case of Deja vu. I realised I rode this pass before about 6 years ago at the same time of year, there was snow on the top then at the ski resort.

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[Simon_100]

Thanks Richard for your fab posts and pix. You've really caught the whole sessence of the HISS this year - including the adventures just getting there and back, I'm really glad the cloud stayed off the Port de la Bonaigüa pass for you on your ride over to Vielha

It was a case of Deja vu. I realised I rode this pass before about 6 years ago at the same time of year, there was snow on the top then at the ski resort.

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Blimey, almost the same date too :laugh:

Jeff mentioned that it was cold at Ainsa the same night - apparently there was a peppering of snow up on Aneto and the peaks around abouts - all well over 3,000 metres, so they were safe and sound in the Bielsa tunnel

Meanwhile, I you you, Dermot and especially Amanda an apology!

On the way to see the cave paintings between 4000 and 7000 years old. Amanda heeding some advice from Dermot on the approach to a tricky bit:

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The trai whree you came to grief attempting to get to the Peña de la Cruz was indeed my error recording the route on Wikiloc that I handed ou to everyone. Compare this, below, to my original survey back in May, when my mate and I originally followed the signpost to it, as per the guide - as did Johnny and the Jets an hour or so before you guys!

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As far as I know this was the only such error. To remond folks, I couldn't edit the routes from original recordings - as you will see we did 274 kms that day! - so had to 'redraw' them according to the itineraries and individual routes that I devised later, based on the survey plus hundreds of photos of signpost, POI's etc.

The big shame is the difficult route that you were following obviously must only have been a few hundred metres before you reached the 'true' trail. Unless you did reach this and still found it too hard for Amanda and her Tourance tyres, it is a bit of a wobly one as I warnned you all at the time

The real shame is that the view from the top is stupendous!

Regs

Simon

[Jeffwkirby]

A couple of pictures

Nope, didn't seem to want to load........? Sorry

Last try... I give up!! Reduced size but to no avail.....
Simon I'll send them to you on a email. If you could do the honours please (and after all this, that not that great! :whistle: )

[Simon_100]

A couple of pictures

Nope, didn't seem to want to load........? Sorry

Hi Jeff, you're not the only one! just glad to know you had a great time. If you want to send images to me on dropbox I'll try to load them here but I'd have to leave the captions to you.

Regs

Simon

[Simon_100]

A couple of pictures

Nope, didn't seem to want to load........? Sorry

Last try... I give up!! Reduced size but to no avail.....
Simon I'll send them to you on a email. If you could do the honours please (and after all this, that not that great! :whistle: )

OK Jeff, I know the feeling!

Let's try as few - I hope I've got your captions right:

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Day 2, think it was 2A or G (long, through a lovely green valley)

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Last cafe, last day

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Le Roast Beef (while he still could)

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Belisa tunnel queue

I'm a bit stuck for the rest as I'm on the Macbook and can't get the while image on the screen to copy!

I'll try a few more of mine tomorrow as I'll be stuck in a hospital waiting room - again - startimg my Physio :laugh:

But what the heck was this all about :laugh:

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The aliens have landed (aka me!)

Regs

Simon

[gspod]

Hi All, We're finally home from our travels.
Firstly, a huge thank you to Simon and Polly for making our experience of the HISS truly memorable. It was great to meet such a great bunch of people, full of fun and laughter. Here are a few photos and comments about our trip this year.
On our way through the Picos

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Then we stopped off at the Bardenas Reales for a couple of nights

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Then the HISS began - after a small 1100gs hiccup (luckily only a fuse).
Our first trail, second day on way to Javalambre. Amanda on the way to the monastery

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