Unseen Montserrat Pics
I uploaded a few select pics from Montserrat to convey what the terrain there is like. Some of us hiked from the monastery to the highest point "the hard way" which was a strong climb but hardly impossible. Montserrat is about a half hour train ride from Barcelona (maybe 45 minutes). It's basically a big mountain on a plain or amongst surrounding plateaus (which you can see in some of the pics).
The ascending part of the trail is mostly a series of long concrete or stone steps. Sometimes there's a railing but most of the time none is needed. There are tons of trails that go to various parts of the mountain, including a climbers' hostel with a little garden. The trails are marked a few different colors but we didn't really understand the system which is how we somewhat accidentally found the climbers' hostel.
Along the main trail there is a little building, probably a chapel, that appears to no longer be used for anything. This is fairly close to the top.
Some of the strange "serrated" rock formations appear to have faces.
Just a regular view off the mountain. You can see how flat it is in the surrounding area. On the side nearer the monastery there are a bunch of plateaus.
More curious rock formations. Many of the tall peaks, which as you can see are quite sheer, have crosses place at the top.
The final ascent. These stairs lead to the viewing platform at the highest point of the mountain. The railing you see there is about two feet high with a loose wire. At the top of these stairs there is a big compass on the viewing platform and on this day there were a few teenagers daring each other to climb further and further out on the ledges.
On the way back down we saw some climbers (the little red dot and the little gray dot) climbing a face across the ravine from us.
This is a picture of the monestary from the tram access stairs that tourists aren't supposed to use. I'm pretty sure its the longest single staircase I've ever walked in my whole life. There's a sign about half way down that says you aren't supposed to use it. And its facing away from people coming down. We used this because the tram down was closed and the last train leaving for Barcelona was leaving SOON. Fortunately everybody made it back in time.
That's all of Montserrat in 8 pictures.
The ascending part of the trail is mostly a series of long concrete or stone steps. Sometimes there's a railing but most of the time none is needed. There are tons of trails that go to various parts of the mountain, including a climbers' hostel with a little garden. The trails are marked a few different colors but we didn't really understand the system which is how we somewhat accidentally found the climbers' hostel.
Along the main trail there is a little building, probably a chapel, that appears to no longer be used for anything. This is fairly close to the top.
Some of the strange "serrated" rock formations appear to have faces.
Just a regular view off the mountain. You can see how flat it is in the surrounding area. On the side nearer the monastery there are a bunch of plateaus.
More curious rock formations. Many of the tall peaks, which as you can see are quite sheer, have crosses place at the top.
The final ascent. These stairs lead to the viewing platform at the highest point of the mountain. The railing you see there is about two feet high with a loose wire. At the top of these stairs there is a big compass on the viewing platform and on this day there were a few teenagers daring each other to climb further and further out on the ledges.
On the way back down we saw some climbers (the little red dot and the little gray dot) climbing a face across the ravine from us.
This is a picture of the monestary from the tram access stairs that tourists aren't supposed to use. I'm pretty sure its the longest single staircase I've ever walked in my whole life. There's a sign about half way down that says you aren't supposed to use it. And its facing away from people coming down. We used this because the tram down was closed and the last train leaving for Barcelona was leaving SOON. Fortunately everybody made it back in time.
That's all of Montserrat in 8 pictures.
posted by outpostbabu at 2:02 AM
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