Of Corsica we're hiking

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Of Corsica we're hiking
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- May 31, 2018, 8:59pm
- 🌙 17 °C
- Altitude: 1,359 m
- France Corsica Quenza Scapa di Noce Col de Bavella 41.80035, 9.221641°48’1” N 9°13’18” E
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Day 14
Being the best climbers in Bavella ;)
May 31, 2018 in France ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
The three most important rules of mountaineering are...
1. You don't have to make it to the top, but safely back down (so you can climb some more tomorrow).
2. Every step is an important one.
3. The best climber is the one having the most fun!

Four days of climbing in Bavella made it easy to be "the best" climbers. We had such a fun time here in a most scenic setting! Often you could hear us singing made-up songs early in the mornings as we warm up our bodies and minds and hike up about 20 minutes from the road. Bavella's granite rock is quite grippy, which is helping us trust our feet and use smaller and smaller hand holds for balance. We're also graduating from slab climbs to more vertical climbs and consciously choose the routes that challenge us mentally and in technique for vertical face climbing.

The area is huge and dotted with hundreds of climbs, so we follow our guidebook's advice and keep moving from crag to crag throughout the day. The first two days were mixed weather and we keep having to pack all our things and take breaks while we wait for the rock to dry again. The next 2 days are perfect weather - hazy sun with a cool breeze. Happy Liebstes!

Meeting other climbers at our campsite and in the mountains usually makes us realize how much we have to learn yet and that we're still such beginners :) But even in just the four days here, plenty of the climbs we choose are pushing us to a new level of confidence on the rock. Leo's strengths are definitely in the climbs with large features that require a lot of technical moves - the climbs that Mareike thinks always look the most fun. My strength is more in the tiny features and balanced face climbs - the ones Leo usually thinks are terrifying . But we learn on every climb, mostly about each other, ourselves and how we can get stronger mentally to climb the funnest routes. One climb here was so fun, it deserves its own story (to follow).

Tomorrow we're moving west to do a few climbs by the coast and then slowly move back North again. Bavella definitely offered the funnest outdoor climbing we've ever done!Read more
Traveler Perfect choice: hammock time 👍🏻
6/3/18Reply
Traveler We have a history of bringing the hammock on our trips and not using it 😄 This time we're using it so much, mostly Leo reading and I pretending to read but falling asleep in it ;)
6/3/18Reply
Traveler Looks perfect!
6/3/18Reply
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Of Corsica we're hiking
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- Jun 1, 2018, 10:57pm
- 🌙 17 °C
- Altitude: 21 m
- France Corsica Ajaccio Pisinale Pointe de la Corba 41.90947, 8.6115941°54’34” N 8°36’42” E
Day 15
We're so bad at rest days
June 1, 2018 in France ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
Today, we left Bavella to make our way to the coast for a small crag right by the ocean. Mareike had seen it in our climbing guidebook and immediately loved the look of the climbs as well as the setting. Since there are just a few climbs and only two of them within our skill level, it was going to be an easy day with plenty of time to rest and enjoy the scenery. So far the theory :)

We got there mid-day and immediately loved it. The climbing was mostly crack climbing. It looked super fun and hard at the same time, so we decided to set up a toprope (Leo was able to hike from the other side of the climb). Since the falls in toprope are so much shorter than on a lead climb, it is a lot less scary to do hard moves and makes climbing a lot easier mentally.

Yet, this kind of climbing was totally new to Mareike - a lot of jamming your feet and hands in the crack and moving up one move at a time. She (and Leo from below) really had to push herself to trust those moves and keep climbing. So much fun to figure it out! She ended up climbing the harder climb three times and got more "graceful" each time :)

Feeling great and well protected, we decided to venture out of our climbing comfort zone and try a 6a+ route, two levels above our hardest climb so far. It was a super challenging start but once Leo figured it out, he sent the route! Trying all sorts of moves for this hard route, we had totally lost track of time and realized the sun was setting already - what a full day of climbing fun! And we realized that we also finally learned what it means to run out of skin on our fingers ;)

Since it was so late and we were tired, we decided to stay in a Bed and Breakfast. Such a good decision! It was an apatment attached to a lovely house up in the countryside. The owners Claude and Marie-France were the best, most friendly hosts and we had a few nice conversations in Mareike's broken French :)Read more
Traveler All these places are incredible!
6/3/18Reply
Birga Rohweder magnifique :)
6/4/18Reply
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- Jun 2, 2018, 6:39pm
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Altitude: 668 m
- France Corsica Bocognano Ruisseau de Cordiccia 42.09813, 9.0675242°5’53” N 9°4’3” E
Day 16
An actual rest day
June 2, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Today, we had a real rest day! We hiked up a stream to a 50m tall, narrow canyon with cascades running through. We set up our hammock by a little waterfall, slept in the sun, read our books, swam in the freeeeezing water, planned our next climbs, and enjoyed Corse pastries and fruits. Our bodies say thanks!Read more
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- Jun 6, 2018, 7:45pm
- 🌫 19 °C
- Altitude: 574 m
- France Corsica Bocognano Ruisseau de Cordiccia 42.09184, 9.0665542°5’31” N 9°3’60” E
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Day 20
The patience game
June 6, 2018 in France ⋅ 🌫 19 °C
Our night was spent on the other side of the mountain in what felt like a ghost town. On the way to the campsite we passed multiple abandoned buildings and pig farms. Upon arriving at the campsite, which was well kept with grass that had been cut possibly less than a week prior, we discovered it to was abandoned.

After a bit of a discussion we put the posted fees along with a note into a box marked reception and called it a night.

Driving back to the crag the next morning we finally saw the famous Corsican pigs! Mareike has been talking about how there are more pigs on the island than people. The pigs love to hang around licking the road, eating the hillsides and getting uncomfortably close when people roll down the window for a picture 😄

The day at the crag was a strange one. We tried climbing well below our grade but both felt very lethargic and tired. We were so out of it, and hot, that at one point Leo randomly blurted out how he wished there was a swimming pool at the crag.

We decided to call it a day and headed for a new campsite in Vizzavona.

In Vizzavona we caught up with our friend Emile at the small convenient store and settled in for the night.

We awoke to rain. Leo believed that the rain would not be in the valley where we would be climbing. He was wrong. We spent a good part of the morning playing cards in the car listening to music. Eventually we wandered out for some food and continued our card game in the local cafe. By 1pm the sun was out and by 2pm we were climbing at the crag, hooray!

We had enough time to climb all 6 climbs on our list. Including a 6a+ on top rope that Leo set up with a daring traverse from the 5c climb anchors.

It was such a fun climb! Mareike went first working the tiny finger crack that moved to a tiny finger crimp all the while standing on minimal footholds. After working back across the face to a more gracious handhold she made her way up to the anchors.

It was now getting late but Leo was determined to get the climb in. Equipping his helemet with Mareike's headlamp he jumped on the climbed. He's not sure if the low light helped or hurt, because at times he knew he was standing on tiny features, but couldn't see them that well, only feel them. In the end he trusted his instincts and fought his way to the top.

All in all a fantastic day of climbing and the sharing of another beautiful day together.Read more
Traveler What a view 😍
6/7/18Reply
Traveler Such a diverse day ! Love the piggies ! You two are very brave.....stay safe 💕 .....
6/7/18Reply
Traveler That looks a little wicked
6/7/18Reply
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Of Corsica we're hiking

Being the best climbers in Bavella ;)

We're so bad at rest days

An actual rest day

The patience game