Fall It is the time of the year when each tree shows us its true personality. The color of its leaves, red, ocher, green, yellow or brown distinguishes them more than ever. And all these shades orchestrate one of the most beautiful natural canvases, to contemplate, photograph or sit down to draw.
The beauty of the autumn landscape is music in silence, the one that only listens to our interior. strolling through groves and forests , taking a deep breath, With wide open eyes , we will travel through a melody that is difficult to forget.
How wonderful is the Garrotxa!
To better live the experience of get into nature , in a forest, on shepherd's paths, without our line interfering with what is habitat of so many living beings , we give you some good guidelines for naturalists, ornithologists, a forest bathing guide and a podiatrist , so that everything starts off on the right foot.
Nothing is complex. As the naturalist and forest engineer of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, Joan Montserrat, states, everything is a matter of “common sense”. To nature –he says– “you have to go in silence” , to be able to enjoy everything that is heard, walk around observing everything that jumps out at you and listen to the sounds that reach us.
Fall It is no longer like in summer –he warns-, when you can wear short sleeves everywhere. Do not trust the sun, which can also be very intense, because, as this forestry engineer points out, "There can be a sudden change in the weather, even the first snow falls."
This is very typical at this time of year, a time of change, like the season itself, which accompanies us, from summer to winter, and We change the clothes in the closet.
If we do not know a specific area to choose our day in the open air, and make our excursion, we must bear in mind that in all parks and natural spaces , we will find signposted itineraries. This makes it much easier for us to discover forests and natural spaces. They are safer places for our first outings, if we are enough novices in the mountain experience.
Alt Pirineu Natural Park.
In the natural parks, there are signposted paths with access restricted only to residents and signs indicating the routes to follow on foot, with orientation information, maps, safety warnings and tips.
In the protected natural spaces, such as the Natural Park of l'Alt Pirineu, in Lleida, which is immense, there are information centers where They inform and guide you to plan a good visit.
As they explain in their guidelines and advice, in their case, "part of the territory of the park is private property, so we must ensure that the visit do not disturb the people who live in the territory, nor walk through crops and mowing meadows. If it goes with pets , they must be kept on a leash, since their presence can cause nuisance to livestock or wildlife.
MUSHROOM TIME
for those who program an excursion to the forest to take advantage of the opportunity to look for mushrooms, there are also specific tips, and the first recommendation is to go accompanied by someone you know The different types of mushrooms , or take with us a guide on mycology. If an item is not correctly identified with real security you don't have to touch it. Health, and life, we are in it.
Go for mushrooms!
Do not collect more than we can eat or a permitted amount, if indicated in the area. Neither fuck, nor the very mature, nor the too young. It is recommended to use a basket or wicker basket, and no plastic bags. In addition to avoiding this material to the environment, mushrooms can go bad.
And to remove them from their habitat, you have to cut them with a knife without modifying the environment in which we find them. Yes, they can be cleaned, and in fact it is recommended, rid them of leaves, soil or small fragments of nature , in the forest itself, a job that we no longer have to do at home, and the waste what we get rid of is good stay in nature , where you can continue your natural process as fertilizer.
GUIDED FOREST BATHS
Walking, or locating and picking mushrooms, a day in the forest It can charge our batteries a lot our body energy. But there is an experience that makes even more target in it, and it is the forest bath. Montserrat Moya is coordinator of forest baths in the demarcation of Girona.
The initiative arose from the Sèlvans cooperative, which is part of the association of the same name, born in 2019, to protect and preserve the mature forests of Catalonia. The idea of accompany forest baths emerged as an initiative to finance stewardship agreements, contracts with forest owners who commit to do not cut down trees in their forests and, part of the profits of the association, revert to the maintenance of forest property.
The goal “is for the forest to follow its natural dynamics, with minimal interventions necessary , of a surgical nature, without interfering too much, but that, when you walk through it, branches cannot come off or trip over them” Moya explains.
The forests of which she speaks are mature forests , with large trees, which leave a very shady undergrowth , and therefore, much cleaner naturally than in younger forest spaces.
Montseny Natural Park, Catalonia.
From his great and long experience accompanying people to connect with the elements of a forest and take the best energy back home, Montserrat also throws us some recommendations.
The first important thing, if she goes without a guide, is to have a good and clear app on the mobile, or better yet, a physical map to know where we are going. Because, as she tells us, “depending on which corner, the coverage is poor and we should not trust security through mobile phones. Yes can have previously downloaded a topographical map with the route”.
And it is always recommended leave said where you are going, be by Whatsapp or whatever someone you trust, especially if you start a solo excursion . To the forest and the mountains, to nature in general, it is always much better to be accompanied, "but even so - Montserrat points out -, information must be shared, that everyone who participates in the start knows the route, in case at some point someone you lose or for something you have to separate”.
WHAETHER FORECAST
The weather forecast is the other great pillar of security when we plan our trip to a natural space the weather. “Those who live in the city are much more accustomed to higher temperatures than those in the countryside, where early in the day you can find very powerful frost or fog”, says the forest bathing coordinator.
In autumn, as we have already said, you can present sudden temperature changes , in the middle of the morning the weather can get complicated, we can suffer from heat stroke or become dehydrated. So another tip from Montserrat Moya is to always carry more water than you think is convenient , a liter and a half or two.
Always carry more water than necessary.
“In addition to hydration, if someone gets hurt , it will help us to sanitize the area. Or, faced with dizziness, to revive by cooling the forehead and neck. Never trust to find a source, because the sources There are times of the year when They are dry."
She also recommends us to take fruit, nuts, chocolate, bananas, apples , something caloric to be able to withstand any unforeseen event that may extend our time outdoors, Whether we walk or rest.
Wear mosquito repellent and sunscreen, hat, tweezers in case something enters the skin, bandages to protect a wound, iodine and monodose of eye drops In case something gets into your eye, they are also useful recommendations to better live any outdoor experience.
ATTITUDE TOWARDS NATURE
In short, and once some useful warnings have been pointed out for our safety, the true enjoyment of nature lies in that contact with air, sun, earth, vegetation and fauna that lives free in that environment in which we enter. To do it good, let's forget the headphones and music at home , the radio, the connection screens with social networks.
Collect sounds and other unexpected souvenirs.
"Let's get carried away the sounds of the forest and the song of the birds. The forest is a landscape, and for a few hours we are part of it. I always invite being able to immerse yourself in the forest atmosphere, with a full attitude of respect, of gratitude, being aware that we are in a house, as guests, and we are well received, but we must behave as such. Why that one is home to many thousands of inhabitants , who must be approached with an attitude of respect, to them and to the whole place”, suggests Montserrat Moya.
OBSERVE THE WILDLIFE
The naturalist and ornithologist Pere Alzina accompanies trips to the forest to observe birds and other animals. In autumn, not so much to listen to the birds , because “at this time they sing less because They have completed their reproductive cycle. he tells us.
His recommendation to be able to see them is to get to the forest, or at first hour of the morning, just before sunrise, and place ourselves somewhere place clear of trees , where the birds can find food, such as bushes with fruits.
in Catalonia, For example, according to Alzina, it would be easy to see species such as the torzal, the wood pigeon, the blackbird, the jay and the canary blue tit. If what we want is to see reptiles, like geckos, lizards or snakes , the warmest hours of the day are the ideal ones to locate them. And if we want to observe amphibians or mammals , it is best to go at night, provided with a spotlight.
Bird watching.
ATTENTION TO OUR FEET
In that first step that we take in any exit, a countdown begins, in the path that we have left, and in the future of the wellness of our feet and our whole body. Choosing the footwear very well will be a guarantee of our enjoyment of the outing. tells us Victor Alfaro, founder of podoactive, specialist in sports podiatry and author of book It all starts with one step (editorial encourages), in which he enlightens us on what is necessary for our feet to be our best ally.
“It is one thing to go for a walk, on the flat, and another to do it in the mountains, to the forest, to nature, where unevenness and irregularity of the terrain they have a more important physical requirement”, points out Víctor Alfaro. Therefore, he recommends first of all, opt for easier itineraries at the beginning and then in following exits take on more load a, if we talk about a normal physical condition.
In any case, the specialist in podiatry specifies: “Footwear is essential. skimp on footwear –same as in thermal clothing– It may be a bad decision." Depending on the instability of the terrain, we will choose one shoe or another.
“Traditionally the boot was recommended, but now we usually advise more the slipper, unless there is some instability problem”. Of course, the sole must be specific for mountain, with grip, that does not slide on the ground, and “with protections, to avoid rubbing against stones or trunks”, he points out.
In general, sneakers are recommended.
“The shoe leaves the ankle free and walking in this way is much more natural. The foot cushions more like this and muscularly we burden ourselves less”, argues Alfaro. “In case of snow or ice, the boot is more recommended”, he adds.
In specialized stores they will place us in the best option for our use, and, in any case, most convenient for any outing to nature , and in general for our daily life, is to know our type of tread.
“If we have a supercavus foot, in which the tread is very unstable, one would help a lot insole and perhaps wear a boot. It is one of the examples of the podiatrist, who explains to us that one of the foot problems that hikers suffer the most It is located on the nails.
"Especially downhill. , fingers, what when walking they bend up , downhill they do it even more, and if the boot is flat and fits too much, the repeated impact that the nails receive it can create a hematoma under it”, says Victor Alfaro.
It is the typical black nail that we find after a long excursion and especially with important descents. For this, the advice of the specialist is go to a health care center in the first 24 or 48 hours, so that with a simple needle, in a painless way, the blood is released under the nail, thus avoiding losing it.
Take care of your feet.
plantar fasciitis, pain under the pad of the fingers , also occur if appropriate footwear has not been chosen. And the scratches and blisters, impregnating the foot well with Vaseline before putting on shoes or boots we can avoid them. But if he footwear is new , we must anticipate a previous training before the day of the excursion , to adapt them to our feet.
If we get a blister while walking, as the specialist indicates, "you have to take off your shoes and, with a disinfected needle, puncture the blister, let the liquid out and leave the skin as it is, which will be the one that will protect the wound. If we have a river nearby, we can put our foot in cold water for a while, which will act as an inflammatory”.
Carry out stretching at the end of the walk, for about 15 or 20 minutes, It is the ideal for any hiker. Víctor Alfaro recommends “find a meadow, take off your shoes and walk barefoot, which is already a valid stretch for the foot, we eliminate the pressure of the boot or the shoe, and we make other muscles of the foot work.
Montsacopa volcano (Girona, Catalonia).
Anything that has to do with the natural movements of the foot will serve as a good stretch, either bend the big toe up down , or also look for a small step to stretch the plantar fascia , movements, always without pain”.
We note: the barefoot walk on a meadow will put an end , with great pleasure, and it will be the icing on the cake of a day in full contact with nature.