The diminishing returns of hiking

During my recent trip to Riaño, in the Picos de Europa mountains, I struggled quite a bit with a hike (to the top of Pico Gilbo) I thought I wanted to do.

I found myself making up plenty of excuses: too much haze, bad air quality, it seemed very steep, I had a long drive ahead of me, I wasn't going to make any good images...

In the end, I decided to start the hike and see how far I could go. I wasn't feeling it, and I kept coming up with excuses to head back several times during the hike. But one step at a time, one milestone after another, I made it to the top.

I am so glad I did because, as usual, every single excuse I had made up was just that: an excuse. All the struggle, along with the incredible views, made this one of the best hikes I've ever done.

But, one of the excuses turned out to be true. The one I knew, from experience, was most likely to happen: I didn't make good images during the hike.

Even though some of my best images were made in nature, hard hikes rarely deliver good photographs. At least for me.

I call this the diminishing returns of hiking.

Indeed, the further I go, the harder the hike, the more I push myself physically, the less likely it is that I'll come back with a good image.

We all have limited energy and time. The more you spend them on getting somewhere, the less you have left for your photography.

The more accessible a location is, the more we get to visit it and know it, which means better chances to be there at the right time. I tend to favor shorter hikes for this reason.

But of course, there are plenty of reasons to hike to places like Pico Gilbo beyond making a good image: those experiences can be awe-inspiring and spark something within us, as some of those hikes have done to me in the past. Sometimes it's best to forget about photography and enjoy the view.

Safety when photographing in the outdoors

I like to get out in nature, away from the crowds. Even though I’ve been pretty far from civilization at times, I’m aware that you don’t need to be in a remote place for something bad to happen to you. Anything could happen at any moment, anywhere. If you get hurt and can’t walk, 1 mile becomes 1,000.

In this video, I talk about some of the safety measures I take when I photograph in the great outdoors.

Always keeping in mind that there’s no such thing as a risk-free life and we must embrace some degree risk, this is about minimizing the chances of something happening and increasing the odds of us getting of that situation in one piece.

One night alone in Mt Hood

I visited, hiked and photographed Mt Hood more times than I can count during the 6 years I lived in Portland. It’s a place where I’d go in search of peace and calm. Seeing that magnificent mountain helps to put things in perspective, how small we and our problems are.

But I’d never spent the night up there. I guess that having a comfortable bed just one hour away didn’t make it sound very attractive. I took it for granted, as I prioritized farther away locations.

This time, though, I wanted to fix that. I wanted to do the Timberline Trail over 4 days and 3 nights, but the amount of downed trees on the trail from a recent windstorm made that option almost impossible. I still wanted to spend a night up there, so I hiked as far as I could in one day, set up camp, and enjoyed the views.

It was perfect: there was no wind, it wasn’t too cold, clear skies, an almost full moon, and the whole place for myself.

Hiking Mt Timpanogos, Utah

Mt Timpanogos, in the Wasatch Range, rises almost 12,000 feet above sea level. The view of the Salt Lake valley and the neighboring mountains was something I had to check out in person. So I did.

This is not an easy hike: 15 miles round-trip and almost 5,000 feet of elevation gain. Count on 4-5 hours to reach the top. Because I was recording myself and had to walk back and forth many times to retrieve the camera, my hike clocked at 22 miles and 6,000+ feet elevation gain. It took me almost the whole day.

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Despite its difficulty, it’s a pretty popular hike: I did it on a Friday, and the trail was pretty busy. Plenty of people in their late 60s (one man was celebrating his 68th birthday by summiting the mountain) and even kids.

If you are planning on doing this hike in late summer / early fall, make sure to bring plenty of water. There are a couple of streams at the beginning, but nothing after that.

The trail is well maintained and easy to follow, although it requires some scrambling in the last section, where you should expect loose rocks. Even though people climb this mountain year-round, I’d definitely not do it (at least the last section) with snow or ice on the ground.

When it comes to photography, the place offers plenty of opportunities for great images, but I wasn’t very happy with what I got. The weather and nearby fires didn’t help, it was kind of bland and hazy day. The hard climb takes a lot of your physical and mental energy as well, so I found it difficult to focus on making images. But I’m glad I went for it: a mostly peaceful hike to a beautiful peak with stunning views.

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Nutrition and Exercise for Photographers: my simple approach

We, outdoor photographers, need to be able to deal with the heat and the cold, the sun and the snow, standing up at the same spot for hours waiting for that shot, or hiking for miles looking for an image.

If we can go further, stay out for longer, deal with uncomfortable situations better, and remain focused on the goal, our chances to make a good image increase exponentially. 

For the last few years, but especially in this very challenging 2020, I’ve been experimenting with different approaches to nutrition, exercise and lifestyle in general that are making me stronger, and in the process, helping me grow as a photographer.

In this video, I want to share some of those ideas and practices, because they might help you too.

Stay hungry

When was the last time you were hungry? I don’t mean a craving, nor your stomach complaining a bit around noon. I mean really hungry.

We are an overfed society. We’ve forgotten what it means to be hungry, to the point that we avoid it at all costs. We are always snacking. Always seeking comfort.

Our bodies are supposed to experience hunger from time to time. Somehow, it is when your body starts to complain about the lack of food, that we have the most mental clarity and even physical energy. The body is probably telling us is time to go out and pick some fruit, or hunt a rabbit.

I’ve been experimenting with intermittent fasting for almost 2 years. On average, I fast 2-3 days a week: I go through periods of time where I fast for 20 hours a day and eat all my calories within the other 4-hour window, what is called a 20:4 fast; other times, I settle on a 16:8 schedule.

As a bare minimum, I go 14 hours without food - the time between dinner and breakfast. I usually have dinner 2-3 hours before bed, and I don’t eat anything until at least 3 hours after waking.

While challenging at first, intermittent fasting has taught me many lessons about myself:

I can tell real hunger from a craving

Is that feeling in your stomach hunger? Or is it produced by a craving? Could it even be anxiety? If you haven’t felt hungry in a while, it can be really hard to tell.

I’d forgotten what real hunger feels like. Now, I know, so I can act accordingly.

I think better on an empty stomach

My mind is much sharper when my body isn’t busy digesting food. I try to do all my writing and reading on an empty stomach, and leave leisure and more passive activities (like watching YouTube) for after meals.

Skipping breakfast makes me stronger

I go on a 6-mile walk / run every morning, followed by 100 push ups. Only then I have breakfast. I’m just unable to perform if I have food before any kind of exercise.

Of course, if the physical activity extends for a long period of time (say, a long hike), I’ll have snacks here and there to replenish my energy.

Food tastes so much better

3:00pm is my favorite time of the day. After working out in my bedroom and an hour of incline walking on the treadmill, I’m ready for lunch. I reward myself with a huge -and I mean it, huge- salad.

Every bite tastes better than the previous one. I appreciate every single flavor in that salad because my body is ready for that food. When we keep ourselves fed all the time, meals become an almost automatic and mindless activity - there’s no joy, just comfort seeking.

Discomfort makes you stronger

In a time when society seems to seek comfort at all times, I believe it's more important than ever to embrace uncomfortable situations. If we never face discomfort, we become weak.

As photographers, we need to be ready to face the heat and the cold, the sun and the snow, standing up for hours waiting for a shot, or hiking for miles and miles looking for that image.

Fasting is just one thing we can practice often so we don’t get used to comfort, and we can remain strong. Exercising, and even taking cold showers are other two examples.

It's about time we tell our bodies to not get too comfy.

Stay hungry.

Push your limits further away

A couple of years ago, the furthest I was able to run was around a hundred feet. On a good day, I might have been able to do a couple of push ups. A 5-mile hike felt like a huge achievement, deserving of a few beers and a week of rest.

Back then, those were my limits - I had never pushed my body to go beyond them. I thought running, push ups and long hikes were for somebody else, athletes, people who had had better luck than me in the DNA lottery. Nothing I could about it.

Thankfully, at some point I realized there was a lot I could do. I was never going to make it to the Olympics, but I wanted to see how far I'd be able to go.

Today, I know I can run 10 miles without much problem (I expect to run my first half-marathon this week). I know I can do 100 push ups every day... because I do them. After the Camino, I also know I can hike for 25 miles a day for a whole week.

Nothing impressive, but I'm very proud of my progression in the last couple of years. I'm in a much better shape now at 38 than when I was 20 - and I can't wait to see how much further I can go from here.

They say we are stronger than we think - we are. But we can get even stronger. Limits aren't fixed, they can be pushed further away, wherever you might be right now.

This can be applied to almost everything in our lives. There are so many limits we haven't tested yet - they can be pushed as well. This is how we grow.

Sony 70-350mm: first impressions from the highest peak in Lugo

I got a new lens, the Sony 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS. This APS-C lens has a reach of 525mm in full-frame equivalent and I couldn't be more excited about that: I'd never had a lens that could reach this far! In this video, I give you my first impressions from the highest peak in the province of Lugo, the Mustallar at almost 2,000 meters or 6,500 feet.

El Camino: a 130-mile solo winter adventure

Last week I went on an adventure that I won't be forgetting any time soon. I walked 130 miles in 6 days, fighting not only my body and mind but also the elements: 3 big storms hit the region and I got plenty of rain, wind, snow and ice.

I wanted to document this journey and the moview "El Camino" is the result. Definitely my most ambitious (and longest) movie to date.

If you are thinking about doing El Camino in winter, don't miss my post How to do El Camino de Santiago in winter.

One adventure's end is a new adventure's beginning

It feels like it was yesterday when I left for my fall trip. Back in Spain and still not entirely unpacked, it's time to grab my bags and hit the road yet again. This time, though, it's going to be a little bit different.

During the next 7 days I will be hiking between 15 and 18 miles a day, facing pouring rain and maybe even snow, as I follow the famous pilgrimage route to Santiago.

I'd never thought about doing the camino, and even less in winter, but something about it feels just right.

See you out there.

Vlogging with a GoPro Hero 7 Black in beautiful Andorra

I have a new camera, and I put it to the test during a full day of driving and hiking in the beautiful country of Andorra.

I recorded the whole episode on the GoPro Hero 7 Black, using just the built-in microphone for the audio. The footage has been color graded, though.

There's a full review of this little guy coming soon.

Of course, I'm not affiliated with GoPro in any way. I wish. You can still help me buying it (or anything else, it doesn't have to be the GoPro) through this affiliate Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2J4pVma