Final day, long walk. Dia dos, caminada llarga

Chuck and I started off bright, early and eagerly the next morning.

I had hopes of walking from Cassà de la Selva clear to Blanes on the coast for a total of about 55K, nicely bringing me over the 100K mark.

Vam començar al pròxim dia ben aviat i amb moltes ganes.  La idea era d'anar des de Cassà cap a Tossa i llavors, tira per Blanes per fer una 55K i acabar amb més de 100K caminat.   Vam sortir d'hotel a les 6 amb la primera objectiu de trobar la via verde. Era una caminada super maca amb l'alba del sol sobre un paisatge d'agricultura i ben pla.

We were off by about 6:00am, first of all finding our way back to the Via Verde.  It was a lovely walk, with the sun rising through agricultural countryside.

Old stone farmhouses.  Masies antics

The Via Verde looks pretty much like this the whole way.  Wide, flat and even (and slightly boring after a while).  La Via Verde, més o menys, sembla així per tota la via.  Ample, pla i ben fet (de debò, una mica avorrit desprès una mica de temps)

Once we got to Llagostera I left the via verde. It runs beside highways for most of the distance from here, and it is so well signposted that it is a little dull.  The upper sections are well worth it, the lower sections, all in one flat gulp, a little dull.  So we cut away.  Our first challenge was to find Can Misèria.  These are common reference points in villages here, the name of a house.  It is, however, fairly rare for said house to have it's name on it, so you need a local.
A Llagostera vaig desvia de la Via Verde.  Va a costat d'una carretera per quasi tot el recorregut des d'aquí i no m'interessa gaire, està tan ben marcat que no m'enganxa.  Per tant vam trobar una alternatiu.  La primera repta era troba can Misèria.  Com sapigueu, aquestes cases son referents molt comú aquí Catalunya, però molt sovint, no tenen el nom marcat a fora.  Necessitem un gen del poble.

As I was getting near the place I thought it should be I came across a senior citizen tooling around for an early morning walk.  PERFECT!  She did indeed know which house I needed and I was off. Map in hand, compass out, interested in the walk again, now I had to find my way.
Quan estava apropiant-me a la zona, he trobat una avia caminant. molt a poca a poc.  PERFECTE!  Com pots imaginar, sabia exactament quin casa necessitava, fins i tot hi havien dues Can Misèries i sabia quin necessitava.  Vam començar, amb mapa i brúixola, amb ganes i interes, que ara havia de trobar la ruta per a mi mateix.

We worked our way out of Llagostera, not a big place and into a veritable maze of side roads.  Which we wandered in the right general direction.  There was supposedly an official walking route through here, but the signposting was spotty at best.  I decided to ignore that and make my own way.
Vam sortir de Llagostera, no una poble gran i vam entrar una laberint de carrers petits.  Vam anar xino-xano per allà en la direcció general que necessitàvem.  Teòricament, hi ha una ruta oficial, però les senyals eren una mica ocasional.  Ho vaig deixar i vaig decidir de crear la ruta jo mateix.

Eventually we came across a paved road and started heading up that.  It was nice to be sure where I was again, and I had to meet up with and NOTICE the GR92, a long distance trail that would carry me right to Tossa.
Amb temps, vam trobar una carrer més gran amb ciment i vam començar de pujar per allà.  Estava un plaer saber exactament on estàvem perquè havia de trobar la GR92 que em portaria fins a Tossa.

As it intersected with the road I was on, and I could see where I was very specifically on my maps, which even included kilometer markers, and there was almost no traffic at all, we kept to the main road for this section.
Que la GR creu el carrer que pujava, i podia veure exactament on estàvem a la mapa que portava les marques dels kilòmetres i no hi havia gens de transit, vam quedar amb la carrer més gran.

Chuck was still turning down food, so we played catch with his kibble.  Me tossing, one piece at a time and him catching and eating them.  Gradually we got some food into him this way.  He does this sometimes, simply doesn't feel like eating, and doesn't.
En Chuck encara no volia menjar, per això vam jugar amb el seu menjar.  Vaig llençar un sol trosset cap a el i  el va agafar de l'aire i el va menjar.  Poc a poc va menjar una mica.  Ho fa de vegades, simplement no li dona la ganes de menjar, i per tant, no ho fa.

We wound our way up and up and up for about 8 kilometers.  Stopping to cool off and have a break as Chuck needed.....once near these cork trees where a fire had gone through.
Vam tirar més i més amunt per unes 8 kilòmetres, parant de vegades per refrescar-nos (bé, Chuck) i descansar quan en Chuck volia....un cop a costat d'aquests sorrers a on un foc a passat fa una mica de temps.

Eventually we found the GR92, which we were both happy about, off the tarmac, into the woods and hills and onto the next stage.  All going well, lots of energy and interest and up and up we went.  My sister phoned at one point to ask how things were going and we had a great long funny chat. Do adore her.  Then, while talking to her, I made it to the peak of the walk I was on, les Cadires.    It was fun and lovely and then down we went the other side.
Eventualment vam trobar la GR92, i ens vam posar contents perquè no estàvem amb ciment, estàvem al bosc i muntanyes i passem pel pròxim pas.  Tot anava molt bé i vam continuar pujant.  La meva germana em va trucar per demanar com anim i per una xerrada ben llarg i divertit.  M'encanta la meva germana.  Mentrestant xerrant vaig arribar al cim del dia, les Cadires.  Divertit i maca i vam començar de baixar. 

Here's a view of Tossa de Mar, the first goal.  Aquí pots veure Tossa de mar, la primera objectiu.

We had quite a bit of fun working our way down the mountain, there are millions of little roads through here and we cut through the underbrush from time to time to get from one to another more directly.   Vam desfruitar-nos força baixant les muntanyes, hi ha milions de carrers petits i vam córrer entre bosc de vegades per salta des d'un cap a un altre. 

It was getting hotter and hotter, and eventually Chuck wanted to stop in a sandy shady bit on the side of the road. He digs into the sand till he gets down to cooler damper sand then throws himself onto it, his relatively hairless belly soaking up the cool and rapidly bringing him some relief from the heat.
Tota l'estona la temperatura pujava i finalment en Chuck va demanar de quedar una estona en una mica d'ombra sobre sorra al costat del carrer.  Quan té calor, excava una mica del terra fins que trobi terra més freda i li estiri allà. La seva panxa que porta poc pel deixar li refrescar-se ràpidament.

Here he has just dug himself down and he's soaking in the cool. Aquí ha tirat la terra de sobre i està desfruitant la freda al panxa.

Then he fell asleep.  LLavors, va dormir.

Woke up a few minutes later for another dig to cooler soil.  Li va despertar per troba terra més freda.

Then he fell asleep again.  For 40 minutes!  It was like traveling with a toddler, waiting around while he has a nap.  I decided at this point that there was no going on, we were out of water (we could get more in Tossa) and his Chuck was done.  He never naps in the mountains.  It was just too hot.
I va tornar a dormir.  Per 40 minutes.  Estava com viatjant amb un nen de 2 anys, esperant quan fa la migdiada!  Finalment vaig decidir que vam haver de continuar, vam haver apagat l'aigua (vam poder agafar més en Tossa) i en Chuck ja va haver gastat tot.  Mai fa una migdiada al muntanya.  Simplement feia massa de calor.

So, after 40 min I woke him up and we marched down into Tossa, he kept wanting to stop, and I kept him going as we had no more water and it was only getting hotter.  Once into Tossa, which took about half an hour, we found some water and Chuck had a good long drink, though he was disgusted with me for not letting him lie down in a river.  No taxi in the land was going to take us on to Blanes and the train if he was soaking wet and muddy.  The bus to Blanes wouldn't let the dog on (they don't here, ever) and the first two taxi's said no too, but the third, my man, took us.  Thank goodness.
Desprès de 40 minutes, li vaig despertar i vam anar cap a Tossa. En Chuck volia parar moltes vegades, però li vaig dir que no, fins que no trobem més aigua.  Vam arribar, va beure, no estava gens content amb mi quan no li vaig deixar estirar-se al riu, ni un taxi portaria un gos ben ple de fang i xopat.  L'autobús de Tossa cap a Blanes no portar gossos per això havia de ser un taxi.  Les primeres dos em va dir no, però la tercera, el meu heroi em va dir que si.  GRÀCIES!

Onto the train from there, here's Chuck on his first train ride ever: Aquí, en Chuck al tren, per la primera vegada:

And sleeping on his first train ride ever.  I aquí dormint al tren per la primera vegada.

We had a 5K walk from the station, and I finished off the mileage with the climb of Puig Mal.  Not quite a full 100K, but as the last bit at Puig Mal was at some altitude and we did over a kilometer of climbing and descending, I'm counting it done. Vam tenir una caminada de 5 kilòmetres cap a casa i vaig acabar les kilòmetres pujant Puig Mal, no exactament 100K però que ho vaig fet amb altitud i que vaig pujar i baixar més d'un kilòmetre, dic jo, està acabat.

Most importantly, thanks to you all, we raised over $600 for Camp Kesem.  I think that's mighty fine, and I'd like to thank you all so very much.
Més important que tot, i gràcies a tots vosaltres, hem guanyat més de $600 per Camp Kesem.  Penso jo, que està fantàstic i voldria donar-vos to moltes gràcies.