Hiking

The last 10 years have been all about running, running and more running. All this in order to run an even more punishing ultra-trail every year. So it was very hard for me to have to cut back on this and switch to backpacking. But Manaslu is also not an ultra loop, and no matter how cool it seems to walk an 8000er I should not overestimate my abilities. So hiking it will be. Getting my backpack from under the dust, filling it with bottles of water and off I go. My digital reflex camera will also be brought out to accompany me during the hikes.

But to my great surprise, I enjoy the hiking trips more and more each time. I do keep looking at my times a bit obsessively and sometimes have a hard time with the slow pace, but I also thoroughly enjoy it. The advantage of hiking is that you have more time to enjoy the scenery. The camera is brought out more and I am rediscovering the charms of hiking. If only this does not become a permanent feature.

Sunday, July 28, climbing stairs in the park Drie Fonteinen in Vilvoorde.

After last Saturday's long workout, I'm taking it a little easier today. I go down to Vilvoorde to do some stairs in the park Drie Fonteinen as a training. In between the stairs I explore the park. Sometimes you have to be inventive to make some altitude meters in a flat area like Mechelen.

Saturday, July 29, introduction to Flemish Ardennes and Ben Van Hecke

Today I am heading to the Flemish Ardennes to meet up with Ben. I got to know Ben through the KBF facebook group and he would be interested in doing some 4000ers with me in preparation for Manaslu. I have to admit pretty quickly that my knowledge of Belgium is not too good, because big surprise to me that in East Flanders you have a border with Wallonia. Our hike follows this border and thanks to Ben I learn a lot about an area that I did not know at all. With a distance of almost 36km with almost 700 altitude meters it was an interesting and good workout. Weather permitting this story will be continued in week 33.

Sunday, July 21, Villers Abbey

Today we chose the Abbey of Villers. After some searching on the internet we arrived at this location. Not too far to drive, yet enough altimeters possible (almost 400 meters altitude) and also suddenly take in some culture, what more could one wish for.

The abbey and its outbuildings formed an enclosed complex of 15 hectares, walled in with a rampart 4 to 4.5 meters high. Within it were three gates, the Brussels Gate (the main entrance and partly preserved), the Namur Gate and the farm gate. The abbey was built over the Thyle. It flowed under the refectory, laundry, kitchen and cells. The river drove a mill and supplied water to the abbey's brewery and ponds.

The abbey church is still the most impressive structure in the ruined field. It is 94 m long and its arched vaults are 23 m high. Construction began in 1197, still in Romanesque style (as can be seen from the vestibule). In successive stages, construction continued in the Gothic style between 1210 and 1267. This makes the abbey church of Villers among the first Gothic buildings in Belgium. The unadorned capitals on the columns of the nave are characteristic of austerity propagated by the Cistercians. Unique is the repeated use of round windows (oculi) combined with lancet arches in the transept.

There are also imposing ruins of the refectory and the guesthouse (both from the 13th century), of the cloister (14th-15th century, with some intact Gothic vaults in small tiles), the classicist abbot's palace with gardens (1716-1734), the novice's house in Regency style, the fountain (1720), workshops (1728) and pharmacy (1784).

The brewery was built around 1270 under Abbot Arnulf of Ghistelles. Behind the façade, supported by three buttresses, is a rectangular hall divided by a colonnade on which the vaults rested.

The abbey buildings and site were protected as a monument in 1972.

Sunday July 13, Ninglinspo

Vandaag zak ik af richting Aywaille, om daar een wandeling te doen langs de Ninglinspo.

The Ninglinspo is Belgium's only mountain river. It flows through an area protected since 1949. The course of the Ninglinspo drops from 420 meters to 170 meters, is 3 kilometers long and has an average gradient of 8% as a result. It bridges an altitude difference of 250 meters. The largest waterfall in the river is the Chaudière Waterfall. It flows into the Amblève just after it merges into the Fonds de Quarreux. The erosion of the fast and swirling water created some deep, narrow hollows connecting the basins. These pools were given poetic names such as "Deer's bath", "Diana's bath", "Bubbles of the cauldron", "Bath of the water nymphs", "Bath of Venus",... The valley of the Ninglinspo is classified as protected heritage by the Walloon Region and European protected as part of Natura 2000 site Vallée de l'Amblève du Pont de Targnon à Remouchamps.

Saturday, July 12, Extratrail Spa Vertical

After a late start at home and an accident in Liege, I arrive far too late in Co. I decide to park the mobile home above the vertical so that I can start the descent in peace. The intention is to do the vertical 3 times to make enough altimeters for the day. As if the weather wants to prepare me well for the hot humid trek towards base camp Manaslu, it is hot and humid that day. But because of my late start it is already extremely dark when I get back up after the first climb, and I decide to stick with 2 and a half climbs instead of 3. Turns out to be a smart choice, when I get to the top after the last climb it is extremely dark with a very humid fog, which means I can barely see my feet with my lamp. Conditions where fantasy sometimes wins over reality, and so I am not angry when I get back to the mobile home. With a total climb of 670m it is not a bad training.