Cleaning in community work the Orbaizeta old munition factory

Cleaning the old workshop of examination of the ammunition 

In June during days 18 and 25, members of the tourism sector Valley Aezkoa who wanted do things despite the cuts and the lack of grants administration, met in the munition factory for Orbaizeta to improve accessibility and provide a more appropriate image as it is one of the main attractions of the Aezkoa valley.
With the approval of the council of Aezkoa Valley, owner of the ruins, we organized an auzolan or community work with the first goal of cutting the grass, cleaning trash, shut off the most dangerous areas and create on the slope some steps to the river Legartza, and people can admire the 21 stone arches that separate the coal from the rest of the factory.
But undoubtedly the most important goal of all was to start doing things like tourist sector of our valley,and begin to believe by working together, it is possible to do things if we unite wills.

Making steps down

To make the descent to the river was necessary  make a channel for a small but steady trickle of water that made the descent a something dangerous  for the constant mud that formed there, chiseling the steps with a hoe, and make a handrail which eliminate the danger of the side more height.

The posters were also being cleaned, by the time had gone dark with algae, which looks like this kind of material.

Cleanliness posters

Cut, collect, carry.

The amount of grass and brambles to grow over time did take us all day, and that we were about 8 people.

Taking the grass with the "sarde"

Cleaning the patio of carpentry workshops (right) and locksmith (left)

The "hamaiketako"

Around 11 am we stopped for brunch all, what is here called Hamaiketako, which in Basque means literally "the eleven´s one". The council of Aezkoa Valley paid the lunch, besides petrol to brushcutters,  and a accident insurance for the whole day

Garbage accumulated mainly in the Bokarte

In bokarte area, a large stone arch in the middle of the factory, we collected a lot  of garbage accumulated during many years  being used  the factory as a dump . The typical attitude of "if you do not see it, does not exist and is not my problem." We could find plastics in perfect condition as if they had thrown yesterday, and some much older things like shoe soles or bits of leather, certainly with many years but were decomposing smoothly.
The next day at work we find much more trash under a mixture of soil, leaves and stones.

The following week we decided to focus our efforts on cleaning the bokarte, where the collapse of a wall had covered much of the stone bath where was a wooden wheel that moved a  machine to crush the slag from the two  furnaces.

The bokarte, before cleaning without water

After the cleanup. Would you want a shower?

As this machinery was moving as all others by the force of water, the water is still falling to the bokarte from the Iturroil brook, channeled for it, and whose entrance I show you below.

A detour causes some of the water can get through a secondary channel and go to bokarte.

Channeling  Iturroil brook.

The  second day team

There is still much work to do, to be able to leave as many years was  after the labor camps developed almost 30 years ago. 
No doubt we will meet again to do all that we can without money , hoping that one day, we can get financing for real consolidation of the ruins, which are falling apart a little more each year. 

I want to thank everyone who worked, and somewhen they will work, their volunteer work, which shows that if not always, sometimes where there is a will, there is a way.

A sea of clouds

 Foggy downing Mount Ezkanda (Irati-Aezkoa)

Eastern Irati,  from Mount Mendilatz (Aezkoa Valley, Navarre)

There are no goats in Irati.  This is Belagoa valley , from the stone of St. Martin.(French border)

In summer is quite common to look the fog falling down when north wind (cold air) is blowing , and therefore heavier, spreads down the slopes to the south after the northern valleys of the Pyrenees have been filled fog.

Fog is not alwais dangerous. Can be beautifull-

The advance of fog to the south  isdepending of  the heat  that its find this on the southern slope,with hot air going up that tends to slow it when it is falling down.
In these photos, in the end of the day, hot air loses strength and when it cooled, begins to accumulate in the bottom of the valleys, as I have told, by the weight of the cold air.This is called termical inversion because in  normal circumstances, at higher altitudes, colder.
In the next day, when the sun rises and warms the air, the fog will tend to rise and disappear.
There is a great saying I heard that my great-grandmother, who says: "Fog in the morning , afternoon for walking"

Valle de Belagoa, valley with Larra on the left side.

Fog can be very dangerous if you do not know the terrain, and even if we know it. I know stories of shepherds who have spent the night in the open pasture lost by those who walk every day.
It is highly recommended to always carry a map of the area and a compass. If you carry GPS also much better, but do not confide everything to technology, because if this fails, you will see a serious problem.
If you like the exciting world of meteorology, I highly recommend this book. Besides good information, it's funny and readable:
:GUIA DEL OBSERVADOR DE NUBES.
Autor: GAVIN PRETOR-PINNEY
Ed: SALAMANDRA
http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/

Baskian viper (Vipera seoanei) in Irati forest

Baskian Viper(Vipera seoanei)

We  found it in the access road to the Irati forest  from Aezkoa valley(Navarre), between the hut of the toilets and the information point. It seemed dozing on the road to get more heat, but as we approached to take photos, and finally try away with a stick, we realized she was dead.It was not very visible injury near the tail, and the death was recent because recently we had been there.
In Irati we have two kinds of snakes, theEuropean Asp (Vipera aspis), of most Mediterranean distribution, with which Cleopatra committed suicide, and this other, Baskian viper(Vipera seoanei), from the north of the Iberian Peninsula, without snout like the European Asp, but with vertical pupils of all snakes. It is considered endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, ie not living in other parts of the world.
We had been for a day in the point of information and we had been  showing  to the people who had some interest in wildlife, after asking if they wanted to see, as there are many people with a phobia of snakes. Finally we had to throw.

It measured 65 cm. long. Really big for the species.

If you are interested in a good link about the world of snakes of the Iberian Peninsule, here you are a good link(also in english):

www.viborasdelapeninsulaiberica.com/

Aesculapian snake(Zamenis longissimus)

Aesculapian snake(Zamenis longissimus)

In another article I have mentioned that the snakes, which are cold-blooded, like the heat of the rocks and especially the road, and often go there to get some energy. The road for being black still warmer than the rest of local rocks, with lighter colors.
This time this poor  Aesculapian snake  (Zamenis longissimus) was hit yesterday while  was sunbathing on Orotz Betelu(Navarre), a village near the Irati forest.

It was about 85 inches long, (Adults can reach 2 meters) and a wheel of a motorcycle, looking by the small size of the wound, was caught in the middle.

Usually eat mice, eggs, birds and reptiles, the same way as the famous Anaconda or Boa constrictor; drowning with his body.

A good page to know more about this type of snake (not poisonous) is this web of biodiversity of the Government of Navarra. not very full, but very clear

http://www.biodiversidad.navarra.es/Especie.aspx?id=704&lg=fr

Belly of the  Aesculapian snake with crush injury

                                                                                                                      

Note that in Navarre, only vipers snakes (much smaller)  can inoculate  venom  and they only will bite us in case of being cornered.

I have a friend who was bitten by a snake some years ago years in the forest, in another  nearby area of ​​Navarre when he went to sit down and he didn´t saw where he put his hand on the ground. He went to hospital and there,they gave him the antidote. In about three weeks I was recovered .If he had not laid the hand on the viper never had bitten, and he didn´t realized of his presence

An older woman in Bera (North Navarre) told me on another occasion that a reaper had been bitten at this time, when they was cutting the grass of the meadows  with the scythe.

. Be always careful where you put your hand or where you step, but not afraid. Only respect.