Day 3: La Nou de Bergueda - Gironella

Leaving La Nou I realized that this would be my last day in the mountains. A neighbor confirms that the small town of La Nou dumps its untreated sewage into a mountain stream, that flows into the Baells reservoir. A sewage treatment plant is being designed for La Nou, but for the time being, residents give daily doses of waste to the river, as they have done for centuries. As a visitor in La Nou, I too have contributed to the organic matter and nutrient load of the Llobregat.

With this thought in mind, I began a steep descent toward the Baells Reservoir. Built in 1975, the Baells Reservoir was one of the last grand hydroelectric projects of the Franco dictatorship. The dam regulates flows to prevent flooding, stores water for the Barcelona metropolitan area and produces electrical power. The heavy rains in May 2008 have filled the reservoir to 98% capacity, and few remember seeing it so full.



Despite my unannounced visit, Ricard Sosa, Lluis Canals and Rafael Fernandez from the Catalan Water Agency provided me with a fantastic explanation of the dam's operation and an improvised tour. Ricard and Rafael were both part of the original team of dam builders who have stayed on as part of the maintenance team. Every day they manually check geological gages to ensure structural stability. Having worked at the dam for over 30 years, they have gained intimate knowledge of its operation. Fortunately, they are passing on their knowledge to younger generations. At the time of my visit, they were releasing 3 cubic meters per second. They showed me a chart that showed how much power they were generating given the volume released and the pressure (reservoir capacity) at which the water was released. A private firm operates the hydroelectric generator, but the Catalan Water Agency decides how much is released. The ACA team collects abundant data that can be helpful for understanding the Llobregat system.


Rafael and Lluis take me to the bottom of the dam in an old elevator. The tunnel at the bottom was damp, and filled with puddles -- from condesation they said -- although I couldn't help but think about the volume of water above our heads and to the left.

They hydroelectric generator was built several years after the dam, and approximately 750 m. downstream. As a result, the Llobregat essentially disappears into a pipe in this segment. Rafael and Lluis tell me that they have scrambled down the rocks that lead to the second birth of the Llobregat at the hydroelectric generator. It had been a while since they had hiked this segment, but since they assured me that it wasn't dangerous, I gave it a try. While it was physically possible to go through the brush, without a machete, my pace slowed to a crawl. And literally, I crawled under the brush. On three ocassions I had to take off my pack, throw it over a bush or down a rock, and then scramble without the weight. When the brush became so thick that I couldn't pass, I crossed what should have been the Llobregat, but instead was a field of mud with cane overgrowth. When my boots sunk into the mud I walked faster. Finally, I reached the old train trail on the left bank. The path felt like a highway. Crossing this trecherous segment had the reward of seeing the Llobregat where few have seen it. The next 4 kilometers had the most beautiful views of the 10 day trip.

After an hour I came across the bridge and monestary of Pedret. Residents from Berga come to swim here. I was told that this is a relatively clean part of the Llobregat, and probably my only chance to swim in it. It was hot, and a cool dip was enticing, but I was alone, and I already had dealt with enough adventure for the day.

Near Pedret, fishers from Berga invite me to have coffee, whisky and donuts (I declined the first two but accepted the later). They were scheduled to repopulate the river with truita. They also tell me that fishers pay considerable fees to fish, both to the association and to the Catalan Government.

After eating donuts with the fishers I move on. The trial is flat and agreeable, ideal for bikes. I pass three tunnels that were originally built for the trains that transported coal and and other mining minerals from the higher segments of the watershed. The construction of the Baells dam closed the rail line for good.

At about 4.30 in the afternoon, I reached another major transition point in the trip just before arriving to Cal Rosal. First, the water quality declined significantly as I passed the point where Berga released its (treated) wastewater. I also reached my first old textile factory, marking the beginning of an entirely new chapter of my journey. Here the river also crawls beneath the first of many freeway bridges. Finally, I was also fortunate to meet up with my friend Hector Oliva who offered to join me for the weekend. It was great to see a familiar face, and have someone with whom to share the adventure.

Passing Cal Rosal, we set out for the town of Gironella where we would spend the night. Walking onto the left bank of the Llobregat, it was clear that we had left the mountains and the terrain opened up. For the first time in several days, my view was unobstructed by mountains.





As a final surprise, we found two kids catching freshwater crabs. I had read that the native species of crab had been in decline, and that an invasive species, known as the American crab was taking its place. I asked the kids if they had seen different species, but as far as they knew, they all looked the same. The rock formations here were also very interesting. The rock was smooth, and undulated like waves.

By the end of the day I was tired. It was my longest trek yet, at 30 km. for the day.