Hiking to Taga - a beautiful mountain peak in North Catalunya

Today I woke up at 5:30am to do one of the most intense hikes I’ve ever done - 30km, including a mountain peak!

Taga is a 2040m peak. Although not very high, it has a very recognisable shape that makes it stand out and dominate the valleys around it.

Of course I didn't want to just climb the peak, I wanted to explore the area around it. So I looked for routes on Wikiloc.

I picked this one. It includes lots of interesting places, such as small villages and old mines. It was long - 30km! The original hiker did it in one day. It took him 8-9 hours in total. It seemed intense but doable, so I decided to go with it.

So, I got up at 5:30am to prepare food and pack my backpack as usual.

I took the first train to Ribes de Freser, at 7:15. I enjoyed the train ride - the landscape looked beautiful in the foggy morning light.

I got off at Ribes de Freser around 9:15. It felt great to be here. The air was so fresh. I got a coffee and sat down on a bench to eat my breakfast.

Around 10:00am, I started the hike.

It was a nice trail, winding through dewy grassy fields. There were cows. And lots of strawberries! I picked handfuls, and ate them on the spot.

Soon the trail led me into a forest. A mossy, green, fairytale forest. I loved it! I was walking uphill but I didn’t feel tired at all.

After an hour or so, the forest gave way to a vast meadow, covered in yellow flowers. I could see Ribes de Freser way below me. In the far distance, Puigmal was hiding behind the clouds.

I kept walking uphill through the meadows.

Just before I reached the summit, the weather changed. Fog started coming in. It was very windy. Soon I couldn’t see further than a couple of meters away.

I kept following the trail. I heard bells and mountain cows appeared out of the fog. It felt very surreal.

And finally... After 3 hours of uphill hiking... At 1:15pm... I reached Taga!

It was totally foggy, so I couldn’t see anything.

I was a bit a disappointed, but happy that I made it up the peak.

I took a short break here. Originally, I had planned to eat my lunch here, but it was too cold and windy for that. So I didn't stay long. I met some other hikers who took my picture at the peak.

Then I continued. It was time to descend on the other side of the peak.

It was pretty weird walking through this fog, being able to see only the path under my feet. I wondered what the landscape looked like. I could see grass, so I imagined another grassy meadow, similar to the way up. I could still hear bells, so I imagined there's lots of cows around me.

Finally, I found a sign that pointed to Ogassa - my next destination - and I headed that way. It was a rocky and steep descent.

Halfway through, the fog slowly cleared, and I saw the landscape. I was walking down a huge grassy hill, as I suspected.

I descended into a forest. I was walking along a nice little stream.

Around 3pm, I reached an Ermita (a stone building where a hermit used to live). Here I sat down to eat my lunch - I was starving.

The steep, rocky trail ended here, and an asphalt road began.

I finished my lunch in 15 minutes, then I continued. I didn’t want to take too long - Ripoll (the next city, where I had to take the train back home) was still very far away.

The asphalt road felt nice and easy after the rocky trail. I saw more cows, meadows and forests.

Around 4pm, I reached Ogassa. This village was tiny. I didn't see any people. It felt a bit eerie, with the foggy mountains in the background.

A bit further down I found a small, mossy waterfall. It was pretty.

Soon I found the “Iron road” trail. This is an old road that was used by miners in the past. It was going to take me to Ripoll - the next city.

On the way, I saw an old cement factory, which was quite cool.

I also stopped at a nice waterfall - Malatosca. It was beautiful - turquoise water and lush vegetation. It gave me Bali vibes.

After the waterfall, the road was flat a kinda repetitive. The next 2 hours were the most boring part of this hike. There were a couple of interesting things, like old tunnels.

I made it to Ripoll just on time! I was at the train station exactly 10 minutes before the last train.

I got home around 10:30pm and immediately made dinner, then passed out in bed. I was exhausted.

I enjoyed this adventure a lot :)