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What a walk! So different from storm watching by the ocean..it took a couple of days to drive to the Picos deal Europa. Spent one night in Langre which is a confusing power plant town in a good location for a stop. Ate a very delicious dinner in the very fancy Langrehotel restaurant. It was good to treat ourselves because the next three days were going to be basic lodging, basic food and plenty of exercise.
The closer we got to the Park the more rain seemed to pound down. I was beginning to think that this part of the trip might be cut short. This would be a shame as it was the one place Shane wanted to e perience in all of Spain.
The snow-capped peaks teased us by appearing and disappearing into the cloud. It was pouring when we turned in to the park at Arenas de Cabrales for the last 6 km to Poncebos, our home for the next few days.
The narrow windy road followed the Cares River providing breath taking views both up and (gulp) down.
After checking in we heard the most deafening roar only to find hail pounding on the plastic roof below our room. Then, when all hopes were dashed the sun came out.....for the rest of the day.
It's amazing how much energy you can gather when you know you are about to realize a dream. What a view was all around us! We filled up our water bottles, gathered some snacks, donned our rain gear and headed out to explore. By the time we had completed our short trek up the hill behind the hotel and checked out the trail head we had finished our water and stripped off all the clothing we could to stay comfortable in the heat!
Route del cares is a 24 km return walk above the Cares River. We read that you could go one way and catch a bus back if you need to but that is, apparently, not the case. As it was in Barcelona, it seems you have to book a bus tour before they will take you. That means they will drive you to Cain (the end of the first 12 km trek....or really an extra six kilometers because the bus can't get to the trail head....but of course, you could take a mini bus or taxi). From there you just walk to Pocebos, eat a great meal with lots of wine & beer, then hop on the bus for the return journey to wherever you are sleeping. The other option is a taxi. Now that is probably not an option because there is no road except around the park which takes at least two hours....an expensive trip!
Over dinner we checked the weather and found it will rain until Monday. This mountain climate seems to send mixed messages as the weather report has changed daily for the last week. Anyway, faced with rain the next day we chose to drive around the park which meant the 12km stretched in to almost 102kms by a narrow, patchy paved, twisty road. Even with the rain we had pretty good visibility. Our goal for the day was to drive to Cain and walk at least 2km of the trail in case we can't make it on Monday. This part of the trail has many tunnels, a few bridges & different scenery from the other end. So, covered in rain gear & food in our pack we set out through, perhaps, the most interesting part of the walk.
I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves because, for once, I am pretty speechless!! We did get soaked right through our rain gear & we did have to do battle with umbrella laden bus tour people as we made our way back to Cain. But, in the end, we hiked about 1/4 of the trail & took at least a hundred photos.
By the time we returned to Pocebos we had circumnavigated the park, driven through two passes with snow on the side of the road, taken photos of the bridge in Potes (very picturesque town), eaten a picnic on the side of the road and thoroughly enjoyed the rain soaked /sun dried day.
On Monday the sun came out and we geared up for our big hike.
It seemed pretty obvious that the wide path near the sign marker would be the trail head. Neither of us questioned our decision to walk along the river even though, when we looked back, we remembered seeing people scrambling down a steep path above the road. We thought they were taking one of the many less publicized trails through the park. As we headed down the increasingly narrow path I remembered some treckers from yesterday telling me that the first part was steep and rocky and then it was more or less a stroll.. We were not strolling. We were dodging goats and crossing over rock flows on an increasingly narrow path. Eventually I looked (way) up the hill to see hikers confidently walking along a scenic path. Thinking about where I was and all those umbrella laden (not in as good a shape as I am) old lady hikers from the day before, I began to have my doubts. Shane agreed and headed up a scree slope to check it out. About half an hour later my shaky limbed body climbed up the perpendicular path to the clearly marked trail. After an exhausted (Oh my God I'm going to die) cry I picked up my hiking poles and we continued on our way.
Again the photos tell the story, though I took none while sweating on the on the perpindicular path. We had a great day hiking in the sun. Met a lovely Irish couple who tipped a couple of Cervesa's with us at the end. If I were to tell you the truth, I would have to admit that the hardest part of the hike was the gradual climb (500meters) down to Poncebos. It was harder on me than the hike straight up. I don't know if my poor arthritic knees would be able to go up that hill and down. All I know for sure is that I felt good at the end and ready to take on anything.
It was a wonderful three days. Now we are winding down our trip with a few days in Paradors before taking the plane back to Canada.
Looking forward to a kick back.
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Dave & Lynne Cousins Quite the 3-day adventure! Your trip is winding down and upon reflection, you've had an amazing vacation! See you upon your return!