The photo is of Helen approaching the summit of Mulhacén. This is the highest peak in Spain at 3,478.6 m (11,413 ft). It was quite a high one by our standards, and took all of our skills and energy to get to the top.

We drove our hire car as high as possible the day before, but couldn't get to the absolute top of the road because it disappeared under deep snow. Left in the afternoon but didn't reach the mountain refuge until after dark. We had been able to see it for most of the afternoon, but it never seemed to get any closer, and we didn't take the best route as we found ourselves having to cross several ravines that slowed us down and sapped our energy.

It wasn't the best welcome I've ever received at the refuge. We arrived utterly exhausted to be greeted by a female warden whose first words were "Have you booked? Can I see your ID? I hope my dog didn't bite you". The people sitting around the open fire made no attempt to make a space for us, and then we got into a debate with the warden over which route we had taken to get there. She was adamant that we had come a different way just because I couldn't recall seeing the firebreak. I'm generally a relaxed an easy-going person, but I started to lose my rag with her when she started to question our abilities when all we wanted to do was get warm and comfortable. We had made it this far in deep snow and without paths, which surely should have said something to her.

So, it was a cold night in more ways than one, but seeing the views on stepping outside into the middle of the snow covered Sierra Nevada mountains on a crisp, clear morning was more than an adequate reward. The warden was much friendlier this morning, and we followed her advised route up to the top of the mountain. I wish we hadn't though, as it was a hard slog up a valley with deep snow, and the concave shape of our surroundings contributed to the severe sunburn that we found we had acquired later. Now this, I admit was a stupid thing to have allowed to happen! We spent the following day at the local clinic after Helen awoke with a severely blistered mouth and swollen face.

We followed my own preferred route down the mountain, which involved following the ridge southwards. This was much better and rewarded us with stunning views for the rest of the day. Also saw a large dark wolf sized mammal up ahead of us on the ridge. We found it's paw prints in the snow, but not being experts on these things, we aren't sure what it was. There are no records of wolves in this particular area, but what else? A wild dog perhaps?

This has just been a one-week break from work, but other than a weekend in Ireland, it is the first time I've been out of the UK since a week in Turkey in 2007. It is putting me in the mood for more travelling now though.