As much as we appreciate tended gardens, there's something special about flora in the wild.
The colors in the higher reaches of Spain are simply delightful.
Both hikes took place in Ordesa y Monte Perdido, a premier national park. Without too much detail,
the first hike was nearly fifteen miles long, making it quite a day. The elevation gain, some 2,700 feet,
occurred in the first hour and twenty minutes. Effectively, we covered very little distance other than almost
vertical climbing, mostly on a cliff face. It was a great start to the hike. There were many additional features
including waterfalls, the impressive Pyrenees Mountains surrounding us, streams, rivers and ponds. However,
the climb was the climax and it was over long before we completed the hike. You could say at the conclusion,
we were 'finished', too.
Unfortunately, the 'boy hero, showing 'no limits to his talents', managed to delete most of the photographs
from the camera. It was another remarkable display of professionalism, something we hope won't be repeated.
A view of the falls from the longer trail.
Wow! This is one powerful monolith. We viewed the left side from the park hike and
the middle and right side on the trail to France.
On our longest hike in Spain, we were rewarded with this sight as we 'tired' towards the finish.
We walked below those peaks, above the tree line, the previous Friday after climbing almost vertically for
near on 2,800 feet. Climbed up on the right side and proceeded down on the left.
The second hike occurred on the other side of the park which proved to be one filled with color. In fact,
it is the preliminary hike before branching off to the climb for and to Tozal de Mallo, an experience we dealt
with in Hike-about 23.15. It was a shorter hike of some 8 miles with almost 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
Although these two hikes are 'short-changed' we think, they took place at least a couple of weeks before
the last posted blog. They conclude our postings from Spain—the rest that follow are from Andorra.
Struck by the grasses blowing in the wind and catching the morning light.
(Waterfall from the left side, shorter trail.)
'Monster' Mountains with a sheen; wonderful ground-color-cover below them.
More of the wild gardens, more beauty.
A mountain close to our accommodation, another challenge awaiting. We're running out of
time and...energy.
We have struggled with an issue of life, much the same as most people, especially those that think and ponder.
Nevertheless, we believe the issue is far more serious than most and one in which we have a desperate need
to get our heads around. Who ever thought life would be a bed of roses? Anyway, the situation is one that
commences quite simply but leaves one in a quandary. Should anyone be able to put our minds at rest (presupposes
they are active which might be construed as presumptuous), we would be grateful. Without further ado, let's
get going. Perhaps we'll lay it out as a simple question.
If a person went into a restaurant, in Spain obviously as this gets to the nub of the issue, and ordered
and consumed a plain omelet (no cheese, vegetables or sauces with the dish), could that person still in fact
state that she ate a Spanish omelet?
Tozal is a knock-out. With a little luck (lot), we'll be attempting to reach the peak before we leave.
From the peak of the hike, we gather some perspective.
"If a picture paints a thousand words..."
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
A couple of 'ruins' spotted on the trails.
Sunset walk past town of Candelario.
No comments:
Post a Comment