Lessons learned and trip summary:
- The seaside is visible from Sierra Nevada
- Trevélez = last town for the next 7-9 days – buy supplies!
- Prepare for 1 km ascent after Trevélez
- Save at least 2 hours for a lunch in restaurant
I wake up a bit worn-out. It is 7 am and it’s pitch dark out here. What time does the sun go up? I wriggle out of my sleeping bag. Far above the sea (yes, the seaside is visible from the southern Sierra Nevada hillside) one can already observe the colours of the sunrise. While the sky is pinkish-orange in the east, the moon is still shining tirelessly above our heads. What an interesting contrast. I climb to one of the „pooped“ rocks and bundle myself up with Sir Joseph (my sleeping bag). I’m writing my diary while observing the sunrise. Thomas is still sleeping. The morning is calm….
Do you know the feeling like „somebody’s watching you?“. Exactly that one I got right now sitting on the rock. I start looking around anxiously. When I look left, I suddenly spot that stalker!….Daddy-goat is looking at me with terrified eyes. He’s probably dismayed with the loud red colour of Sir Joseph. Mummy-goat and kids-goats continue grazing peacefully unaware of my presence. We are staring at each other for a little while longer when daddy suddenly commands and this little wild goats family disappears from my sight.
A moment later Thomas is also crawling out of his sleeping bag. We eat a breakfast while enjoying the views. We do not rush. At 9.45 we begin our hike. We can still hear the cow bells as we move on. I’m curious if we see the herd which niggled me all night long….The trail is very comfortable today – flat or downhill most of the time. Seems like we gained our elevation yesterday.
We will reach a town called Trevélez today. The first official stage of the Sulayr trail ends there but would like to go a bit further. Anyways, Trevélez will be the last town for another 7-9 days, so we need to make sure we have enough supplies. We have the last chance to buy something. At around 1 pm a view of a valley with shiny bright white Trevélez opens in front of us. The timing is quite tight. Reaching the town just before siesta (which typically starts at 2 pm), we still manage to catch an opened store.
Just at the border of the town, we meet the second notice board of the trail . What we learn from it is not a very pleasant news. The chill is over and 1 km ascent awaits us on the next stage. We should properly fuel up for that, right? I’m pretty hungry after all. Thomas wants to go for pizza, I would prefer something more traditional but whatever…as long as I get calories, I don’t care that much. We chose a restaurant with outside terrace. We order vino tinto and cerveza (what else) and 2 pizzas. We have a companion – bedraggled young tomcat is observing us curiously. Well, since I’m also quite bedraggled, I think we could be friends. I pet him and play with him for a while. A moment later other guests with their dog come in. This attracts another stray dog. The owner of the restaurant is trying to chase him off repeatedly but without success….What a lively place.
Pizza was really fatty and heavy. Calories intake for today is secured I would say. I wonder how we gonna climb that hill with the full stomachs now. Will we never learn? We are back on the trail at around 4 pm. The lunch takes always a bit longer here. Being no longer blind from hunger, we actually look around and pay attention to what we see. Looks like the signature feature of Trevélez jamón serrano (= typical Spanish dried ham). You can see the typical hanging pork legs everywhere. There’s even a museum. Have you ever seen a museum dedicated to a ham? Well…neither have I. I’m not a big fan of museums but I can imagine visiting this one…
The rest of the day is only about ascent, ascent and ascent. No rest for the wicked…Trevélez disappears from our sight about an hour after our departure. Good bye civilization. Since we left the town, we haven’t met anyone again. When my watches notify me that we have beaten 20 km, we decide it’s enough for today. We find a nice spot on the rocks at the border of the forest and we prepare our cowboy camping again. We camp a lot earlier than yesterday, so there is still a sunlight and we have some spare time for fun and relaxation – reading, writing, stretching the legs.
We go to „bed“ without a dinner….wait! Seriously? That does not sound like me. I’m not sure if I have EVER skipped dinner in my entire life…:D Well, I guess I’m still fully sated with the pizza. Unbelievable…
Hopeful Wanderer 