A Day of Rest and a Day of Hiking

---

Tuesday September 17



Yesterday was a rest day. We lazed around in the morning and then went into Pitres to the market. After picking up our usual supplies of coffee, cheese, wine, etc. we went to one of the two bars in the small plaza for cafe solo (Sam), and Cafe con Leche for me. We are enjoying the time to just sit and visit and watch and rest. Back to our lovely patio to read for a couple hours, where we enjoyed the company of Oska, the smaller of our two canine hosts.



For lunch we went back into Pitres and quickly discovered that not much is open on a Monday. We went to the second of the two bars in the small plaza, this one is known as "Paco's Bar," not to be confused with "Bar Paco," in Busquistar where we ate on Monday. We had drinks and tapas, which Sam shared with two of the very friendly cats that came to visit. Walking back to the car we found a restaurant that was open and decided to stop for our main meal of the day.



My Ensalada de la Casa was huge and loaded with things. Lettuce, tomato, asparagus, hard boiled eggs, peppers, onions, olives, carrots, melon and jamon. It was perfect. Sam ordered squid, imagining chopped up squid, but two complete squid were delivered along with the usual fries that seem to accompany most dishes in Southern Spain. It seems that one squid is really enough for a single person to eat and although we hesitated to send the second squid back un-eaten, we couldn't imagine microwaving left over squid.



After being gluten-free for a year and a half I decided to give gluten a try while in Europe. In the first few days I ate bread, churros, pastry and drank a beer. By yesterday morning I was not very nice to live with. It really affects my mood. Here I am in one of my favorite, and most peaceful spots in the world, and I was agitated, impatient and kind of nasty. So yesterday I went back to avoiding gluten and by this morning felt a bit more like myself.



The rest of the day was spent reading, wandering the gardens here at Cortijo Opazo and relaxing. I read an entire book in one day, and at home that could take me a couple weeks to accomplish. The sheep and goats seem to return at the exact same time each day and I noticed that there is a labyrinth in the field across from us, where the sheep and goats graze among the carefully placed stones. I will need to find out more about that.



Today we were up a bit earlier. The night was filled with the sound of barking dogs - not nearby, but the sound travels and there was quite a bit of frenzied activity going on someplace. We are pretty much going to sleep when the sun goes down and not getting up until the sun does, so we have about 10 hours in bed each night. Even with disturbances, like dogs barking, we are getting lots of rest.



After breakfast we loaded our hiking gear in the car and drove to Mecina, a nearby village, where we began our 12k, 450 meters of elevation gain, hike. We have done this particular hike two other times and, although it is a bit strenuous, it is one we looked forward to doing again. The walk takes us up and on to the ridge of the small mountain that we look across to from Cortijo Opazo. The walk is called, "Walking the Elephant," because from a certain angle the mountain looks like a sleeping elephant. The walk offers views of many of the white villages in this area, called La Taha, and at times it is possible to glimpse the snow on the peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Two of the paths, the steepest paths that zig-zag from the river to the top of the mountain and back down, are part of the ancient silk trading route where mules once labored laden with merchandise.



After about 30 minutes we had worked our way down to the Rio Trevelez where the remains of an old mill stand next to the river. Along the way we passed several springs and an "era," a large circular stone mesa, which was once a threshing circle. The landscape in Las Alpujarras is dotted with eras.



And then we started to climb. If Monday had not already been convincing, this stretch would have made us believers in trekking poles. It really helped to have the support and stability that the poles provide. Nevertheless, the climb is a hard one and we were thankful that we got out early enough to do it before the sun hit that side of the valley. I am really noticing the effects of the altitude, more than either of the other times we have been here and I stopped frequently to let my pounding heart slow to a more normal pace. When the trail reaches the top it comes into an almond grove that must be beautiful in the spring when the blossoms cover the trees. We stopped and shared a fig and almond bar that was made locally, and we agreed that we will pick up several more of those before we leave the area. The views from this point are breathtaking, but looking back at the path we had taken is a bit dizzying.



The path then follows the ridge for about 45 minutes before beginning the steep, long descent, back to the Rio Trevelez, far below. While enjoying the slight decline of the ridge path, we passed through pine forests and scrub land, and continued to absorb the views across to the villages and the Sierra Nevada. Before starting back down we stopped and stretched our various muscles. The narrow zig-zagging path has lots of loose rock and, again, we were grateful for our poles. The plants that border the trail produce the most spectacular scents. The warm air was releasing waves of wonderful. There is wild rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender and then black berries and, as we neared the river, more wild figs. And all along the way there is evidence that the goats and sheep now use these old mule paths during their days of grazing freely.



Finally we were back to the river. We crossed the river on an old Roman bridge that has a totally useless railing, meant to keep folks from falling off. We didn't depend on it but instead walked near the center of the bridge. I was getting especially weary and we stopped to soak our hot and tired feet in a pool of frigid water that comes down from the higher mountains. The final climb back to Mecina is not insignificant. I faded almost immediately. I think it was the heat, but at one point I just wanted to lay down and give up. We soaked my head and rested every couple of minutes, finally making it back to a small village where Sam left me sitting in the shade while he went for the car. He quickly made the not-short climb back to the car and came to my rescue. I felt particularly wimpy, but I clearly was not well. However after only a few minutes of being in the cool again, I felt nearly euphoric with the return to normal. Maybe it was a lingering response to the gluten, definitely the heat played a part and probably I am just a bit out of shape after months of not being able to run.



Oh well, we celebrated my recovery at the Piano Bar in Mecina, Sam had an anchovy pizza and I had another huge salad.



Now we are back on the patio listening as the sheep and goats return from another day of grazing. I'm not sure about hiking again tomorrow - perhaps another rest day would be best!

---