29 March 2012 Section 8 Sierra del Morrón

Sierra del Morrón

29 March 2012

We have not been on a Sulayr walk since the 10th January. Kees went to visit his daughter in America and came back full of bugs which he proceeded to pass on to everyone else, well you have to blame somebody for all the coughs, colds and snivels that are going around. The weather turned cold, and the snow came down below 2000 metres, and then there were holidays, birthdays, and work to fit in. So this week was the first time we felt confident enough to go back up into the high Sierras.
We decided to head back to where we had finished off last time, on Section 8, and do the last 13 km to Fuente del Espino. This tramo needs a 4X4 because the access road is difficult, and as there were only 4 of us we only needed one car. Over the next few days all the migratory Limpers start reappearing after overwintering in their centrally heated houses and more vehicles will be required if we are all going to turn out.
With another early start we set off on the lower Alpujarra road towards Valor, the access point for the off road bit. I had set the Tomtom to take us to the start of the walk and was a bit surprised  when we got to Valor and she suggested a different route for the off road bit. Last time we had come down the track it was a bit rough so we thought perhaps there was an easier way. Big mistake, I should have known better than to listen to a woman giving directions. Even a donkey would have had difficulty on this track, 180 degree bends, the car pointing skywards ready for a moon launch and the track 2mm wider than the car. Fortunately we were soon on the proper track and we bounced our way up the rutted, boulder strewn road for the next 10 km.
The plan was to park where the Sulayr track joined the forest road, walk the 2 km to Fuente del Espino (last visited 24 April 2011) without our packs, then return to the car, collect our bags and set off in the opposite direction and do the 11 km to Barranco Riachuelo. This would give us a full days, 26 km, walk and get us back into the serious walking again.
We parked where the path set off across country but the track soon became indistinct and we had to navigate across country using the Garmin GPS. On the other sections we have been on the downloaded GPS tracks have been very accurate but on this occasion the guy who had done the track also did not know where he was going. After a 1 km detour we picked up the correct route and soon found ourselves at the fuente where a note on the sign explained that the path was closed for works. This may explain the poor state of the signs and the path. We were able to return to the car, more or less on the right path.
Loading up with our packs we set off again on the next part of the walk. We followed the forest road for 1 km until we came across another sign indicating that we should head uphill across country. The GPS indicated that we should take a different route, we decided to ignore it. At least the Garmin does not nag you by repeatedly saying “turn around”. Remarkably, whilst climbing the hillside, we came across a path marker but with no further sign of the path we continued uphill, heading for the ridge where we hoped to get our bearings. Whilst we had felt recovered from our coughs and colds at lower altitudes up at 2000 metres the strenuous climb was taking its toll. There was no way we were going to complete our route and get back in daylight, and the thought of sleeping rough on the fells with Kees held no appeal.
A new plan was hatched. We would find the Sulayr path markers, have lunch, and then head back to the car, drive to Cadiar for some much needed beer and tapas. It did not take long to pick up the correct path again so we found a comfortable spot, sheltered from a cooling wind that had suddenly sprung up, and had our lunch. We followed the path back towards the car and even though we now knew the layout of the hillside it was difficult to follow. This section certainly does need a lot of work on it.
Whilst we had not completed the original plan we had had a pleasurable day out and we still had time to head for the bar in Cadiar.     

       

The walkers Mike, Kees, Ray, and myself.

Distance walked on route today, 5 km. Total distance today 11.5 km. Height climbed today 594 metres. Total distance walked on the Sulayr path 238.1 km. Distance left to do 61.9 km. Total height climbed 18933 metres. Total distance walked 548.6 km.  

10 th January 2012 Section 7 Barranco Yegúer

Barranco del Riachuelo

10 January 2012
For the past few weeks we have been doing various mid week walks, the main one being the GR142, which wonders along in the lower parts of the Alpujarras. Last week we noticed that the snow had retreated above the 2000 metre line on the Sierra Nevadas so we thought it was a good opportunity to do another section of the Sulayr whilst the weather was good.
We decided to return to section 7, we were last here on the 4th March 2011, and spent most of the day walking in low cloud and snow, in the end we turned around when the conditions deteriorated.
Because, at this time of the year, walking in the high Sierras is weather dependent we had two plans, one was to up to Sulayr or the second was another section of the GR142. As both walks were close to Cádiar we left the decision until the final moment on the drive up to Cádiar. There were a few clouds about but the weather looked stable so we decided to go for the Sulayr walk. We drove to the point we had reached last time, enjoying the views we had missed because of the low cloud.
The walk starts by following the Sierra Nevada perimeter track which we keep meeting on our ramblings. After a couple of Kms the path takes what appears to be a short cut, we were unsure as to how much it actually saved, but on our way back we took the long way round and found it to be .5 km shorter than the short cut, plus the short cut climbed over the hill instead of going around it.
The end of Section 7 is at Loma del Lastomer, there is nothing of significance here except it is the point at which Section 8 leaves the road and takes to the hills. The area is heavily forested, and we had noticed a lot of new nests for the processionary caterpillars. What did surprise us was as the day warmed up more and more of the infernal caterpillars appeared on the ground. This is only the beginning of January we don’t normally see them until April/May.
We followed the the track up through the forest on a pleasant path for 3 km, this gave us a total distance of 11.5 km. It was time to think about a spot of lunch before starting the return journey. Finding the perfect picnic spot at the barranco Riachuelo with views over the Alpujarra and the coast we stopped to eat our pack ups.
When we have nothing else to keep us amused our thoughts often turn to such weighty matters as to how high have we climbed or, how far to the next bend, anything that stretches our abilities to the limit. This week it was how long to get back to the car. Kees had the shortest time, and set off determined to win the bet, we tried various stalling tactics along the way but the pace was relentless. At one point there is a straight 3 km incline that climbs some 220 metres. Whilst it is not steep, every time one of us got close to catching him he would quicken the pace, we ended up doing the 3 km in half an hour. Six km an hour up hill is not bad for a bunch of worn out hasbeens. We think Kees was carrying some sort of rocket propellant that he was inhaling.
Unfortunately for Kees we arrived back early and so he incurred penalty points. We took an extended drive back along the route we had walked and at the same time looked for an access point for our next visit.
We were going to stop in Mercina Bombarón for refreshment but we could not find anything so proceeded on to the English bar in Cádiar instead, where Kees redeemed his penalty points and bought beers for us all. Thank you Kees.
It was a good walk in interesting countryside and the weather stayed fine all day.

       

The walkers Mike, Kees, Ray, and myself.

Distance walked on route today, 11.5 km. Total distance today 22.6 km. Height climbed today 774 metres. Total distance walked on the Sulayr path 233.1 km. Distance left to do 66.9 km. Total height climbed 18339 metres. Total distance walked 537.1 km.  

20 December 2011 Section 12 to Las Rozas

Las Rozas

After the outing on the 1st of November we have not been able to do a section of the walk. Firstly  we had a heavy fall of snow that came down below the level of the track, then holidays, sickness and a chill wind have kept us away from our walk. This does not mean we have not been out enjoying ourselves. We have found a new project in the Alpujarras, the GR142 which runs below the snow line and we have also slotted in various other walks to keep us entertained.
This week, with the snow in retreat and the temperature starting to climb, we decided to put the project back on track. There was a short 9 km section at the far end of the Sierras that we have not completed, it does not attain a great deal of height so we thought we would clear it off the list.
With a long drive ahead off us, and around the shortest day of the year, we thought it best to get another early 7.30 start.
The drive up was good, and there is only a short section to drive on the forest path before we reached the starting point for the walk. We were last here on the 22nd of September, and we had then walked in the opposite direction to Collado Hauerteliclos.
We set off at a good pace on the easy forest road which was going to take us all the way to La Roza, our turnaround point. The footpath sign said it was only 8.8 km so this was going to be the easiest walk of the lot. The area is heavily forested, and the medio ambiente were busy extracting timber, the whole hillside was alive to the sound of chainsaws, at least we did not see any tree huggers this time. The Lumberjacks and Jackies were using horses to move the wood about, these appeared to be a breed specially bred for the job, stocky and very powerful and that was the women.
We were amazed when, in no time at all, we arrived at Las Rozas, the GPS said we had travelled only 7.1 km. Turning around we retraced our steps and we were back at the car by 1pm. This presented us with a problem, we could not go home, we are not expected back till it is getting dark. On the walk we had noticed a large building about a km off the track, so we decided to drive down and investigate it. It turned out to be Aula Naturaleza Paredes, the grounds of which were open but the buildings were closed, but it was a nice place to stop for lunch. I had just got stuck into my sarnies when a warden appeared and told us he was off home for his lunch and would be locking the gates. Packing up we decided to head home by the slow route down through the Alpujaras.
We stopped off in Cadiar for a beer and tapas at a very friendly bar run by a English woman.
We arrived home just after 5, not a long walk, but we had to do it, and the sun had shone all day.     

       

The walkers Mike, Kees, Plym, Ray, and myself.

Distance walked on route today, 7.1. km. Total distance today 14.2 km. Height climbed today 352 metres. Total distance walked on the Sulayr path 221.6 km. Distance left to do 78.4 km. Total height climbed 17565 metres. Total distance walked 514.5 km.  

1 November 2011 Section 17 to the Lavaderos de la Reina

Lavaderos de la Reina

This week we did a section of the walk that is difficult to access, It is in the middle of section 17. We have done either end of it previously, but the middle bit involves an 8.3 km walk to get to the start of the path. We had left it until this week because we understood that the Autumn colours on the route were spectacular.
With another 7 am start we drove to Purullena, where we had arranged to meet Mark and Plym, before driving to Lugros and the off road section which would take us to the start of the walk. Normally when we hit the dirt road it heads up hill towards the Sulayr path saving us a considerable amount of effort in getting up there, but this week the road was virtually flat. After about 3 km of driving we came to a gate across the road and the starting point for our walk. Up until the gate the road had been a rough track, the other side someone had gone to considerable expense to lay a slate tiled road surface. The road was in a steep sided wooded valley and, as it slowly climbed, the colours of the trees became more intense, changing from yellows at the bottom through orange to deep reds at the top. We followed the tiled road for about 4 km until we eventually arrived at what we thought must be stock pens where they auctioned the cattle that roam in the hills. With such an expensive road we had been expecting a hotel or mansion, but no, just a cattle pen!
From here the road left the trees behind and went back to what we are used to, a dirt track. At one point a Golden Eagle flew past us no more than 15 metres away, I was so mesmerised that I did not manage to get my camera out, it would have made David Attenbrough jealous. It took us 2.5 hours to reach the start of the Sulayr path, which we then followed towards the Lavaderos de la Reina.
This is the third time we have visited this magnificent valley looking for the Sulayr path, on both previous occasions we have approached it from the other direction and we have been unable to see where the path went, hence one of the reasons for coming in from this direction. The path is difficult to follow but because we now knew where we wanted to be we did not have a problem and we arrived at our destination in time for lunch. You could not get a better place to stop, it was superb, but with the cloud starting to roll in and the temperature dropping we thought it best to head back, not only had we the 12 km walk back to do. We also wanted to walk back towards Postero Alto and to the end of the trail we had been to on July 8 2011.
Over the course of our Sulayr walk we have awarded Brownie points to members of the group who have shown outstanding leadership or path finding abilities. In Britain they are looked upon like a medal of honour, something to be proud of. So it came as a shock to discover two of the group, and I will not name them to save embarrassment but, they are both Dutch. One who does not have Brownie points was trying to buy some for a bar of chocolate, the other who was selling also does not have any either, this was a blatant attempt at short selling. I know this kind of thing goes on in the European Union, but in our group it is banned. Let this be a lesson, no more sneaky foreigner tricks, if you want to buy some Brownie points see me.
In the past we have had discussions regarding whether water in an acequia (canal) can flow up hill. I tend to go along with the general scientific observation that it can’t, but there are those amongst us who believe that a 1000 years ago the Arabs discovered an ingenious method of lifting water without the use of energy. Well once again we were walking by an acequia when the cry went out, “look the water is going up hill”. If we didn’t need oil to create energy Gaddafi would be still alive and living in his tent and we would have perpetual motion.  
We walked back along the Sulayr track until we came to the point we had reached previously. We have now completed the whole of the north side of the walk, a magnificent achievement. Plym has a maximum limit of 30 km at which point she falls over, so we approached our return journey with some trepidation as it would be be touch or go as to whether she would be able to make it back. We did consider the possibility of carrying her, but this would have slowed us down somewhat and we were looking forward to our beer and tapas. We arrived back with 300 metres to spare, pretty good planning and at least she did not have to spend the night on the hills.
On the drive out we had passed a lot of cave houses in a village called Marchal, we thought we might be able to find a cave bar in the village so we headed there for our refreshment. What a miserable place, not even a bar so we headed back to our morning coffee stop in Purullena.
We had had a long day but it was a fantastic walk, one of the best to date. Every section so far has been great, it is going to be difficult to vote for the best one.    

       

The walkers Mike, Kees, Rene, Plym, Graham, Mark, and myself.

Distance walked on route today, 6. km. Total distance today 29.7 km. Height climbed today 1178 metres. Total distance walked on the Sulayr path 214.5 km. Distance left to do 85.5 km. Total height climbed 17213 metres. Total distance walked 500.3 km.  

25 th October 2011 El Rosal to El Toril

Cold on El Toril

For a while Mike has been talking about doing a walk greater than 26.3 km, this was his previous personal best achieved on an earlier walk , I have kept hoping his silly idea would go away, and leave us just to potter away on our mission to conquer Sulayr. Last week he said he had found a part of section 14 from El Rosal to El Toril that we still needed to do finish, and with a return journey of 28 km it would fulfill his ambition. Not wanting to disappoint the lad we put it down for  this weeks challenge. This was not going to be a Micky Mouse walk, it would sort the men from the boys.
The weather has suddenly changed from beautiful Autumn days to wet and unpredictable, but luckily the forecast for our Tuesday walk in the mountains was for sunshine. Once again it was a long 140km drive to the start of the walk, necessitating another 7 am start. We left Rene’s car in Granada and, driving in convoy with Marks trusty little Renault following on behind us, we headed for our start above the village of Huéneja.
We had tried to do a section of this walk on the 3rd of May, but the weather was wet when we arrived so we only managed a short section from La Rosal to Piedra Negra. So our starting point this week should have been La Rosal but I had a better plan. We would park about 3 km short of La Rosal then, without packs, we would have a rapid walk on a level forest road there and back to the car,after that loading up with the packs we would  continue on with the next 22 km. The sun was shining as we set off, and whilst not hot it was a pleasant temperature for walking. Or it was until you were walking in the shade when the temperature fell to just above freezing, and then you remembered why you always carried a pack with hat, gloves and a warm jacket in it. The only option was to walk faster, arriving back at the car we discovered we had done 9km.
Now with full packs we set off again, but we let Plym go first to have a few moments on her own. When we were given the all clear to proceed there was no sign of her on the path, she had got herself lost and had only gone 25 metres.
The track headed up hill for a half hour, at the top we stopped for a bite to eat, by now the weather was changing again and the clouds were closing in on us, but the path was well marked and we felt it safe to proceed. For a large part the route is along a forest road. This is until you come to the end of it and it falls over a precipice. No signs, no barrier, no rocks, just a shear drop.
At this point the path takes to the forest again along a delightful meandering path. Our destination was El Toril, but the last time we were here, on the 24th May, there was a bit of confusion as to exactly where it was. Normally at the start of each tramo there is a sign board giving you directions. On this section the board is about 2 km short of the actual point, there must have been a logical reason for this but it escapes me. So we went back to a point we knew we had been to before, this was after Rene was caught making a cross on the road and claiming she put it there last time.
We had a quick lunch but, with the weather continuing to deteriorate, we were soon heading back the way we had come. One thing that has consistently caused a ruckus within the group has been the Pine Marten. Graham first claimed to have seen not one but two back on section 9 to Fuente del Espino. All I said at the time was that we needed a verifiable sighting for me to write it up into our erstwhile journal. All he produced in his defence was Mike who thought he had seen a fox with short legs, given the state of Mike’s eyes it could well have been just that. In this case both Kees and myself saw a short legged, large, cat sized animal with a yellowish tinge to it’s bib climbing a Pine tree, it was not a bloody squirrel as Graham suggested. This was a genuine Pine Marten.
The way back was once again along our outbound route and this time it was mostly a very easy downhill stroll. We celebrated the 26.3 km mark by drawing a line across the road and cheering Mike as he crossed it. We still had just short of 4 km to go to get back to the car so not only did he exceed his record, he smashed it. I have told him anymore records that he wants to break he is on is own.
The weather kept fine all day but at times it was a little chilly and we did need the warm clothing we had with us.
We drove back into Huéneja and eventually found a bar that served delicious tapas. so we will have to call again when we return to this end of the Sierra’s. The only problem was getting out of the Publeo. After driving up and down various blind alleyways made for donkeys we had to switch the Tomtom on to get us out, we had lost Mark somewhere whilst we were doing one of the many multipoint turns, we thought it best if we left him to find his own way home. Unfortunately for Rene when she got back to her car, she had been issued with a €100 fine for parking on a bit of waste land down at AKI. With all the stupid parking that goes on around Granada this just does not make any sense.
For the record it appears that the walk was too much for Graham to handle and he is now on the sick with a bad foot, he is claiming we walked too fast for him.
       
The walkers Mike, Kees, Rene, Plym, Graham, Mark, and myself.

Distance walked on route today, 14.8 km. Total distance today 29.6 km. Height climbed today 719 metres. Total distance walked on the Sulayr path 208.5 km. Distance left to do 91.5 km. Total height climbed 16,035 metres. Total distance walked 470.6 km.  

11 October 2011 Postero Alto to Peñon del Herrero

Saved from certain death by the Lone Ranger

This week we headed back to the Refugio Postero Alto ( the Hobbit house we had last been to on the 18th July). This time we were walking East on section 16 towards Las Chorreras.
Once again with a long distance to travel we left at 7 am, but with Rene back from her holiday and Plym recovered from last week we needed two cars, Marks friend Kevin also wanted to come with us so we arranged to meet them in Granada and then proceeded to drive to Jérez del Marquesado. The last time we had driven up to the Refugio it was a rough old road but they had just been out with the grader. The road is now in good condition if a little dusty, poor Mark following on behind had no idea where he was going, he was in a dust cloud the whole way.
The path starts by following a fire break before heading in an easterly direction along the edge of the forest. It crosses a number of barrancos, each one becoming steeper the further we travelled.
We stopped at the top of Cerro de los Muertos, I know it was a climb but it was not that bad, for a bite to eat, before what we thought would be an easy down hill section to our destination. It was while we were relaxing and enjoying the views that we noticed that the way markings for our intended path had been marked with a cross and with new markings leading across the hillside. Not knowing any better we decided to follow the new route, well, it was not really a route, just a series of red and white markings scattered over the hillside in a haphazard fashion. What was worrying was that you could see our intended track far below, in the distance, but with no obvious way of getting there. Graham thought it best we continue along the new route. Just when things were looking pretty hopeless and that the “hill of the dead” would claim some more victims, in true Hollywood style “The Loan Ranger on his faithful horse Silver” came racing over the hillside, this guy must have been a stunt man in the old Spaghetti movies, filmed just down the road, he and his horse were fearless . All that was missing was his six shooter, Tonto and a posse of Indians. Fearing the worst we re-grouped into a protective circle and put the women at the front to protect us. Skidding to a halt in front of us he told us our route was mal and that we faced a certain death if we continued, he said that vandals had come in the middle of the night a while back and painted these signs all over the hill.
We had two choices, we could either return and pick up the proper path or he could guide us to a acequia which we could follow and get back to our path. So following his lead we headed off after him as he guided us safely across the hillside to the acequia, which we then followed for a couple of kilometres and rejoined our track. It was now only a short walk to Penón del Herrero which was our destination for the day.
After a quick lunch we started back the way we had come but at the junction with the acequia we followed the correct waymarked path down and into the barranco of the Rio Publeo. The guide book mentions that impressive boulders threaten to come rolling down the hillside into the barranco and indeed this is what looks to have happened a while back and hence the unofficial diversion, it is a pity that the signs are still there even though the correct route is now  restored. Climbing back to the summit of Cerro de los Muertos we stopped for a quick refreshment break, poor Kees had all his brownie points removed by Graham for having raced off to the summit whilst the rest of us struggled up the hill. We could see our destination of Postero Alto only 3 km away in a straight line but with all the barrancos obstructing the route we still had 7 km to go. Arriving back and disappointingly finding the refugio closed we headed off to find a bar in Jérez de Marquesado, the only one we knew of was also closed, so we had to wait until Guadix for our cooling beer.
It was a good walk and while the diversion could have led to a tricky situation our Cowboy made it a great day out.
   
The walkers Mike, Kees, Rene, Plym, Graham, Mark, Kevin and myself.

Distance walked on route today, 11.2 km. Total distance today 22.5 km. Height climbed today 906 metres. Total distance walked on the Sulayr path 193.7 km. Distance left to do 106.3 km. Total height climbed 15,316 metres. Total distance walked 441 km.  

4 October 2011 Section 18 Rio Vadillo

A short break after the steep climb

Our mission this week was to do a short section of tramo 18 that is difficult to get at, we have twice made attempts at it and failed. The first time was on the 31st of May when we were beaten by a chain across the road, and by the time we had walked the 6km to the start of the walk the prospect of another 18 km and a 600 metre climb was too daunting.The second time was on the 25th August when the sun was at its hottest, we did manage a short 2km 350 metre climb of the section. Can I just say we did not spend all day on the hills just walking 2km. I know the wives think we are using the walk as an excuse to get out of their way and that we spend all day in the bar, in reality we are just trying make sure that at least one group of walkers have managed to complete the full 300 km. We feel very honoured, it is like the whole thing was created just for us.
What we needed to do was a 4.2km section along the Rio Vadillo, from below Peña Partida to the refugio El Calvario. The other part of the walk down the “Vereda de la Estrella” we have done many times, it is the classic walk of Granada, even David Cameron (British PM 2010-2015) did it this year.
We had a late 8 am start and picked Mark up in Gúéjar Sierra and then continued to the start of the walk at San Juan in the Maitena gorge. We substituted Rene this week for Plym who was desperate to get into the high mountains after spending the summer in Devon. The weather forecast was not too promising and I had issued a wet weather gear notice the day before. In true Plym style she turned up with her jacket tied around her waist and 2 Bananas in her pocket. For the first hour the route is very easy along the Estrella path high above the Rio Genil. The track was used for access to the various mines that existed up until the civil war. After this things start to toughen up, the path heads down hill, crosses the river and for the next hour climbs up the Cuesta de los Presidiarios to the Calvario refugio. This is not one of the big manned ones, but it does have bunks and it is dry if you are caught out in a storm. At this point the path splits, one track continuing as a high level route that eventually rejoins the Estrella path and the other our route to Peña Partida. This is the section we had come to do, it is an important junction in the path but as always when you need a marker there is nothing. After a short but very steep section we left the Rio Genil valley behind us and headed for the Rio Vadillo. The path was easy as it headed for our destination in a forest at the far end of the valley. Graham was on point duty and can usually be relied upon to navigate the route, I was second and just following the leader. Third was Kees who put all his recent training into good practice when he spotted a marker sign and path our leader had missed, if Kees continues the good work he may graduate to his “Path finder badge grade 2”, Graham was sent to the back.
All that was left to do now was link up with the path we had done in August which was somewhere in the forest. Mike was convinced that it was somewhere near the beginning and had slowed down in preparation for his well deserved lunch. Unfortunately the junction was still a little distance away, some may question the word “little” as I understand there was a growing mutiny taking place at the rear. Normally we look for somewhere either comfy or with a view for our lunch stop but today, after climbing 1068 metres, we just slumped by the side of the path when we reached our destination and greedily tucked into our sandwiches, even Plym looked on enviously whilst eating her banana.
With storm clouds gathering over Veleta we decided it was high time we hi-tailed it back down the hill, Mike is not too keen on spending a night in a refugio.
Once again we had no option but to return back along our outbound route, the only problem was some of the sections were quite steep and the knees can take quite a pounding, we are not known as the “Lecrin Valley Limpers” for nothing. Plym suffered the most this week and by the time we got back to the car she was hobbling quite badly but assured us that with a good sleep her knees would return to normal.
We stopped off in Gúéjar Sierra for a well deserved beer before our journey back to the valley. In the end the impending storm did not develop and we did not need our rain gear, another excellent day out in the hills.
   
The walkers Mike, Kees, Plym, Graham, Mark and myself.

Distance walked on route today, 4.2 km. Total distance today 23.2 km. Height climbed today 1185 metres. Total distance walked on the Sulayr path 182.5 km. Distance left to do 117.5 km. Total height climbed 14,410 metres. Total distance walked 418.5 km.