Duro
“Es duro” said Ignacio (it’s hard). Blimey he was right. It was the first Sunday back with the walking group and they’d picked a doozy. We started at the lowest point of the road below Sotres. Liz and I did this part of the walk a few years back. I was happily chatting away when one of the girls asked if I was doing the whole thing or the easy alternative. You’ll have to shift, she said, if you’re doing the whole thing, you have to catch up to the others…
In half an hour we’d reached Collado Vallejo (a saddle) where us gluttons for punishment would strike out left up the side of a whopping great hill towards the Vega de Uriello. This high goat strewn meadow (for that is what vega means, makes you think about Las Vegas) is at the foot of the north face of the Naranjo de Bulnes (also called Picu Uriellu) which looms 600m above. There’s a refugio where rubbish coffee may be bought and sleep may be had if you’re off elsewhere. We had lunch, it had taken 4 hours to get up to the refugio at 1950m. After an hour we set off down.
Down is where it got duro. We had about 1750m of unremitting downness (in 7km), on scree, on rock, on slippy sandy muck, a little downclimbing as well. By halfway my thighs were complaining, shaking as I took another step down. It was a warm day and I was sweating buckets (I drank 4 litres, thanks to the springs en route). We arrived at Bulnes and contemplated taking the funicular train down, but not for long and not with any seriousness. Another hour and we reached the bar, where the alternative group were on their second, third or fourth beers and waters.
“Que tal?” asked Ignacio (How’re you doing), “Te dice que era duro” (I said it was hard). I smiled, sipped my beer and said “me gustó mucho, es vale la pena” (I liked it, it’s worth the effort).
Tags: grupo naranco, mountains, picos de europa, walking
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Enhorabuena John, el Urriellu, el Rey de Picos. Impresionante, ¿verdad?
Quiero escalar la cara Sur antes de que llegue el frío. Quizás el primer fin de semana de Octubre. Ya te avisaré por si te apetece acompañarnos.
Can’t wait to join you with the group in October! We’ll definitely be taking the hipflask..
I wonder if anyone uttered ‘Have I mentioned I don’t like downclimbing…?’ Anyway, great training for the glaciers….