March 20, '24: Walk to the source of Río Tormes
Departure from Camping Navagredos to the source of Río Tormes and back through a magnificent coniferous forest.
I don't know if the large dolmen at the spring dates from prehistoric times. I found nothing about it on the internet - except that it is located there - and it does not seem authentic to me.
Very easy route, 11.6 km
21 March '24: panoramic walk 16 km
Spring started last night with some lightning, banging thunder - they always sound much louder in the mountains - and a clattering hailstorm on my pale roof. It kept raining off and on until 10 o'clock, but then the sky cleared again so I could still go out for a brisk 16-km hike.
The first hour was boring: due to a dense pine forest up via a wide gravel road. Some pines were infested with caterpillar nests that will soon eat the tree bare.
The crossing a plateau afterwards offered beautiful panoramas of the snow-capped 'Circo de Gredos' and the lower valley villages.
The descent was through a much more open and varied forest. Some sections have a deep green grass carpet under the slender pines, creating very nice contrasts. You don't have to suffer from thirst on this hike; I passed three springs.
The last section on a GR beside the river was asphalted, a pity. But a beautiful waterfall between mega-sized granite blocks made up for that asphalt somewhat.
22-23 March: unscathed to Refugio Laguna Grande, overnight and return
Only 7 km with some elevation gain. That was going to be a relaxing ride. I thought...
The climb to the highest point (2100m) went smoothly. There were occasional tricky patches of snow, but it had been walked on a lot and I didn't sink in too deeply.
The highest point offered a mighty view over the Snowy Circo de Gredos, a semi-circular rock formation around a lagoon with very sharp ridges and peaks. The lagoon was now still under ice.
The difficulty of the trail changed to my disadvantage during the descent to the Laguna. There was another thick snow which had become watery soft at this time of day. As a result, I was often knee-deep in it. The last part next to the lagoon, the path was no longer even visible and you had to follow tracks of predecessors. On one occasion I sank my left leg Q-deep, i.e. to my rear, into a hole. My predecessor had been wearing snowshoes, you don't sink with those. With one leg up to your hip in the snow, you are in no easy position to hoist yourself back out of there... With the help of my walking sticks, I managed.
I almost did two hours over that last 2.5 km. The result of all that snow fun was that my hiking boots, socks and pant legs had become soaking wet.
I arrived at the refuge around half past five, happy to just make it there wet and unscathed had gotten away with. I don't know if I would have embarked on this trek had I known what that last treacherous section was like. But I had (compulsorily) reserved a sleeping place, I was in front of it and I had to go through it....
The return trip the next morning I did not sink back into the snow. It had frozen back a bit during the night and a little way ahead of me a group was walking without snowshoes. Following in their footsteps, I knew I would not sag.
On Friday, I walked alone almost all the way, except for a few oncoming cars. Today Saturday, it was crowded in the opposite direction. Early in the morning the 'real ones' with backpack, piolet, musquetons and ropes to go climbing. Later in the morning families on trainers, some even in shorts.
When I arrived back at the car park around noon, I was tired but satisfied that I had succeeded. This is good for my self-confidence, as I find that the reluctance and doubt before embarking on something like this has become much greater than before.
16 September: Opening the door at Diamondway Buddhist Centre in Tallinn The centre's meditation sessions are open
