Walk 28 August 2016 Elorrieta and Caballo

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This week we had 2 big walks planned. One for the sensible ones and one for 6 guys who wanted something a bit tougher.
 We all started together from the carpark at Hoya de la Mora on Veleta for the first half of the walk to the refugio Elorrieta. To start with the walk passes through the ski area above Pradollano, not the prettiest area in which to walk but the going was easy, something that was appreciated by those carrying heavy packs.
 We stopped for a quick bite to eat at the Laguna Yeguas and then the serious climbing began. The scenery becomes very dramatic and it doesn’t look possible that they could have put a path through it. With Martin leading the way I decided to help the stragglers at the back. Between gasps of breath I offered a few words of encouragement to the inevitable question “are we nearly there yet”. At least I had not unloaded my pack onto a long suffering wife like Dave  had. I carried every kilo the whole way.
 The weather was perfect and we had a long lunch at the refugio before the group split, with some returning the way they had come and the 6 guys continuing on to Caballo and a night in a refugio. I have no idea why none of the ladies wanted to come with us. We have been planning this walk for years, but this is the first time we have been able to put it together. The path took us through the mountains on what must be one of the most impressive high level routes in Europe, it was incredible.
 We arrived at the refugio on Caballo around 4 pm and we had it to ourselves. The only facilities on offer are a roof, window and a door. Martin and Mark found 2 plastic lilo’s that someone had left behind and they set about blowing them up. I am not saying the rest of us were not a bit peeved about this, as we were not looking forward to sleeping on the concrete floor. Unfortunately for Martin, his had a hole in it and he could only get the pillow to stay up, still one up on the rest of us.
 We had just started to celebrate Giles's birthday when 4 more guys turned up. So we had to rearrange our sleeping arrangements.
With the clouds starting to roll in it suddenly turned cold, within a space of 20 minutes we went from shorts and T shirts to long trousers, fleeces, coats, hats and gloves. We were just about to turn in for the night, it was only 8 pm but it was too cold to sit outside, when 4 more guys turned up. With 6 of us we had sufficient space, with 10 we were squashed, 14 would have been impossible. Goodness knows what Fernando said to them or where they went, but the nearest shelter was 4 hours away. We continued to celebrate Giles’s birthday with a selection of drinks we had brought with us.
 To say we all woke refreshed after a comfortable night's sleep would be stretching the truth a bit. With 10 unwashed guys and their gear all sleeping on the floor and snoring their heads off, no one except Mark, who had a lilo, could claim to have slept more than 10 minutes at a time.
 After breakfast we set off for Lanjaron, a journey that was going to be easy, it was all downhill. I have never walked down hill for 2011 metres before. By the time we got to Martin’s house we were all completely knackered. After a refreshing beer we staggered into Lanjaron.
A very tiring walk, as time passes and the muscle pains recede I believe it will turn into a very enjoyable expedition.  
Thank you to our support teams who drove us to our starting point and accompanied us on the first part of the walk.
 
    The walk to Elorrieta was 16.6 km with 716 metres of climbing.

    The walk to Caballo and Lanjaron was 36.6 km with 904 metres of climbing.

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