Walk Sunday 22 July 2018 Veleta





This week, in an effort to cool down, we went for a walk to pico de Veleta, at 3394 metres it is the second highest peak in the Sierra Nevada. After taking a detour through Pradollano, because the road was closed due to a road race, we arrived at Hoya de la Mora and a reserved car parking space, thank you Fernando.
 There are a number of options available for tackling the summit.
 The easiest way is to catch the bus or the telecabina, both of which are far too easy.
 A track up the San Juan valley, discounted due to excess snow.
 Following the road, the easiest way but it can get a bit monotonous.
 A direct path which intersects with the road a number of times, preferred option, but I     was planning on coming back this way anyway.
 In the end we took a mixture of the last 2, On the easier cross country bits we took to the footpath, the rest we did on the road until we got over 3000 metres, where, due to a lack of oxygen, we stuck to the road and we were rewarded for our feeble efforts by an enormous snow drift.
Every year there appears to be a bit less oxygen in the air I breath when walking in the mountains, it’s strange but you never hear about it in the news. It had been very windy on the way up and on the top it was quite cold as well, we didn’t stay long before we went seeking shelter for our lunch stop.
 The way back was the direct footpath and we were back at the cars in next to no time, I think knowing that a cool beer is awaiting your return spurs you on.

A good day out

We walked 15.9 km and climbed 912 metres

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