Walk Sunday 12 August 2018 Mulhacen

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This week our walk was to the top of Mulhacen, the highest point on mainland Spain. After this everything else is insignificant, a mere pimple on the landscape.
 As usual for the Mulhacen trip, we had an early start, 7 am from Beznar. I swear half the group were still asleep when we met up. The reason for the early start is that we had an 8.30 bus to catch from Capileira and there were tickets to pick up, besides the coffee and tostada to be had.
 The bus takes you to the base of Mulhacen, from where it is an easy 7 km walk to the summit. Well that’s is what it used to do, it now stops 2km short, resulting in an extra 4 km of walking, so now you just have to walk a bit faster, to catch the 16.30 bus back down the hill.
Full of enthusiasm we set off for the summit, the biggest advantage of the new starting point was that it got you used to the lack of oxygen in the air before you started on the ascent proper. The group split on the ascent, with some choosing the direct route and others taking the meandering easy path to the summit. I am pleased to say that we all made it safely to the top, sometimes through gritted teeth and sheer determination.
 We had intended going down to the caldera but because of time restraints and storm clouds brewing, we decided to split again, with some making a rapid descent to the caldera and the others returning on the easy path. Dave took the B team down to the caldera and I guided the A team back the easy way.
 Now to me playing in the snow is to be avoided, I had plenty of that when I was a kid but 3 ladies could not resist laying down in it and making Angels. The thought of walking all that way home with a wet bum somehow did not appeal to me.
With perfect timing our two groups met up for the last 2 km back to the bus stop, and we arrived back with about 15 minutes to spare.
The threatening clouds kept away, the temperature was around 20 degrees, what else could we want whilst walking in the mountains. Oh I know, a cold beer in Capileira.  
Congratulations to everyone on the walk for making it to the top and particularly to the Mulhacen virgins, some of whom did not have any experience at walking at this altitude.
This week there is a lot of controversy over the distance we all walked, Now Julie Mc and myself, who were in the official A team, walked 18.7 km, everyone else walked less than this, by varying degrees depending who they were following at the time. What is not in dispute is that we all climbed 905 metres.

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