D40 to Padornelo

Got an early start, knew it was the highest point and could be long. - 22km
Very cold my water tube froze in 15 min and didn’t thaw 2 1/2 hrs late.
Was able to stop after the first 11k as I had hoped for a coffee and tortilla and stretch before the real climb
There were many trail branches as there were many detour s during the high speed rail construction through the mountains. At on point my trail turned into a stream, followed a small side trail, got my feet wet crossing a largish stream and bushwhacked a short bit end the end to another trail. Had 4 maps, 2 were showing different trails but a couple showed all the connections even if they were not whatever the official trail was. A small amount of stress but expected a chance of problems.
Even with all that and the ups it was still a good day!! Time to stop and few times, put on dry socks, stretch and toot, my harmonica a bit 😊Read more