Final Group Hike - The Hardest of All

Today was our final hike of the tour in the Sierra Nevada. They've gotten harder as we go, and I'm glad I managed to procure hiking poles for the day. There were steep sections where they really helped, and helped keep a rhythm. The trail was perhaps the most natural of the paths, and we were crossing streams along the bottom portion.

After our second hill, we reached a gravel road and embarked on a less steep variation of the Fabrica de la Luz trail. Didn't quite make the original summit as planned, but most of the group did get a different summit while a few of us opted to carry on without that final hill. The views were amazing, and most stunning of all our days, so while it was tough, it was definitely rewarding.

On the way down, I got a little lost at a fork in the path. One path had a trail sign while the other was roadlike. Turns out I was on the right path, until I got paranoid and ran back to the fork and called our tour leader to confirm. Thank goodness I picked up a SIM card here in Spain. I'm sure it would've turned out fine eventually, but admittedly I did have a few "oh crap" moments.

Eventually made it down the mountain into Competa where we stopped for much needed cold refreshments before a wine tasting at a local winery. Moscatel was the grape of choice, and I learned the difference between a dry moscatel, a sweet one and a very sweet rain, that I correctly tasted raisins in! Haha!

It was our last activity as a group, and we sat down to a lovely farewell dinner. Tomorrow, we're departing Canillas de Alabaida in several groups, leaving behind our lovely villas. While it was a short trip, there was some bonding as a few of us made plans to meet up in Malaga.Read more