In the parador

My pack was a little lighter today, because I was wearing every piece of clothing I had with me. I did not bring warm clothing, since the temperatures had been so mild this year. I survived with smart wool socks on my hands and all the rest of my clothing on my body. Temperature was 34 F when I started out.

My plan today was to walk something like a circle, with the midpoint being the Pandetrave lookout at about 1500 m, 4500 ft. I left a little after 7:30, hoping that things would warm up with the sunrise. Cloudy with patches of blue, and all went fine for about the first 6K.

I had remembered that there are a lot of cattle and horses on this trail, and my memory was accurate! At one point I came to what looked like a standoff between the horses and the cattle, with neither group letting the other pass. I started slapping my sticks together and singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and the horses turned around and left me only with a line of cattle to deal with. Lots of the cows moved, but there was just one bull that just stood there and stared at me. No matter what noise I made or what I said or sang, he was not going anywhere. So I finally gave in and took a detour up a muddy hill to go around him. But at all of the other animal encounters, I’m happy to say that there were no issues. Clacking sticks and singing loudly has worked like a charm, except for that one bull.

Soon after, it started to rain a little harder, and then the wind started to blow a little harder, and then it started to snow. As you might imagine there was absolutely no visibility.

When I got to the high point, I switched to a different Wikiloc trail that was going to take me on a loop back to the start of the trail. I followed it for about 20 minutes and decided it was just too muddy and too plowed up to make a good walking surface. So I retraced my steps, and walked back down the thousand meters to the turn off for the Parador. My treat at the end of this slog!

I’m sure my family thinks I’m nuts for doing this, but I am bound and determined to prove to myself that I can still climb 1000 m without suffering. No suffering today, just disappointment.

Tomorrow it looks like things get even worse, with the temperatures below freezing and snow, rain, and a mixture are all in the forecast. I was supposed to take the cable car up to a different high point. Then I would have 27 km all downhill. I have decided, after a lot of mental back-and-forth, that I am going to skip this stage and head back to Potes, where I started what was supposed to be a glorious four day walk in the Picos. If only I could wait four or five days…… I’ve never bailed on a stage before, but I’m sure it’s the right decision, albeit a sad one! Seeing a Guardia Civil rescue squad bringing someone down today also gave me food for thought.

From Potes, I will continue “backwards” on the Vadiniense, and when I hit the coast in San Vicente de la Barquera, I will head east (backwards) on the Norte. Hoping to make it to Santander.

21 km, 1100 m

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