Segura de la Sierra: Gontar loop

Our loop around Cerro de Gontar turned up some heartwarming surprises today. To start, although the peak of Peñalta had dominated our views from Puente Honda and La Hueta, we had never expected to see it again on this trip. So coming around the shoulder of a ridge on the GR 247 this morning and seeing Peñalta pop up felt like greeting an old friend. Not only that, we could also make out the line of the route we had walked from La Hueta to Orcera. Around the next corner was an even more unexpected surprise. We were looking down on the roofs of a tiny aldea, speculating on what it might be, when Ned recognized the terracing in front of the houses. “That’s Linarejos!” We were now far above it, looking down on the scene we had climbed up to from Orcera last Wednesday. It’s Ned’s favorite village so far, so it was a real thrill to see it again and to even hear its two resident dogs barking.

The third surprise of the morning was coming across another pozo de nieve like the one below the castle. I had really hoped to see one for the first time on this trip, and now I’ve seen two in two days. They were used to store snow during the winter that would then provide ice during the summer. Inside the well, the snow was stored in compacted layers separated with straw. When the well was full, a covering was sealed to maintain the interior temperature. When summer arrived, the well was opened and the ice was cut into blocks to be sold. The one below the castle looks to be about 20 feet deep, so that’s a lot of ice!

Speaking of snow and ice, we had a brief rain shower about 8:30 last night. It lasted for less than an hour, but was enough to make the trail smell damp this morning. This is the third tiny bit of rain in ten days after five months of no rain.

Today’s Wikiloc track:
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/segura-de…Read more