Pórtugos

Pórtugos looks like it’s going to be a great village for our last five days. I went exploring this afternoon and loved every corner I turned. I wish we had a full week here because I know there are enough trails that we won’t be able to walk them all in the time we have. From here, it’s possible to hike north into the high Sierra and east through areas that are heavily mineralized and have interesting springs and manantiales. South and west are the villages of La Taha where we’ve been the last two weeks. One trail I was really looking forward to would take us to a pair of high acequias above the village, but when I checked out the trailhead today, a permanent sign warned walkers of danger of falling. That seems a lot more ominous than the temporary paper signs we see after a bad storm.

Pórtugos did not join the seven other villages in this area that united to form La Taha. I don’t have any idea why, but it looks like a thriving village so maybe they felt they could go it alone.

I spent an interesting half-hour watching a team of men repairing a launa roof. One man was working on measuring and cutting slates with an electric saw in order to repair the eaves Another was working on a skylight, which seems to be very common around here as a way to bring light into interior rooms with no windows.

Ned took an evening walk and ran into a flock of sheep, a very rare sight on this entire trip. He also saw some large old chestnut trees. Many grand specimens that have died are still standing. They are so large that they are visible even from a distance. We’ve read that the chestnut trees of the Alpujarra have been devastated by Ink Disease caused by soil-borne pathogens that attack the root system. The tree can’t absorb water or nutrients, and a black, inky substance oozes from the trunk as the tree decays. Chestnut Blight, a fungal disease, is another problem. I’m guessing one or the other of these killed the tree in the plaza in Cañar and the ones that lined the avenue near the balneario in Lanjarón.Read more