Trekking in Patones

  Patones, Spain
Saturday, June 3, 2006

For our second day in Madrid, my Dad decided to take us out for some exercise. I wasn't sure if he meant walking through more streets of Madrid or jogging in a park or what exactly....but what he had in mind was so much better.

We were woken up early, told to put on comfortable hiking clothes and shoes, bring sun tan lotion, water bottles, and hats. Half asleep we loaded the car and started driving out of Madrid. It was 9 am yet the sky was perfectly cloudless and one could already feel the imminent heat rising.

02 Patones

An hour later, we arrived at the entrance of a little mountain village called Patones. We couldn't go in with the car as the streets were too narrow and steep, so we parked the car in a space by the side of the road and entered Patones.

By now I could imagine what we were here for. We had driven uphill for about 20 minutes and now we were entering a lonely town in the middle of the Spanish sierras. I could only guess we were to go trekking though the hills and forests. I couldn't have been happier. I could sense Ed's anticipation aswell.

The village had been literally carved out of the mountain. The streets and some constructions were of hard rock, chipped and molded into functional slabs of stone. There were small cafes, an Inn, a Bed & Breakfast, a small town Museum, and some residential houses. It was still too early in the morning and no one was around, so we walked up the steep jagged streets, trying not to wake the few sleepy dogs we passed who raised their tired heads in our presence but did not budge.

07 Cute little mountain village

After passing a few more rocky shacks, the stone paths started clearing, giving way to grass and loose dirt, stones and large rocks. We were now entering the hills. Just as I had figured, there was a trekking circuit all marked out with spray paint in rocks. My dad mentioned this hiking route was not too well known, but he occasionally bumped on a few trekking enthusiasts when he visited.

The first stretches of the hike were steep, adorned with breathtaking views of the village and its' enclosing hills. I found myself lagging behind and out of breath, but Ed and my Dad waited up for me from time to time. It's easier to go faster if you have a good walking stick, right Dad?  During that time, Ed seized the opportunity to take some incredible pictures.

As we got higher and higher, the sun started beating down on our heads and shoulders but the strong cool wind complemented its' effects. On a few occasions it even got a bit chilly....exercise and all.

20 Lu and Flower

The vegetation and the landscapes were magnificent. Stopping for breath or water meant taking pictures or just standing in silence watching the never ending green mounds in our horizon. By this time the village had completely disappeared from our view, and as we walked higher and higher, the flowers and plants became thicker, greener, more lush.

 There were wild mountain flowers of every color imaginable. I marvelled at the deep plum and copper colored clusters, fuchsia cotton thistles, lemony pompons of small buds, tiny coral petals randomly grown on thin stems, lavender florets, and honey-colored spikes of grass.

36 Jagged Rocks

  It was hard, but we reached the top...of what I'm not sure. But the scenery we had was enough to make one speechless. We had a view of lakes and mountains and far-away towns all to ourselves. And all we could hear was the wind and the flies buzzing past us.

We chose the best spot we could find for a snack: I made myself comfortable on a jagged rock carpeted by soft dry moss; the perfect natural cushion. We ate our apples and drank our now warm water in silence, e ach immersed in his own tranquil world. 

28 Ed

After our snacks, while Ed made himself busy exploring the site I reclined on my mossy rock and closed my eyes, enjoying the wind and sun in my face. I hated the fact that I had to leave eventually as I would have stayed there with Ed the entire afternoon meditating, reading, napping.

But alas, as everything that goes up must come down, so did we, and since it was already past noon we started our quick descent. I'm still trying to decide if it was tougher going up or coming down: climbing up the steep rocks certainly made us breathless, but going down made my feet hurt more as I was putting more pressure on them trying to fight gravity. More than once I slid down a package of loose stones.

38 Wild mountain flowers

We took another path down, deciding to go through a pine forest we had not passed on our way up. Here we encountered another set of smells, noises, views, sounds. There were pine cones lying everywhere and the smell of wood was intoxicating. It was like a cinamonny-vanilla-eucaliptus-piney scent that I had never had the pleasure of experiencing before. I stood on various occasions just listening to the wind which, up there, sounded so unique.

The way back felt longer and farther, and as my legs and feet started claiming for a halt and rest, we spotted the village only about two km's away. The sun was now unbearable, we were out of water, I was still slipping on loose stones, we were covered in dirt, and I felt I could no longer walk. Fortunately, those two km's were over and done with in no time and as we entered the back entrance of the village, we encountered tons of tourists walking through the streets, having lunch in its cafes....basically getting in our way. Good thing we had gotten there early and had the chance to have Patones to ourselves.

All in all, we walked a staggering 14 km's. As we drove back, I dozed off as if I hadn't slept in 6 days. Ed was too busy reviewing the amazing pictures he took (I'm sure you'll agree on how good he's getting!). We thanked my dad for the amazing hike and made him promise next weekend we would go again. But for next time he has another hiking destination in mind....and he's not telling where yet.



Click here for more pictures on Patones.