A Forest Thought.....

  Santa Maria del Paular, Spain
Saturday, June 10, 2006

Along came Saturday, the day of our nature hikes with my Dad. We were really excited as he mentioned that the hike we were going to start off in an old Monastery up on the mountains. The place was called Santa Maria del Paular.

When we arrived we left the car in front of the old church-monastery which loomed from behind high trees. There was no one around and although the passage to the monastery was restricted, we took the chance and ventured inside the gates. My dad had already been here, and he had too trespassed, so he knew his way around. This is typical of my Dad: he's famous for trespassing private property.

04_Shadows_in_Tunnel

We went through a dark stone tunnel with irregular shaped stones which culminated in a tiny courtyard leading to the entrance of the church. The door was closed and we heard people moving somewhere, but my dad went in through the wooden arches anyway. We found ourselves in a vestibule richly adorned with gothic plaster and stucco on the church main doors and the ceiling, with golden inscriptions on a night-blue background. Little sparrows were trapped inside the dome and were flying about in frenzy.

01_Door_Of_Monastery_Church

Since the church door was closed, we decided to leave the monastery to start our hike. We crossed the street and headed toward a bridge which my Dad said was called "El Puente del Perdon" or the Bridge of Pardons. An inscription on the beautiful stone bridge, wide enough to cross a horsed carriage, said the bridge dated from the beginning of the XIV century, 1302 to be more exact. Story tells of the settlers of this town which were given the right of taking the law into their own hands and applying justice to the many robbers and criminals that stalked the area, without having to turn to the local authorities. The bridge was to be crossed by the person charged of a crime towards the place of their hanging.

06_Ed_and_Monastery_View

We crossed the bridge, not to be hanged but rather to start our hike. After 10 minutes of walking through a narrow dirt path, we reached a small wooden picket-fenced gate which opened up to a large field of grass whose main star was the still pool of fresh river water. My Dad told us this place was very frequented by weekenders who bathed in its waters. Presently, the place was deserted except for a lonely chocolate-colored cow grazing happily.

08_Pool

My Dad led us to a crossing of the pool which was shallow, tricky since it was filled with wet stones. We slowly stone-stepped to the other side while I complained about getting my shoes wet and lagging behind, scared of stepping on the moldy rocks, slipping and cracking my skull open. After we crossed, my Dad said "We should have used that bridge, huh?" as he pointed to the wooden bridge just ahead, hidden by trees. Fantastic.

We continued walking until we found another picket-fenced gate which we had to cross to get to the beginning of the hike. Arrows were pointing the way on the dirt path towards the "Cascada del Purgatorio" or Purgatory Falls. So that was the aim of our hike, and we had 6 km's to walk before getting there.

16_Butterflies_Mating

The landscape was weird, I found. It was a mix between arid and humid type vegetation, with all kinds of flowers sprouting everywhere. Bushes of "rosa mosqueta", a species of wild rose, were covering both sides of the path as well as fuchsia thistles. We encountered butterflies in flocks. I hadn't seen so many butterflies since our trip to Iguazu Falls where you could see colourful wings on jungle mud holes. Here, they were lying and flying about especially around the thistles and its thick thorns. Many of them flew away when we approached, creating a colored agitation of tens of butterflies. I tried to stand in the middle of this frenzy to have a picture taken as the Queen of the butterflies, but failed each time. They flew away too fast. We had to settle for creeping up and taking silent photographs while they rested. We were even able to see two wan-winged butterflies mating.

20_Ferns

As we walked, bicycles sped by, not missing the chance to say "buen día" or "gracias" as they passed us. A group of 6 hikers were dangerously close so we started to walk faster and faster to avoid them and be able to enjoy nature in all its silence, without the constant chatter and shouting of the group. We took advantage of gravity on a long downhill slope to run as fast as we could and get away. It worked because we didn't run into them again.

23_Dad_in_the_Background

Gradually the scenery started changing, and we were suddenly immersed within a realm of high pines blocking out the sun and creating amazing games of shadow and light on the ground covered in ferns and grass. We were now in the forest.

27_Dad_and_waterfall

All around us, the ever-present jagged mountains stood tall and mighty. Suddenly the presence of a small brook filled the forest with the susurrant water. The brook was still too quiet to anticipate the falls but we continued walking alongside it. The forest was getting deeper and more breathtaking as we walked. Ed was just stunned, and he couldn't stop repeating how amazing this place was. He was right. It filled us with an invigorating energy that was indescribable.

The scenery got rockier and harder to climb, but just as lush and always with the presence of the brook, which now became a stream. The dulcet bubbling sound of the water became louder. As we starting climbing uphill, we knew we were closer to our aim.

35_Ladybug

We stopped to rest in a small pool of shallow water sequestered behind large boulders which had a tiny cascade feeding it. Dad and I sat on the stones observing the soothing presence of the water while Ed roamed about with his camera. I was tempted to take my shoes and socks off and walk in the small sun-filled water hole. My dad warned me it was going to be too cold, but I insisted. As I dipped my first toe in the water, I felt the chill but decided it wasn't too bad and could manage walking to the middle of the pool. But I made three steps into the water and suddenly y sharp pain flooded my legs. The pain was so harsh I could hardly move to get out of the water. I hadn't realized it was THAT cold, and I finally understood what cold water really feels like. This was mountain water, straight from the snowy peaks, which even in summer was freezing. Accepting my defeat, I dried my feet off with my socks and got ready to start our walk again.

36_Made_it_to_the_falls

Only 10 minutes of rock climbing we reached the Cascada del Purgatorio. Sadly, the 6 hikers we had tried so hard to avoid had somehow passed us and were having a snack in the cascades. Ed, my Dad and I stone-stepped across the fast stream (I had to call for help since I was so afraid of slipping on the water stones) and miraculously, the sun which had disappeared behind thickened clouds about an hour ago, suddenly reappeared and bathed the falls with the glittering sparks the sun usually makes on moving water. We found a large boulder to sunbathe in and rest while he had our fruity snack.

We couldn't stay long since it was already getting late, and besides, the noisy hikers were spoiling the whole thing. On our way back, I was so scared of slipping on the rocks I actually slipped and drenched my tennis shoes in the freezing water. Too scared too move, I had to call Ed back to come get me, while the stupid hikers laughed and pointed at me.

42_Tree_Watching

Finally able to start our way back, my Dad pointed us towards a different path. This way took us farther and higher into the meadows, being able to look down at them from the rocky curves. We encountered a herd of brown cows, all of which had beautiful brass cow bells, creating an opus of ding-dongs.

On our way back we walked a little faster, not really stopping for too many pictures. Ed had been recollecting wild flowers for me all along the way so I started making a flower bouquet attached to my pony-tail which by the end of the hike was a full-colored crown.

44_Bug_And_I

The silent pools of water we had encountered before starting the hike were now agglomerated with people in bathing suits, kids playing ball, yelling, running. The peaceful mountainous landscape we had seen was now gone.

We found our way back to the monastery. Before leaving though, my dad wanted to show us the Sheraton hotel which had taken advantage of the old monastery cloisters. It was definitely the kind of hospitality I would enjoy: a room in a Renaissance monastery in the high mountain ranges of central Spain.

50_Suddenly_People_Arrived

The way back in the car was long, and I dozed off under the spell of the far-away snow peaks and looming evergreen forests. I suddenly opened my eyes and we were already home.

On the way up on the elevator, I thought about how splendid and replenishing it is to be surrounded by brute nature. And I concluded it shouldn't be that way. We are of this earth and as natural beings Nature is our habitat, but we live in cold concrete habitats making ecosystems like mountains and forests farther away from us. We shouldn't be marvelled at nature because of the inconsistency of its presence, but rather so enamoured with it that we find ourselves returning again and again, until we are marvelled no more...but heightened by it.




More pictures on Santa Maria del Paular