It was overcast this morning, and a bit cooler than normal, if you can call 25 Celsius with humidity, cool. Since it didn’t look like sun would be a factor in our day, we decided to go for a hike in the hills rather than go for a beach walk. The fact that the tide would be high also factored into our decision.
The first one and a half kilometres was a pleasant walk, first through the fishing village, then through some rough agricultural land, along a dirt road. Then, we arrived at the base of a small mountain, at least that is what it looked like from the road. Walking up was a workout for hips, knees, and balance as it was quite steep. The dry conditions had made the path crumbly and our feet were working hard to prevent us from slipping back down the hill. Needless to say, there were a couple of rests needed along the route to the top. It was a small victory to reach the top and get a few photos. I also didn’t waste any time removing my shirt. The shorts stayed on as I wasn’t alone.
From the top, we went to a viewpoint which allowed us to see the eleven kilometre long beach in its entirety. We even could see where we are staying, at least the roofing tiles of the casa. With breath recovered and heart rate reduced, we began a short 50 metre descent followed by another 20 metre ascent. Then, it began to be interesting.
The undulation continued until we arrived at the beginning of a descent that had us think twice. We should have thought three times. The descent was very, very tentative with both of us taking baby steps, and keeping eyes glued to the ground. The fine, pulverised dirt found us constantly slipping. We knew it was likely going to be a nightmare going back up on our return journey that was to take the same route back to the village and our apartment.
The ascent that was to follow was beyond ridiculous. I couldn’t imagine tackling the uphill climb, and even worse, the danger of the return down that track. Remember, we are both in our seventies and have no interest is falling and breaking any bones, especially in a country far from home. At that point, sanity returned and we decided to inch our way back up the hill, rather than take on the challenge of the final uphill we had thought would be our midpoint of our hike.
Going back up the hill was every bit as difficult as I imagined. There was no doubt we could have used crampons. The ground was not as stable as needed for safety. Yet, slowly, sometimes almost parallel to the ground, we made it back up the hill. The rest of the return journey was a breeze [not really] in comparison with the first ascent to begin our return. Now, back at the apartment, we both agree that it was a morning well spent … and as a result, we were spent as well.
Would the track make for a good naturist hike? Possibly. Parts of the trail are quite visible from the highway, however there are stretches where I am certain one could safely hike nude. One caveat, the trail is used at times for ATV excursions.