HIGH IN THE SERRA DE CABRERA, Spain _ A different kind of training session awaited the lads this morning _ a trek to the 1,348-meter (4,420-foot) Cabrera peak and the Mare de Deu de Cabrera monastery.
With an earlier than usual wakeup call for breakfast, the gang set out for the summit around 8:15 a.m., some not quite sure what was ahead.
(Pondering the target. The steeple of the monastery can be seen in the clearing atop the
highest peak.)
The walk to the base of Serra de Cabrera about 3 kilometers (1 1/2 miles) away was the easy part: if it wasn't downhill on a paved road it was flat on an unpaven road. Once it started up though...
With Jorge out front, the team went over hill and over dale, mostly up through a goat path...check that, even goats couldn't make it up the rock formations and over the fallen trees. One of the older folks, we won't identify who, had to take a little more time than the youngins. Paul told stories about his father taking him up this trek 4-5 times as a kid and one 60-year-old local lady who makes the trip every Sunday to help serve lunch after mass. Yeah...
(We're climbing THAT?)
(Shouldn't Clementine's father and his burro be around here somewhere?)
It took a little more than an hour for Jorge and the gang to reach the monestary...the old folks followed about a half hour behind.
The hike included a final climb up cement steps (who had to haul concrete up here?)
(Paul looks back, with the summit in site, to assure our intrepid reporter hasn't collapsed.)
Once atop, the views were spectacular from above the few clouds in sight on a magnificently clear day. Santa Maria de Corco/L'Esquirol could be seen along with Cantonigros. The story goes that the chapel was built on top of the mountain during the Middle Ages to minimize the spread of the plague. Sounds reasonable. It's tough to imagine rats climbing all the way up here. However, we did have two field dogs -- dubbed "Spunky" and "Snowball"-- follow us all the way from town to the top.
(We made it!!!)
(Looking down upon the clouds)
The trip down the mountain was easier, albeit it much longer. The more circuitous route took our Sir Edmund Hillary wannabees, from the base of the final climb, down a road for cars -- sometimes paved...sometimes not. And although downhill, it was about as twice as long, making the day's hike about 20 kilometers (12 miles) and delaying the return to Cantonigros until about noon-12:30 p.m.
Besides the climb -- and because of it -- the team engaged in another Spanish custom: the siesta.
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