Los Cahorros... Segunda Vez!

Los Cahorros… part II

Hey all! I’m still behind, but I’m slowing making progress on catching you all up on my recent activities in the great Iberian Peninsula! Two weekends ago, my friends and I made our second trip to the pueblo of Monachil… this time successfully navigating the public transportation system and not having to ask anyone how to get to the mountains!

Upon arriving to the park, I was predictably unsatisfied with the idea of staying on the trails, so Devin (a fellow ISA student who doesn’t take kindly to being outdone) and I began trailblazing up the side of a mountain. We ended up atop a precipice around 80-100 feet higher than “Pride Rock”, as we’ve coined it, upon which we ate lunch last time we were in Los Cahorros. In the pictures of Pride Rock, you can see the miniscule figures of the other members of our excursion eating lunch.

Devin and I stopped for lunch at that cliff and then decided to continue on up the mountain after a herd of cows we noticed grazing behind us (pictured below). We promptly fell in behind the cattle and tried to catch them, obviously. Again… OBVIOUSLY, the cows assuredly discussed how stupid the humans following them were and kept right out of reach, easily outmaneuvering us on the steep slope. (how embarrassing… to be outwitted and altogether outstripped by cattle)

Once we finally got to the top of the mountain/ hill/ huge hill/ to-me-it’s-a-mountain, we had a great view of the valley below us with a snow-capped mountain directly ahead and the city of Granada behind us. We stopped to read a bit, wrote a few letters, and then realized that it was 12:55 already. The last bus leaves from Monachil at 1:40, so Devin and I had to book-it... and by that I do not mean the reading incentive thing from Pizza-Hut.

We proceeded to run down the mountain… and I mean run. However, we did have to stop for one thing… horses! There were two horses grazing on our way up, but we ran right into them on our way down. We had to stop and pet them. There was an old broken bridle on one, so it was obvious that my horse whispering skills were not going to be needed, but we felt courageous and adventurous nonetheless. Afterwards, we simply ran toward the small pueblo beneath us and hoped that neither of us broke our ankles in the descent. A few jumped fences later, and after a sprint down the road to the bus stop, we actually made it five minutes early. Perfect timing, if I do say so myself, and another successful trip to the mountains.

The next step is to use my tent….

Hasta Luego!