Equipment sorting and rucksack packing was the first task of the day before checking out of our cabins and heading to the mountains.
The hike was due to start from the village of Sotres, but a local Mountain Guide had told me that you could drive further uphill and therefore reduce the amount of height we’d have to climb. I quizzed him pretty hard as I was extremely dubious and unsure about taking a brand new hire van up a pot holed mountains track. He assured me I would be fine, so cautiously we edged upwards on the gravel track, sweating lightly.
Thankfully, the knowledge was good and we shaved at least an hour and a lot of sweating off our days climb. A good start! The weather was overcast and we were soon thick in the clouds.
It was almost identical conditions to when I was here previously and water condensed in droplets on our hair.
We reached the snow about twenty minutes before the hut. The paced had slowed and the visibility remained low.
We were only about twenty metres from the hut when it loomed into view, out of the mist. We were all glad to have arrived, especially as it started to rain lightly soon after.
Inside, the fire was lit and some friendly hikers from Ireland and Kent, insisted that I join them for a small glass of Rioja while I poured over the map to plan tomorrow’s route. It’s not the cosy comfort of the Alpine Huts, but it’s warm, dry and the company was good. We were served up enormous bowls of pasta for dinner. I had three helping and was feeling full, when a second course of meat stew was produced! The pasta had been a starter!
After dinner, the mists began to clear and everyone went outside to see the view appear.
Clouds dropped away into a valley inversion. Spectacular stuff.
And above us, the magnificent peak of Naranjo de Bulnes was catching the last of the light. Perfect.
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