Breathe in... Breathe out....

Day 5... Breathe in...

My last whole day in Monachil and I was slightly undecided what to do... as in I was so spoilt for choice that it was hard to choose just one thing!

I decided to hedge my bets and threw the bike into the car. As usual first glance outside and the skies were blue... promising another astoundingly hot day.

I set off back towards the forest... only again I would drive further to the parking place I had seen near the end of my last ride. I bounced around the gravel roads... taking in all the scenery... breathe in...

I parked up and now came the choice... bike further down the road I had turned back on the other day... or ditch the bike for a day and head off into the foothills along one of the myriad of footpaths that dotted the hillsides.

A quick glance at maps.me revealed a sign for a waterfall along a walking path (signed with a 'no bikes' sign. The waterfall won the argument and I set off one foot in front of the other along the dusty path... bleached almost white by the force of the sun.

The path skirted along the hillside to begin with... each bend round revealing another glacial rock formation. The valleys had been carved out by now dry rivers and the only clue left to the myriad of waterways that once existed were the chutes down the mountain sides... now a parched parody of what they once were.
Amazingly greenery existed in the form of scrub bushes and wild lavender along with alpine plants. Excepting the lavender, it seemed that to exist up here, a plant must be armed with spikes of varying sizes and I tested these on many an occasion where even a slight brush past would leave me with a scratch or a blood trail.

The trail was kept interesting with rocks to scramble down or more usually up and the air was fresh. Not a soul was to been seen... I literally could have been the last person on the planet. At times it felt like I was on a different planet ... the rocky outcrops resembling a moonscape at times.

Eventually I reached the turn off for the waterfall. The path stretched downwards and the brush got thicker and thicker as I descended towards the river at the base of the valley. At times I was almost crawling as I ducked and dived under and over the greenery... thicker and thicker ... with the aforementioned thorns grabbing at my clothing as I went.

I came to a sudden halt at the rushing river... the continuation of the path visible on the other side. Off came the socks and shoes and as I gingerly stepped into the water.. my feet almost instantly froze from the glacial water. Fortunately it was only a short crossing but at one point I was up to my knees.
Socks and shoes back on... I continued along the 'path'... so overgrown even I would hesitate to name it thus. My doggedness was rewarded as the sunlight streaked through the bushes and a clearing was revealed... a pool and the roar of a small waterfall as it crashed into the pool. It felt like a discovery of epic proportions and if it wasn't for the pair of discarded socks I could have believed that I was the only human to have set eyes on this.
I sat there for a while... perched on a rock near the edge of the pool... Breathe in...

I watched the butterflies and dragonflies as big as my fist dart around the edges ... listened to the bird song... became lost in the sound of the waterfall rumbling...

But reality hit with the flies biting my legs and the serenity was disturbed. So I followed the path back up to where I had branched off... where now?? Another glance at maps.me showed me a possible route that stretched along this valley.. then climbed up and over the ridge before tracing a mirrored path back to the beginning. Time was on my side and water supplies were reasonable even with this heat.

As I wandered along the path... shade was hard to come by... the scrub not tall enough to offer any relief from the burning sun... the scenery was enough to distract. I tried to hold the air in my lungs... the memory of the silence and peace in that place... as it would soon be a thing of the past.

I came to a double track path... and it started to climb up... fortunately the pines were now evident providing a better approximation of shade.

All was going well until I rounded a corner and came face to face with a pair of horns... rather long ones... attached to a rather mean looking cow. Behind this were several other mean looking cattle and a few young.
I dont like cows... especially ones with horns... and these ones didnt seem to like the disruption. Unfortunately for me.. they were blocking the path and I wasnt about to try and herd them!
So I took the other option... climb up the bank of scrub bushes (remember the thorns) and make my way up and around the roadblock. Great idea! Made better when one of the cows glared at me and began pawing the ground.

Having made my way past.. my next problem was how to get down off the bank/cliff. Put it this way... it wasnt elegant!

I bum shuffled (over the thorns) and tried a controlled slide....
It wasn't very controlled and ended with a wrenched arm socket ... a few bruises... and a myriad of thorns embedded in me.

Still at least the cattle were behind me!

From there it wasn't far to the confluence of tracks where I would find the return path. It was as I had hoped a path that skirted the tops and followed the ridges. My mouth was dry and my fingers were swelling due to dehydration setting in. The sweat was pouring off me as the path followed the dry stream bed... now just loose gravel and dust. The dust coated me from head to foot..  perhaps providing some protection from the rays scorching my skin.

And yet I was truly carefree... wandering these paths.... devoid of thought beyond where the next footstep landed.... a peace descending.... Breathe in

The miles passed and before I knew it I sighted my car from the top of the last rise... of course I elected to follow the narrower... slipperier path down... avoiding total disaster with more luck than judgement.

Back in the car realisation dawned that that was the last of the peace and the silence for a while... I was required to descend back into civilisation and mingle with humanity... still at least I knew a good restaurant on the way!!

The evening was spent disassembling my bike and packing it into the AW Cycles bike bag... hard work in the still intense heat of the evening...

Tomorrow a visit to the Alhambra palace for my dose of culture on the way home....

And breathe out....