Ian continues…………..

“Short video of a trip with my friend Rob on 23 and 24 January 2012. We walked up to the Poquiera refuge along the acequia alta,
spent the night there and then ascended to Mulhacen via the south ridge the next morning. We launched our paragliders just below the summit at around 13.30.”

“I landed on the meadows just to the south west of Trevelez whilst Rob flew an incredible 22 km to land on the gravel river bed below Tablones in the Orgiva valley.”

Rob over Portugos village

Thanks to Ian Tupman, from the Costa Tropical who sent in this report about his night at the hut and how the newly restored hut coped with the extreme conditions. I have passed this onto Acción Sierra Nevada for further restoration projects this coming summer. Thanks Ian!

Below you can see a video from the same expedition that shows the ferocity of the winds to good effect.

REPORT ON THE CONDITION OF REFUGIO DE CABALLO

Spindrift blows across the Cerro de Caballo

We arrived on the afternoon of December 16. It was windy over 120 km/hr. The door and window were closed and the interior was clean. During the night the wind increased with strong gusts. The new door is great and it worked perfectly. But there were problems. Within hours there was a layer of water on the floor. I have two suggestions,

Snow was coming through the window. To avoid this, I suggest a similar exterior shutter door construction.

The wind was so strong that the spindrift blew through through the ceiling of the refugio. Inside, you can see that the roof is discolored (black) where water and snow penetrated. I think there are small cracks in the ceiling and advise the application (by brush) of a fine mortar to exterior cracks.

I recognize that you can not do anything until spring but I’ll be willing to assist with the work.

Regards,
Ian Tupman
Technical Architect (retired)

Alcazaba and Mulhacen N faces

From Granada, head east on good roads and pass by the town of Pinos Genil and on through the town of Guejar Sierra. On the eastern outskirts of Guejar Sierra take a left turn signposted “Camping Cortijo Balderas”. This road is concreted but narrow. After 2km take a rough road right (marked with a No Entry sign!). Take this and drop down to a crossing of the Rio Maitena. Follow this concreted road as it winds upwards.

After another 2km the concrete road ends and a dirt track ensues. This is a bit rough in places and a 4WD is preferable. The road zig zags across the mountainside, eventually reaching the crest of the Loma de la Cuna de los Cuartos (1949m, 40 mins from Guejar Sierra). As you reach the crest an incredible vista meets the eye. The whole of the Sierra Nevada from Veleta through to Picon de Jerez lies before you. Not only that, but this side is steep which make for dramatic views of the north faces, alpine in scale.

There is a small Fire Lookout here and this makes a good place to take photographs. You can then follow the track east, close to the crest of the Loma. After another 3km a chain across the track prevents further progress. There are superlative views into the head of the Rios’ Vadillo and Genil. The Vereda de Estrella lies far beneath.

Panorama from Alcazaba to Veleta

If you are feeling energetic you can walk from here to the Refugio Peña Partido a further 5km just past the minor peak of Papeles (2424m). The hut makes a useful base for exploratory trips on the remote northern mountains such as Puntal de los Cuartos, Atalaya or Pico del Cuervo.

Today though we had gone solely for the views and to see the best views of the Sierras in winter mode. On the way back to the car we were joined by a Golden Eagle and a Griffon Vulture soaring on the thermals. This trip is a great for a half day excursion.

Lots more photos below……………

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Background

The Sierra Nevada as seen from the beaches of the Costa Tropical

On two occasions I had driven from Salobreña on the coast to Trevélez at 1,500m in the hope of summiting Mulhacén in a one day trip. Both times I reached around 3,200m when I started to feel dizzy, had a racing pulse and a banging headache. My body was telling me I had ascended too quickly from sea level and so I turned back.

It seemed logical that if I started at sea level and walked all the way to the summit, my body would acclimatize slowly and so the idea of the Sea2Sky walk came about. I discussed it with a friend who said he would be interested in joining me and I set about planning the most direct route. This would take us up and over the coastal range of hills (La Contraviesa), through the eastern end of La Tahá, along part of the GR7 long distance path to Trevélez, up to the Siete Lagunas at 3,000m and then an early morning ascent of Mulhacén. We decided that weather-wise, early June would be a good time as the last of the winter snow would have disappeared and it wouldn’t be too hot during the day.

Day 1 – Castillo de Baños to Torvizcón (24kms and 1,273m of ascent)

We were dropped off at 9.00am on the beach at Castillo de Baños. We picked up a couple of pebbles and sea shells (which we would leave on the summit of Mulhacén) and we started up the GR6204 to Polopos. We knew the whole of the first day would be on tarmac roads so we wore lightweight shoes rather than boots but even so, with the temperature reaching the low thirties, we were glad of the rest while we ate our sandwiches at Venta del Chaparro.  As we started the 8km descent to our overnight stop in Torvizcón, we caught a glimpse of our objective rising above its neighbouring peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

Day 2 – Torvizcón to Trevélez (26kms and 1,246m of ascent)

Back on the tarmac again, we passed Almegijar before turning off the road and a welcome descent on a good footpath down to the Rio Trevélez in La Tahá. This area was occupied and cultivated by the Arabs because of its abundant natural spring water and fertile soil and is an excellent walking area in its own right. We made a short diversion from our route for tea and home-made cake at the little cafe-bar in Ferreirola before climbing again to Busquistar for our lunch break.

From Busquistar we took the well-signposted GR7. The route traverses the western flank of the Rio Trevélez valley, passing through oak forests which provided welcome shade from the sun, and fantastic views up the valley towards Trevélez and the mountains beyond. After almost ten hours of walking, we reached Trevélez in the early evening and our billet for the night. Knowing we didn’t have an early start in the morning, we ate well at La Fragua which probably serves the best food in the Alpujarra.

Day 3 – Trevélez to Siete Lagunas (9kms and 1,500m of ascent)

After a relaxing morning sitting on the hotel terrace in the sunshine, we had lunch at La Fragua. When the owner heard we were heading for Mulhacén, he insisted on filling our flask with rioja. Who were we to object? The marked footpath rises steeply out of Trevélez but then eases as it gradually heads north-west giving superb views. We were surprised to have to cross so much snow on the path and the large volume of melt water added a certain frisson to a couple of the river crossings.

After a steady five hours walking, we arrived at the Siete Lagunas and, considering how good the weather was, I was expecting to see dozens of people already there. Amazingly we had the place to ourselves all night….until one of our food containers was spirited away by a fox in the early hours. The sky was perfectly clear and our bivouac in a rock shelter became a natural planetarium with the night sky passing overhead. We counted numerous satellites and spotted the international space station just above the horizon.

Day 4 – Siete Lagunas to Mulhacén summit and descent to Hoya del Portillo (13kms and 481m of ascent)

The clear sky meant we had a cold night but as soon as the sun rose, its warmth melted the ice on our sleeping bags and we breakfasted on what food the fox hadn’t managed to find. We packed our gear and climbed steadily to reach the summit of Mulhacén at 9.00am, exactly seventy two hours after dipping our feet in the Mediterranean. The rioja was consumed, absent friends were toasted and we enjoyed the amazing views for half an hour or so before setting off on the long descent down the south ridge. Four hours walking brought us to the car park at Hoya del Portillo and our transport back down to the coast.

Ian Tupman
June 2009

NOTES

1. Since we did the walk, winter storm damage has washed out some of the small river valleys between Busquistar and Trevélez making them difficult to cross. A recce trip should be undertaken to assess the current state of this part of the route.
2. We carried all of our kit for the four days, including boots for the mountain sections and sleeping bags for the bivouac. Arrangements could be made to collect these at Busquistar or Trevélez to keep weight down, especially if high temperatures are forecast.
3. The tarmac sections on the first two days could be omitted by starting the walk in La Tahá. This should still give sufficient time to acclimatize to the altitude.

Park the car at the forestry recreation site at Puente Palo above the towns of Lanjaron, Soportujar and Cañar. Head left up the main forest track. After some 45 minutes take the second main track leading right which crosses a stream after 200m. The trees begin to thin out and we emerge on open hillside on the west side and above the Rio Chico. The path winds it’s way around and up the hillside before levelling out. A slight downhill leads to the Rio Chico itself. Care is required in crossing here, especially after rains.

Cross the river and follow an indistinct path trending rightwards to avoid forest and steep ground. The path then heads back into the upper forest. Much of the path hereabouts is blocked by fallen trees so some diversionary tactics will have to be employed. Below the large prominent outcrop of rock a left turn is made (north) and the track levels. Now it is 10 minutes to the hut along a gentle track. Total 3hrs.

The hut is perched on a lovely shelf on the western slopes of Las Alegas at some 2600m height. It has seen better days. The doors are hanging off although some efforts have been made to put windows in. Maybe this will be a site for our next refugio restoration effort for “Acción Sierra Nevada”? It is a superb situation however, and makes for a fine night in the mountains, especially with spectacular sunsets over the Mediterranean sea.

To visit the summit of Las Alegas (worth it for the fantastic views NE to Mulhacen and the main Sierra Nevada ridge line) climb the slopes behind the hut, easier to the right (45 mins)

For a longer round, leave the hut and trend upwards in a northerly direction following the line of Rio Chico. This brings you to a col where it is easy to ascend to the wonderful summits of Cerrillo Redondo or Tajos de los Machos (2hrs). A return can be made south along the ridge and then via the forest breaks to the start point of the walk (10hrs).

The Cebollar hut

Inside the Cebollar hut

Anna with Las Alegas and the white speck of the hut behind

David at the hut with Tajos de los Machos behind

This was to be his first overnight trip.  My lightweight summer backpack felt strangely heavy, weighed down by the additional items such as dog food, extra water and a various assortment of chains, leads, slings and karabiners, in a vain attempt to control a huskies instincts for freedom.

Khumbu by the Laguna de Caballo

The Verea Corta trail

After leaving the Ventura trailhead above Lanjaron in the Alpujarras we headed uphill and gained the southern crest above the old Ventura hut. We were en route to the Cerro de Caballo and the upper Lanjaron valley. The ridge is broad and gentle and there are many large herds of Cabra Monteses (mountain goats) around here.  Khumbu was strangely well behaved among all these fascinating creatures. I had no doubt a slip on my part and he would have been heading north across Spain chasing them, never to return. Such is the way of the husky!

After the Cerro de Caballo we dropped down to the Laguna de Caballo and along the incredible Verea Corta path that winds it’s way in and out of rock faces across the western flank of the Lanjaron valley.

Swimming in Laguna Cuadrada

We stop at Laguna Cuadrada for a welcome swim and then come to the crux, well for a husky, certainly. A short gully has to be crossed assisted by chains. Simple enough for the 2 legged variety but not for Khumbu. He is a strong willed dog and if he doesn’t want to do something then no amount of pulling, persuasion or tempting will work.

In the end two of us scaled the walls above the chains and organised an elaborate system whereby we could mavouver (pull), Khumbu across safely. As huskies are also not the bravest dogs in the world, this was accompanied by load squeals and cries. It was all over in a few seconds and we continued on our way non the worse for wear.

The way passed many glorious small mountain lakes nestling in deep craggy corries. A perfect way to laze the afternoon. We continued onto the head of the Rio Lanjaron and found a nice bivvy spot by some babbling brooks.

Khumbu on guard duty!

As the sun set and the stars came out, Khumbu delighted in watching the returning mountain ibex descending from the hills. He stayed on guard all throughout the night and kept the foxes at bay. Moon, Saturn, Shooting Stars, the Milky Way and the odd airliner filled the night sky. I tucked myself deeper into my sleeping bag as the temperature dropped to 3 or 4 deg C.

Fantastic mountain scenery, sun, running water and of course, a faithful friend. What more could one ask? Short video below.

Night ascents of Mulhacen, Spain

Sunrise from the summit of Mulhacen

Fantastic colours on the eastern bowl

The Eastern Sierras

The summiteers

Veleta (R) and it's shadow (L) across the Vega de Granada

Veleta

Max and the Cerro de Caballo

The high (2500m) access point at the Hoya de la Mora makes a convenient starting point for this two day trek. Unfortunately one has to spend the first hour passing through the summer debris of the ski resort pistes, but thereafter this is a wonderful high level trek. From the Hoya de la Mora car parks follow the road past the Virgen de las Nieves until a junction just before a chairlift station. Turn right here and proceed for 200m before taking a track off to the left. This leads above the ski restaurants at Borreguiles and onto the Collado de Las Yeguas (1hr).

From the Collado head SE past the Embalse de las Yeguas and enter the enchanting area known as Lagunillas de las Virgen. A series of small lakes provide water and superb scenery. From the last lagunilla follow the gently rising track below the Tajos de la Virgen ridge. The path curves round in a sweep round the bowl. Easy but care should be taken at the end of this traverse path (until well into the summer) as it crosses steep snow or ice. We took crampons for security and were very glad we did so.

Camp by Laguna Cuadrada

After this traverse you rise gently to the Elorrieta refugio, perfectly situated for widespread views of the Sierras (3hrs). Still full of surplus energy we then climbed the Tozal de Cartujo (3152m) via it’s interesting NE ridge and hence onto the superb summit of Tajos Altos (5hrs). The aim was to drop down to Laguna Cuadrada, one of the finest places to camp in the Sierras. A way through the band of intervening crags can be found after dropping some 50m in height south from the summit. At the first leveling out of the ridge look east and you will see a steep but easy scree slope running initially straight down and then curving right. This led to the overnight camp at the delightful Laguna Cuadrada.

Abundant water, sun and relaxing resting places aside the lake. A perfect situation for an overnight camp. BUT….. there are problems with Foxes as we have reported on this site many, many times. They are desperate for food and know what plastic bags and rucksacks mean ie food. We took our own fox deterrent, our dog, Max. The couple camping across the lake from us didn’t have a Max. They were pestered all night long by foxes intent on eating. We slumbered on oblivious, thanks to Max, who they evidently can smell from quite a distance. Read more about the fox attacks…..

Breakfast at the Refugio de Caballo

At first light we packed up and continued our journey. This time on an ingenious path south and some 200m below the ridge crest. Within an hour we had arrived at the Laguna de Caballo. Leaving our gear we summited the 3009m Cerro de Caballo before returning for breakfast (1hr round trip) by the refugio. Here we met my spanish friend Pepe Badaje who had arrived to help us inspect the Refugio de Caballo with a view to restoring the door and window later this summer.

Rather than take the short way south to our waiting car, we dropped down the Lavedero de la Reina, passed left of the peak of Morrón and hence down into the lush green valley of the upper Rio Lanjaron. What a place. Beautiful pools, waterfalls and streams. A Shangri-La! Then it is on down the faint track to the overflow dam and pick up the restored Acequia de Prados Colorados.

It’s a long way out especially as, due to the poor state of the track to the Ventura trailhead, we had arranged for a pickup at the ridge line below Peña Caballera. The hot afternoon sun took it’s toll but we eventually arrived at the truck and 45 minutes later was enjoying a beer at Bar Flower in Lanjarón.

This is an enjoyable two day trek with differing and beautiful scenery. Contact me if you wish more information or you can join us on one of our frequent treks across the Sierra Nevada.

The Rio Lanjaron with Cerro de Caballo behind

Full photo gallery from the trip…………..

Video from Pepe Badaje showing the Rio Lanjaron Valley…………

Valle del Río Lanjarón, S. Nevada, Julio 2011. por pepebadaje

The Raspones emerges from the upper reaches of the Poqueira gorge, just west of the Rio Seco. It is a long shark fin of a ridge. A serrated ridge with many turrets, twists and turns. Approach is normally made from two directions:

1. From the Refugio de Poqueira – head into the Rio Mulhacen, cross over immediately and begin a rising traverse across the hillside north west. The path emerges high above the Rio Seco. The right hand side off the valley is followed until a crossover to the foot of the Raspones can be made. The wonderful El Pulpito is to the left and the Rio Seco to the right.
2. From Pradollano in the summer use can be made of the bus or chairlifts to gain quick access. Follow the old road over the Cariguela until just past the small pass that marks the top end of the Raspones. Drop down to the lagunas de Rio Seco and follow the path of the east side of the valley to the base of the ridge.

Scrambling on the Raspones

We took option 2 but from the Cariguela tried to shortcut it by crossing pathless terrain below Paso de los Machos, near the Lagunas de las Cabras to the west of the ridge and then going north of El Pulpito. Bad move! Great scenery reminiscent of a lunar landscape, but difficult to cross. Suggest stick to options 1 or 2 above.

This is not intended or meant to be a climbing or mountaineering guide to the climb. The fun of the ridge is discovery of all the little nooks, crannies and secrets that it has to offer. Delightful scrambling. Mostly good rock although great care and judgement is sometimes necessary. Similar to many parts of the Skye ridge in Scotland.

Some parts are escapable but the most fun will be had by taking the rock steps direct. Mostly its engaging alpine mountaineering, with some route finding difficulty at times. Take some abseil gear for some apparent dead ends! Suggest a grade of at least 3S (scrambling) and British HVD  if the harder options taken. A group we supported during the first British winter ascent in March 2011 suggested a grade of alpine AD- (4a rock). They made 7 abseils.

Can be done in a long day with an early start from Hoya de la Mora, good weather and a fit and experienced party. Otherwise take 2 days, camp by the Lagunas de Rio Seco and enjoy 2 great days in incredible mountain scenery.

It’s a long route too. Just when you think you are at the end and the road is beckoning, an ultimate series of towers block the way. There is an escape to the left down an easy series of ledges and ramps but that would be cheating. And thats the fun. You never quite know whats round the next corner. Try it!

Climbing a tower on the Raspones

Steep scrambling

Downclimbing the final towers

Looking north to the end of the ridge

The northern pinnacles

Seen from Loma Pelada to the east

The centre section

Part of the centre section

Where do I go now!

The top half of the ridge from the road

Bivouac site at Siete Lagunas. Mulhacen behind

Our plan was to be in the mountains for 3 days and walk from the rangers station at Hoya de Portillo above Capileira to Jerez de Marsquesado, a crossing of an area of the Sierra Nevada that Jane and I had not been to before. We took our dog Max as our fox deterrent.

After Richard had dropped us off, we made our way up through the forest and onto the main track towards Mulhacen. Just off the road and the normal path up Mulhacen we came across a new refuge shelter, so we spent a while exploring this shelter before continuing our trip towards our first nights destination at Siete Lagunas.

Whilst continuing up towards the traverse path we were privileged to see three massive Griffon Vultures taking off from the south ridge of Mulhacen. The traverse route to Siete Lagunas is now clearly marked by big cairns and our path all the way to our overnight stop was just about free of snow.

Lakes, waterfalls and Alcazaba.... oh and Max

We arrived at Siete Lagunas to find the river in flood conditions. Anywhere green was wet or had cows eating it, so we made our beds in the bivy site next to the caves and waterfall. The temperature all day was very warm until an hour before sunset when a cold wind blew in.

Max positioned himself so he could defend all sides of our bivy site from foxes. We wrapped Max in a down jacket thinking he would get cold from the wind blowing, but he soon disbursed of it. A little bird known as an Alpine Accentor came and visited us just as dark was falling, it sat on the rock above our bivy site and sang its sweet song. We had no visit from foxes that night and would have slept really well had the wind not been howling through out the night making our biviys russle continuously.

Laguna Hondera at Siete Lagunas. As perfect a campsite as you could wish for?

The next morning we stayed in bed later than we planned. We only had summer walking trousers on and couldnt bring ourselves to get out of our snug sleeping bags into the early morning light with the wind blowing strong until the sun arrived. By 8am we were on the move again.

Big country north of Alcazaba. Puntal de Vacares on right

We bi-passed Alcazaba and eventually arrived at a pass that would give us access to the ridge beyond. The ridge we needed to be on to lead us eventually to Jerez de Marsquesado. We had a steep traverse across loose stones and some patches of soft snow and popped out above the waterfall, perfect. We ascended up to the ridge and viewed what laid ahead of us. The view north is an amazing sight. The valley is enormous and the distance to be covered seems impossible. Alas, that was to be the case for us as my feet were not in good shape. I’d had too many trips before this one and they had not had time to recover. Rather than risk another 2 days of walking, we came to the decision to return to Trevelez!

Snow covered Laguna de Vacares and the ridge north

It was simply stunning up there, the smell from the broom growing on the mountainsides, the beautiful tiny delicate alpine flowers were everywhere, the birds seem to escort us on our way and the mountains still had lots of snow left on them. There was no shortage of water! What a beautiful part of the world I’m lucky enough to live in.

This was the first overnight trip that Max had been on, and he had an absolute ball. Plenty of snow and running water around meant we didnt have to carry spare water for him. He eats very little considering the amount of energy he is using. I would recommend anyone camping in the Sierra Nevada to take a Max dog along with them. He keeps the foxes away, is a great companion and a  joy to have around, even if he does disappear chasing Ibex, knowing full well he will never catch one.

It was a long trip back to Trevelez and my feet were sore and aching from the 1600m descent. We had had a 13 hour day, hadn’t achieved what we had set out to do, but had had a wonderful time in glorious mountain scenery. What could be better?

Read Kiersten Rowlands Blog
Visit the high mountain lakes of the Sierra Nevada in 2 or 3 day treks