Today, Wednesday July 28, 2010, I have had stolen an ice axe, crampons and boots in the Pico del Cartujo area at about 12 h. The thieves, because they can not be called anything else, are two men. You may wonder how this all came about. This is the story

I climbed from the ski area to the refugio Elorrieta by the icy slopes below the Tajos de la Virgin (hence the need for ice axe and crampons). Just before reaching the hut I detoured to the Cartujo with the idea of making the entire snow-free ridge to the Cerro de Caballo.  To relieve weight and feel more comfortable I decided to leave my gear hidden behind some rocks to collect later on my return. On the way back everything was gone. I know that they were two men because they are the only two people that I saw from looking back along the ridge in all the time I walked to the Caballo. I had a torrid and somewhat risky time getting back without the equipment and it necessitated a large detour. I have no hope that the gear will be returned to me unless you thieves are out there reading this and feel a tinge of remorse.

Technorati Tags: caballo, incident, Pico del Cartujo, thieves, Trekking

The Caballo

Within 15 minutes of leaving the car we had arrived at the ruined Ventura Hut. A short break there and we continued upwards traversing slopes of shrub, pine and finally scree. A welcoming stream flowed from a side valley which provided much needed relief for our dogs.

We skirted the SE side of the Cerro at 2800m and headed northwards to arrive at the delightful Laguna de Caballo, nestling at the base of the Cerro’s north face. It had taken just 3 hours to get here and involved 650m ascent. The lake provided a plesant resting place for both humans and dogs!

From there we headed W up a short slope towards the Col de Caballo and thence on to the summit. Great views towards the main mass of the Sierra Nevada but with afternoon clouds threatening we quickly descended southwards along the vague ridge accompanied by large herds of mountain goats (cabra montes). A short steep grassy descent led us back to our start point near the Ventura Hut.

Our journey back to the beers and fleshpots of Lanjaron gave us close up views of many Kestrels gathering above the forest tracks and possibly our first ever view glimpse of the rare Bonellis Eagle.

This is a great day trip. We never saw another car or person during our 6hr walk. The views are extensive and the high start point makes this a good summer excursion. Recommended!

Technorati Tags: Alpujarras, caballo, kestrels, Lanjaron, mountain goats, Sierra Nevada, Trekking, Walking

Have a look at his excellent photos too at http://picasaweb.google.nl/volkerkrans/Andalusie2009.
They are not only of the Sierra Nevada mountains but include all of his andalucian adventures. Great images!

Hi there!

We had a wonderful time in the Sierra Nevada! It really is a beautiful piece of rock. Almost immediately after you dropped us off we encountered mountain goats. The whole route was full of them!

We took the first day very easy, heading just for the caballo lake. I made it harder for myself by dropping my rucksack from a cliff, and had to retrieve it from a couple of hundreds meters down. A minor sitback with no further consequences.

The second day started of with a cup of coffee being surrounded by a group of goats again. We decided to walk below the ridge, along the eastern flanks. After some klettersteig we encountered a large stretch of icy snow. Too steep to traverse this part, we went back a bit to climb up to the ridge again. From there the route to Elorietta was very nice and some skill was needed. We didn’t traverse the Tajos de la Virgen (which I regret now) but took the less daring route where we cooked us a meal. From the Veleta to the Poquiera hut was quite an easy but beautiful strolll. Especially descending the valley towards Poquiera was nice with life becoming more and more pronounced.

The third day started of with breakfast at Poquiera after sleeping at a camping-site nearby. We said goodbye to some newly made friends and headed straight for the Mulhacen. After some non-stop ascending we got to the summit. Perfect. Far better than I expected and a very silent experience. Just when we took of again some other people arrived to make us a picture.

After a nice lunch at Siete Lagunas (perfect spot!) we headed for the slopes of the Alcazaba. The lower route ended just north of the Alcazaba. Very dramatic summit to see from there. The whole ridge towards Vacares Lake was interesting with the evening sun shining through the daring peaks.

Although I slept like a baby, my partner in crime Jan had a midnight battle over his rucksack with a fox. Jan won, but his tent was torn a bit.

The last day was a long stretch all the way down to Jerez del Marquesado. It started off with some interesting rocks to climb. From the Picon de Jerez towards the town itself was foremost a long walk, but we still encountered some nice wildlife and the wide views were amazing still. After a very hot walk through the forest we arrived completely satisfied at the only hotel in Jerez. We didn’t go to Granada the same evening but decided to stay and relax. A very nice and kind hotel I must say.

We had a great time. Thanks for the ride up.

I made some pictures. They’re in a big bunch along with other parts of our vacation on http://picasaweb.google.nl/volkerkrans/Andalusie2009.

Greetings,

Volker

Technorati Tags: Alcazaba, caballo, los tres miles, Mulhacen, picon jerez, Trekking

Bright yellow brooms and gorses, bright green shrubs filled the valley sides as we headed up to our high point at 2200 to drop off a party of self guided trekkers, off to enjoy the delights of the Sierras.

There was even a stream running near the Ventura hut. I can’t remember when this last ran in July. More evidence of the high snowfall we have enjoyed the past winter. Some snow still exits on the high mountains too.

We have just returned from a 5 day trek, “Los Tres Miles”, the 3000m peaks traverse of the main Sierra Nevada ridge. The Tajos de la Virgen ridge leading from the Elorieta to Veleta and the Cariguela hut still has some steep and hard snow patches on it. We shall be doing a full report and photos in a future post.

Technorati Tags: caballo, Lanjaron, Trekking, ventura

Technorati Tags: caballo, Trekking

We parked the car at the Ventura Trailhead. At times a 4WD is necessary to reach this spot, depending on recent rainfall severity). We walked to the old ruined Ventura Hut in 15 minutes. Then it was up to the old acequia and the follow the right hand edge of the upper forest. We had been following a track of sorts but on leaving the forest the tracks disappeared and we found ourselves in deep unconsolidated snow.

Rather than traverse across the eastern flank of the ridge (the route of the normal summer track), we headed straight up to the main ridgeline. On the ridge itself the snow was harder and the views more extensive. We headed north up the easy ridge before reaching the old ruins on a plateau to the east.

We traversed round the eastern flank of the mountain. It was hard going in soft snow. Night was drawing in by the time we reached the Caballo hut. In summer it takes 3 just hours to reach this point, but today we had taken 5.5.

The hut is a rather squalid affair filled with snow, damp and lacking a good door! The temperatures dropped sharply as the sun set and we quickly feasted on a communal cheese fondue before getting in our bags for the night. Outside the air was still and cold.

The bright morning sun filtered through the cracks in the door as we rose, geared up and headed out. What could be better than this? Not a cloud in the sky, hard snow and no other people around. Perfect conditions for our exploratory day.

We started on some crags and gullies at the back of the Laguna de Caballo. All easy stuff, grade 1, 2 at the most. Great practice for the Alps or for those starting off in mountaineering. Plenty of suitable belays in the shattered rocks of the gully walls. The routes are short (1 or 2 pitch lengths) but the height and atmosphere of the place is that of a much grander peak.

We have no knowledge of first ascents around here, needless to say, that we now have some names for the climbs here. In particular Clive Fenn, John Fry, Dennis Morrod and Richard Hartley enjoyed “Mad Dog” a 2 pitch grade 1 gully climb (so named after an extremely hot salsa dip we had suffered 2 days previously in the local bars!). Descent is via the Col de Caballo.

Later we returned south to the large snow bowl just north of the ruined plateau. At the back of the corrie are loads of interesting lines waiting to be done, all in the same vein. Some large cornices exist in places. In addition, there are some potentially good lines of mixed ground leading directly to the summit area.

By now the snow was worsening in the sun, so we rejoined our outbound route and made a rapid 2 hr descent back to the car. If you are visiting the area this is worth a look. It is not “hard mans” terrain, but as easy introduction to the delights of winter mountaineering it is ideal. As far as I am aware few people ever climb here. If you are interested or need any help or further information, please use the contact form.

Technorati Tags: caballo, climb, Mountaineering

Shot in April 2008 by Pablo Wilhelmi.

Technorati Tags: caballo, ski touring

Ski touring – still poor. Best cover still Caballo to Catujo area but only 500m decent.
Snowshoeing – OK in high open bowls on the north side.
Mountaineering – Stay at home in the tapas bars until at least Monday! Then it should be excellent.

Technorati Tags: caballo, cartujo, Mountaineering, Snowshoeing

Technorati Tags: caballo, cartujo, conditions, ski touring

Technorati Tags: caballo, ski touring