"I´m going to write and complain, the signage here is rubbish!". Anger rarely manifests itself with Rafa, but yesterday morning he was clearly frustrated. 
We were almost an hour into a hike up Torrecilla, the highest peak in
the Sierra de las Nieves – yet we had taken a wrong turn taking us through what felt like the enchanted forest – pines covered in lichen!
Unaware that we were going in the wrong direction, I was happily snapping away with my pocket digital camera and enjoying the cool morning air. "Time for breakfast then!" Food is always a calming element in our lives! We´d packed a flask of milky coffee, some hot chocolate, buttered toast and a small pot of marmalade. Sitting in the sunshine, with the awesome view in front of us, we suddenly felt relaxed. In fact we sat there for quiet a while chatting about life.
Re-energised, we found the correct path and took the steep climb up through the pines trees to the summit of the first key stage – soon my fleece was off and I was sweating! But it was worth it. The views are amazing up there, and I want to return in spring as the flowering alpine plants must be amazing. Plus, we promised ourselves to make it to the very top one day.
Our 5 hour hike made me think of our day out back in March when Rafa & I climbed la Concha. Some people hate his books, but I am reading Paulho Coelho´s "Like the Flowing River" at the moment – his collection of syndicated columns and recall How To Climb Mountains. It is a typically insightful piece of writing by Coehlo, who so loves to communicate his philosophy through stories and metaphors.
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