Hiking Las Alpujarras, day 3 and return to Granada

The last day of the Las Alpujarras hike was fairly easy. Except for the almost getting lost part.

An early-morning walk downhill.


I estimated that I was about 1-1.5 hours outside Capileira when I camped. With a typically early start (great for avoiding heat), I made pretty good time, largely downhill. However, it soon became clear there were more trails and roads on the ground than on my map.

Don't you just love when that happens?

Well, signs sometimes help.


Of course, every once in a while the village would appear, little white houses dangling on the side of the ravine. Oh yes. The villages here are not at the *bottom* of the ravine, they are 1/3 to 1/2 way up the side. Go down too far, and you may end up going back up, something the 30lb pack was weighing in against.

I eventually found a friendly shepherd to make sure I was on the right track. I was in Capileira around 11. Considering the bus wasn't until 4 or so, I headed down the valley some more, and waited in another village further down the valley.

Not Mulhacén for a change, but a mountain across the valley.






A nice resting spot on the way down.



The bus arrived, and without incident (crashing through the weight-limited bridge en route would be a not-fun incident), arrived back in Granada.

A short cab ride later, and I was checking into the Hotel Guadalupe, a fairly short walk from the Alhambra. After I was done checking in, I was approached by Karen Duffy, one of the Earthwatch volunteers I would be spending the next two weeks with.

En route to (and after) dinner with Karen, her daughter Sara, and Bri Lehman, I took a few pictures of the Alhambra.