SIERRA NEVADA
We’ve been deposited at 2,000m, but
to me, whose trips away in recent years
have been almost entirely UK-based and
snatched in between childcare, it may as well
be the moon.
Los Tres Miles translates literally as
‘the three thousand’. here are three main
variants of this trek, all of which include up
to thirty 3,000m peaks. he traditional route
traverses the Sierra Nevada range north-east
to south-west, using shepherds’ and hunters
tracks to bridge the watershed. Richard
has two more suggestions: one that begins
from Trevelez on the south side, a ive-day
trip with simpler logistics for those lying in
from Malaga, and the Integral, which adds
two days on an altiplano – a high plain – to
create a substantial seven-day, 90km trek
with 4,730m of ascent. his was the optionthat had captured my imagination. he
complete Sierra Nevada range, in a week- a red rag to a Spanish bull.
Hazy days
We crest the irst bump, and then another
two at a steady pace, in and out of steamy
clouds, before a serrated edge unwinds into
the heat haze. Distance is hard to fathom,
and with no acclimatisation, the irst day’s
traverse is exhausting. he availability
of water is also a real concern, hence the
deadweight of our packs. Underfoot is a
weird desert tundra. Spiky cactus grass
pokes through the mesh in our trail shoes
and stubby tussocks break the rhythm
of our steps. Penny-sized black beetles
clamber awkwardly between the scrub,
lightless crickets (endemic to the range)IT’S A FUNNY PLACE to start our
journey, the Puerto de la Ragua. Out of
season ski resorts are absent-minded
places at the best of times, and this one
is overpoweringly pine-scented, as if
someone has spilled air freshener. he
slightly surreal beginning is also the end
of two disorientating days on the move;
through the crumbling, sweating concrete
of Malaga, and the sleepy spa town of
Lanjaron, half empty with farmers, tourists
and old ladies.
Slightly travel sick from winding roads
I’m happy to pour myself from our taxi, but
rather less so to shoulder a pack groaning
with seven days’ food and ive litres of water.
We bid our farewells to local guide Richard
Hartley and aim slowly for the rolling
ground above the treeline.
[pervious page] The eastern plateau, aka ‘the thirst traverse’! [above] Mick taking in the superb position on the Vasar de Mulhacen64 The Great Outdoors Spring 2019