SIERRA NEVADA
The summit of mainland Spain
he Vasar de Mulhacen is our next pinch
point, a traverse across the north face
of mainland Spain’s highest mountain.
Nervously, we descend a few metres from
the col and onto a shattered balcony. Is this
it? he Vasar is barely there at all, but once
again, there is a way through this chaos of
rock, however improbable. Cutting a line
from one col to another, it seems to place
us almost inside the mountain. his is the
stuf of a thousand youthful adventure
stories – maximum vertigo with only
moderate jeopardy!
he mountain’s east ridge is a slog but
easier with our packs let at its foot. A return
visit for me ater nearly two decades, but
a irst for Mick. Meanwhile, cloud swirls
around voluminously on the north side of
the range but strays no further. here is little
reason to head back into it, so we join the
rough track winding between Mulhacen
and the third giant of Sierra Nevada, Veleta,
before camping at the head of the Rio Seco.
A blissfully clear, dry night and beautiful
light at both dusk and dawn, but we soon
have our heads back in the clouds. here
is more navigational machismo on Cerro
Macho, then a very brief section of via
ferrata onto Valeta, slightly disappointing
and besmirched by ski infrastructure.
We have one last decision to make, onemore crux if we want it: the traverse of the
Tajos de Virgens. Mick wavers – we are both
tired – and then capitulates. Right on cue,
thunder booms as we begin; it is engaging,
exhausting, thirsty work. Everything we
could have hoped for. And of course, Mick
leads the route across the outward sloping
rocks without a second thought, and the
rock stays dry, as I potter along behind,
fretting about when to put my camera
away. “I should learn to stop missing out on
things” he says later. Too true, I think, we
should all say yes more. Mountain travel
reminds us to get out of our own way.
We camp once more at the head of a
river, this time the Rio Lanjaron. I relish68 The Great Outdoors Spring 2019