El Perro Negro

Grumpy old mountain man living in Spain

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El Perro Negro (@elperronegro) on Khumbu

Breathtaking hike through the Sierra de Huétor today 🌄☀️ Took a scenic loop via Fuente Los Potros, Las Mimbres, and Fuente Manuel Molinillo. Glorious sunshine and uninterrupted views of the Sierra Nevada the whole way. Pure magic.

View south towards the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada past the forests of the Sierra de Huetor.

Group walking along a green forest trail with trees and distant snow clad peaks

Hikers stood on a grassy pass with some rocky peaks looming above them

A grassy meadow is crossed by a group of hikers. Above rises a rocky peak

Images from yesterday's ascent of La Concha 1215m. We got lucky with the weather in that we had no precipitation and superb views.

Not an easy hike. Involves 13km & 800m of ascent & descent from Refugio de Juanar. Track is well marked but there are a couple of sections, partly protected by chains, where head for heights is useful. Would be quite slippery in wet weather. Don't let this put you off though, it's a marvelous walk to a fine viewpoint.

3 people descend some airy slabs holding onto a chain for safety

An undulating ridge with mist and clouds to the left. In the foreground to the left are some hikers ascending

A narrow mountain track which is starting to rise amongst rocky outcrops. Some walkers are on the track and a huge grey wall of rock lies to the right

Looking down from a pass towards Marbella on Spain's Costa del Sol

The ridge leading to the peak of La Concha 1215m in Spain's Sierra Blanca mountains. The cloud kept drifting in and out but this made for some superb atmospheric conditions.

The sun briefly illuminates a mountain summit whilst cloud drifts in and around the ridgelines

Doing something that I don't normally do today. Heading for the costas! 🏖️ Marbella on the Costa del Sol. Fully expect to feel like a fish out of water there. Until tomorrow that is, when I get to go up the wonderful peak of La Concha in the Sierra Blanca 🏔️

Spring has arrived so it's time to fire up the sun oven 🌞. Today we are slow cooking a traditional meal here in the Alpujarras ... "papas al pobre" a tasty mix of potatoes and green peppers

A parabolic shield is open allowing the sun into a sun oven

Deserts one day, high mountain snowshoeing the next. Today we have been above Capileira on our snowshoes. The snowshoeing is incredible at the moment, even though we had threatening storm clouds around it didn't start snowing until we had reached the cars on our return.

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Some images from yesterdays hike in the badlands of Tabernas, Almeria. A cold day but this made the skies crystal clear of either the heat haze or the Saharan dust that normally plague this area

A natural frame, well sort of natural. In fact this is a motorway bridge! But gives a nice framework for the interesting scenery behind

The rough and arid country leading to the peak of Cerro Alfaro

Typical scenery in the Tabernas desert. Arid badlands contrasting with vegetation in the "Ramblas". These palm trees were the scene for the oasis scene in Lawrence of Arabia

A huge loose wall of crumbling stone rears above two hikers on the path below and to the right

Image from today's hike that make me think of lyrics ...

I dream of rain I dream of gardens in the desert sand I wake in vain I dream of love as time runs through my hand

Sweet desert rose Each of her veils, a secret promise This desert flower No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

Sweet desert rose This memory of Eden haunts us all This desert flower This rare perfume, is the sweet intoxication of the fall

(Sting)

Amid some dry arid badland scenery grows grasses and plants inspired by recent rains

Looking forward to the next couple of days hiking. Two very contrasting days too. Tomorrow I'm heading for the arid desert badlands of Tabernas, Almeria. On Tuesday it's high mountain snowshoeing in the Sierra Nevada. Packing is a bit of a nightmare 😀 Can't wait!

I can't quite believe how little this BRS 3000T backpacking stove weighs. Just 26 grams (0.9 ounces)! Generally excellent reviews too although not for simmering. If you just want boiling water it's seems pretty good. For only 20€ this is incredible value. Will be giving it some outdoor tests soon.

A titanium camping stove sits on a green bag

Yippeee! It's my "heartattackaversary". 6 years today. Who'd have thought time would pass by so quick. Very thankful for still being able to climb and enjoy the hills

Person in hospital bed (me) all hooked up to various electronics whilst my wife smiles alongside the bed

Mulhacén 3482m this morning from the western side of the Barranco del Poqueira. Looking up the valley towards the Refugio Poqueira, the town on the right is Capileira.

The upper half of the image is blue sky. Below are snowy mountains that drop down into a green valley with trees. There is a town on the right hand side of the valley

A close call. We've had a lot of rainfall this past week. Whilst in a local restaurant this lunchtime a tree fell down over my old car and hit the cars opposite. No damage very luckily! 🤞

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The clearest day for some time allowed for a glimpse of the Cerro de Caballo 3009m today. Lots of fresh snow, high avalanche risk and gale force winds mean the mountains remain out of bounds. More bad weather incoming too. Will be superb when it settles down and we can go up there

A white mountain arises out of stunted pine forests. Wind blown powder snow is seen around the ridge line

Enjoying reading "The Hand of Fatima" by Ildefonso Falcones. Follows life of Hernando, a young man of mixed heritage. Mother a Muslim, father a Christian priest. Born after the Morisco rebellion in the Alpujarras mountains, Hernando grows up caught between two worlds, facing discrimination & violence from both sides. The Moriscos (Muslims forced to convert to Christianity) are oppressed by the Christian rulers. Hernando becomes a symbol of the struggle for identity & survival.