
Snowshoeing above Puente Palo
The great thing about living in the foothills of the mountains is that you can take last minute advantage of snow conditions.
Grumpy old mountain man living in Spain

The great thing about living in the foothills of the mountains is that you can take last minute advantage of snow conditions.

First time at mid altitude for a while and my first venture this winter into the winter snows. We've had a poor winter so far so the recent heavy snowfalls have been most welcomed. Poor visibility meant we opted for the Barranco de San Juan valley as our snowshoeing route for the day.

Our route to the Refugio Poqueira started at the Hoya del Portillo and ascended through the pine forests to the viewpoint of Puerto Molina. Snow capped peaks surrounded us.

As we ascended towards our goal at Cortijo Hornillo other mountains came into view, Mulhacen, Puntal de la Caldera and Veta Grande. The white mountains towered over us, ice glinting from their vertical slopes, as we reached the buildings at Cortijo Hornillo

The Veredon Inferior deserves to be known as the most spectacular path in the Sierra Nevada that nobody knows about! We now head down onto a vasar, a descending rake which rather cleverly circumvents the vertical cliffs above and below.

There's something special about striking campsite pre dawn and hiking in the first daylight hours, whilst the rest of the world is seemingly still in bed.

To the people of Lanjaron, their Shangri-La is the upper Lanjaron valley, it's lakes and it's rivers. It's the source of it's life giving waters. A special place that we were privileged to walk and spend the night in.

The North Face of Mulhacen, Sierra Nevada. Its long been an ambition of mine to view the sunrise from Mulhacen's north face. This morning I got my wish and it didn't disappoint!

It's a long time since I had a pre dawn start in the mountains and I had forgotten how wonderful an experience it was moving at first light.

Yesterday's trip into the dramatic Corral del Veleta. Still plenty of snow remaining. A steep climb up to the wonderful viewpoint of Cerro de los Machos.

An amazing 2 day trek covering the northern 3000m peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Circular walk to camp at Lavaderos de la Reina and next day over the northern mountains

Yesterdays walk up Europe's most south westerly 3000m peak, the Cerro de Caballo. The old legs feel a bit tired today, my first time at altitude since the heart problems and definitely struggled getting enough oxygen circulating through the body. Must go even slower next time!

With the humble effort of a mule, 2 drovers and 4 mountaineers. If all who use the refuge care and respect it. Keep it, the lake and the environment clean. Take our garbage and leave the window and door locked when we leave. We will continue to have shelter for many years to come

Sometimes it takes a great effort to leave the comfort of one's home and head for the cold, icy peaks. Some hardship though, is always rewarded by the mountains.