| On monday I repeated Peñalara for the umpteenth time. I hiked first through the right pine wood and then went towards Laguna de Peñalara. It snowed on weekend so pines droped snow and water under the bright sun. Soon I reached the right moraine of the ancient glacier that formed Circo (hoya) de Peñalara, ascended it by scramble and enjoyed lunch over that scenery while I looked for the route I'll going to climb. I saw many gullies or couloirs but I thought they became very steep at their upper sections. Also they were a little far away and the snow was too soft and existed a little risk of avalanche. So I decided to continue ascending there by the direct route. I climbed a narrow mixed gully-crack 45º (with some short passages of 55-60º) and covered by rotten snow. Once I had to leave the route because of slippery wet even steep rocks. Then I passed a more soft section and reached the S shoulder. The summit was a mere anecdote, then a curious anecdote happened: when I was on the bench mark, an helicopter appeared, I shaked my arm to greet the pilot and then the heli landed on a little col between the summit and a rocky outcrop to the North. I faced about and the helicopter took off, that pilot didn't know the international signal code. I continued to Risco de los Claveles then, a little but sharp peak. I placed my backpack on the ground and climbed the narrow ridge to its summit. Then I turned to Peñalara, on descent I got astonished with the formed cornice at the col between Peñalara and Dos Hermanas Mayor. Climbed this one, hiked to Dos Hermanas Menor and Peña Cítores, rested a little and descended to Puerto de Cotos, where I started. Total: 6 hours walking on sometimes half -shank snow and only 3 persons and an helicopter seen. |
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