City air isn’t very good air. That reason and also the enjoyment of hiking led us out to the Sierra de Guadarrama Mountains for an incredibly pleasant day. Saturday morning we made sandwiches, packed the hiking bag, and dressed for any kind of weather (as what is recommended for the unpredictable weather in the mts) then headed to the train station to catch the hourly train. Again, of course, we were cutting it close to catch the train and had to rush to find tickets and the train. We made the train without too much more excitement (only later to find we spent too much for the tickets since we have a discounted fare with our monthly pass). On the train there were a lot of others heading for a day in the mountains with their bikes, hiking packs, and hiking attire. After an hour or so, we arrived to a fantastically quaint train station and checked the map to the hiking center while also making friends with some youngsters from California. They said they were planning the same 3 hour hike that we were, but didn’t see much more of them after leaving the station. From the train station, we check our vague directions and decided rather than waiting a half hour for a bus we would just make the 3Km trek up to the nature center. Walking turned out to be a great choice as we (especially Caitlin) enjoyed snapping many photos of the small town and the other wonders along the trail to the starting point of the real hike. We arrived at the center just as the bus we would have taken also arrived. We picked up a map, found our route then began the trek in the beautiful mountains. I don’t think I mentioned up to this point that while we worried about the weather, the day turned out to be absolutely perfect. With the temp about 60 degrees, clear skies and a warm sun we couldn’t have asked for a better day for a hike in the mountains full of autumn colors and aromas.
The hike was very pleasant, a little tiresome after while but we couldn’t complain because of how alive we felt! The fresh air, beautiful scenery and delicious fruit and bocadillos (sandwiches) made every moment fantastic. We soaked in every picturesque vista and mirador (lookout) and probably snapped hundreds of photos. By doing so, we also took longer than the quoted 3 hours, which wasn’t a problem although it began to get dark on us and we also had a train to catch (which we thought was the last) at 6:50pm. With a quickened pace and aching bodies, we trekked down the mountain (still snapping photos, which were still worth potentially missing the train for) to get back to the station. As every time was getting tight and we were nearing the end of the trail, we checked the map to find that a potential shortcut could be taken, although with the risk of completely getting lost. We decided to go for the shortcut and found ourselves, not completely lost, but on the wrong side of the creek that we needed to be. We also found ourselves on the outskirts of the small farmhouse’s properties. We slyly trekked behind a horse farm and then a large stone wall before finding a bridge and escape to the other side. Deciding the bridge was our only way across without having to back track and miss our train, we climbed the large stone wall and threw ourselves over (well I threw myself over, the helped Caitlin) tumbling on the other side, then briskly walking across the bridge to freedom (luckily the gates were open). Finding ourselves on the other side, only slightly bruised and bleeding, we were on the fast track to the train station. Walking back was beautiful as well, complete with a sunset over the mountains, although we were tired and cramping. We got to the train station with our train in the queue, and then hit the bathrooms. I quickly went, bought a pop and waited for Caitlin. As I waited and waited, the warning beeps of the doors closing went off and then the doors were closed. During this time, I paced and hopefully wished for Caitlin to come out but no such luck. The train left without us. We were confused because we should have had 10 more minutes. But upon further examination of the schedule, we found that train not to be the last one but unfortunately had to wait another hour until the next took off. Once on the train, we were on our way home from a fantastic day in the mountains. A hike recommendable to anyone interested in a day trip from Madrid.
Blake
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