Day 9 July 20 2016 Esterencuby to Chalet Iraty
We embarked on the 16-mile journey from Esterencuby to Chalet Iraty at dawn. The climb started immediately as we walked out of the sleepy village. The shimmering street light, the morning fog and the prelude of a sunrise hidden behind the mountains created a mysterious beauty. To the photographer’s annoyance, such moment was always too fleeting. Just a few turns on the switchback, gone was the misty veil. Left the hotel without food, we hoped for a magnificent breakfast at Kaskaleta, especially after seeing a number of prodigious signposts for the place along the path. We had lofty expectation and imagined a big omelet with hot coffee at a table overseeing the beautiful valley. We quickened our steps when the sign said it was close. Alas, Kaskeleta was just a small Gite on the hill. The view was grand, but there was no breakfast and no hot coffee for us. We had to live with our stale bread. We filled up our water bottles, nevertheless.
The disappointment was short lived. The open prairie was dotted with herds of white sheep, surrounded by billowy hills bathed in the golden light. The herd formed into a white thread moving silently on the emerald carpet. I had fancied the splendor of a walk on the gentle ridge in solitude. I was not disappointed. However, soon we immersed in the tall grasses, laboring along a sixty-degree slope. The only companions were the vicious griffon vultures passing by. When we reached the mountain pass, the wind was howling. We crouched behind a rock and wolfed down chunks of sausages to replenish the depleted energy. As fear creeping up that the slope was not as mild as I imaged and our legs were getting weary, the path led us to a wide opening. It was a gentle plateau leading into a cluster of mountains. We passed a farm selling local cheese. We hesitated for a visit but decide to move on. Only realized later that we passed on a golden opportunity to fill our water bottles! But the exuberance took over and we were eager to conquer the next slope. Left behind us was a magnificent view of the twin peaks that formed the mountain pass we just crossed. A massive ridge laid ahead, rising gently into the sky. Maroon tall grass covered the whole ridge, waving in the wind.
I felt some raindrops. Then the wind picked up fiercely as we forged along. The meandering path melted away in the howling wind. I found myself struggling as if countless sandbags were tied to my legs. No path to follow, we had only one direction to go: up. But the wind became menacing (my guess would be over 100 km/h). I was climbing as if I was drunk. Every two steps up, the wind pushed back one. Our water was running low and the wind made the situation even worse. It blew away any moisture on the skin. I had never experienced such difficulty going on an uphill that seemingly so gentle. Feeling trapped in the unrelenting wind, I couldn’t help wondering if I was going to make out of there. Of course, once we got up the hill, we saw the next summit awaiting. With the onset of dehydration, I felt disoriented. All I remembered was the gusty wind lasted for the next few miles until we slumped into a forest and a long descent. We finished the last few drops of water and got a bit desperate. Yet, the mighty helping hand is always there. A patch of wild blueberry bushes appeared in the forest, which provided us relief.
Finally, we reached Chalet Pedro, a bright spot on our map we labeled long time ago! We drank the sweet water as if just out of Sahara desert. We had an omelet with mushrooms despite the reluctant service and the countless stares from the restaurant customers. We didn’t care; got our bottles filled and marched on. Our journey was not over. We still had 4 miles of ups and downs ahead of us. Yet, our spirits were revived by the sweet water. The undulating path felt longer than 4 miles. Finally, we stumbled out of the dark woods and laughed out loud. The distinctive, triangular shaped Iraty cottage appeared just in front of our eyes.
Chalet Iraty sits on a plateau at an elevation of 1600 meters. The camp shop was very helpful as we planned to stay for a couple of days and cook our own meals. The cottage was well equipped and we were happy to have a day off there.