An Asturian Adventure

I have found my new favorite activity in the Asturias: hiking. Yesterday I walked up a big hill trying to find a well-know park, but instead I found a great view of the city and surrounding countryside. I enjoyed the walk so much, and the chance to be out in the cool air, that I naturally jumped at the opportunity to go hiking after class today with some friends from the dorm.

We took a short train to a nearby town, and began walking to find the trail. Apparently on the hikes they have done so far, there has been no signs or markings for the trails whatsoever, so we were quite surprised to find a clear trailhead and even a map. This hike was quite legit! It was called Carrera de Casteo and was a 15 kilometers (about four hours en total). It climbed the hills and valleys of the Asturias to reveal breath-taking panoramic views of the beautiful country homes, clustered towns, and abundant greenery. I loved the hiking air, which smelled like hay and cold and freshness, and is the same everywhere. It wound through quite a bit of farmland, which aroused much laughter among us over the different mannerisms of the farm animals here: the dogs either ignore or bark viciously at you, while the horses run up playfully to get petted on the nose. There was rumors of an ancient Roman bridge nearby; we never found it, but it was entertaining to declare "Ah, behold, the great pre-romanesque bridge that has withstood the test of time!" to every wooden creek-crossing we came to.

Gradually, we made our way up to a GIANT rock resembling a mummy. At its base the trail hung left and we headed into some "rough hiking." Now please understand that this trail had thusfar gone from well-paved road to gravel road to dirt road to no road at all, and back again, all with very friendly and well-marked signs. So when it took a turn away from the nice road, we followed it dutifully thinking nothing of it. Branches were closing in, thorns were scraping, but this was just a rough patch, right? I had remembered thinking as I looked at the plants, "Gee, that kinda looks like stinging nettle" but a lot of plants look like stinging nettle, and this was Spain after all; it could have been anything. It wasn't until we were waist deep in thick brush that I started to feel a burning sensation on my legs. It seemed to hit us all like a ton of bricks. All of a sudden, people were swearing and yelling as we brushed against those DEVIL plants and the pain sunk in. We kept yelling to Zach to turn around, but he insisted that we just had to get through it.

Stinging nettle, btw, is awful. I have had the fortune to never fall victim to poison oak so I do not know its effects, but I had no idea a plant, A FREAKING PLANT, could do that to you. Burning pain immediately upon contact, blood rushing to the surface, and boils breaking out all over your body... I even got off lucky as I had jean capris on, and only got a small bit on my ankles. I felt very sorry for Zach, who blazed the trail, and Emily, who wore shorts. They got the worst of it. As people were swearing and crying in pain, a very chaotic series of events began to unfold quite rapidly. First, Jana decided that this was too much to handle and she would jump over the barbed-wire fence into the horse pasture nextdoor. I decided to follow suit. Emily decided to get un-stuck from the blackberry bush that had her hair caught in several places. Zach decided to come back and see if the pasture would be a good idea. At that moment, Jana and I jumped back over the barbed-wire fence as a male bull was coming toward us. We knew there was probably no danger, but I was wearing red, and again, it is Spain... Sam and Zach decided that there was no danger from the bull and hopped over to see if the trail improved above. And then the funniest thing happened. Pardon a bit of "low humor" here, but this was too funny to not mention. If Chaucer can pull it off, then so can I. There was also a friendly white horse in the pasture, and as Zach jumped down, the horse got spooked and ran away letting out the longest fart I have ever heard in my life. Zach turned around and said, "That horse just ripped!" and we took a brief moment to laugh hysterically in midst of the situation.

It took quite a bit of fence-hopping and trespassing to make it to a decent part of the trail, but it resumed as usual with its ever-helpful signs and arrows. It seemed funny that so well-marked a trail could have so treacherous a stretch to it, but as Sam mentioned, that nettle could be the product of just a month, and it IS the beginning of the vacation month here. We may have been the first ones on that trail for a while. Overall, it was absolutely beautiful and really fun. When we got home, we took quick showers and headed out for pizza and beer. It was well-deserved. The stinging has faded to an annoying tingling, but paired with the mosquito bites I have grown accustomed to ignoring sensations on my skin. Hopefully, it will go away soon. It was a fun adventure, but now I am exhausted, so goodnight all!