Ultralight Hike
So, now Bimbi and I are on our way home again. We spent the last few days on the beautiful island of Madeira. Who could have guessed that somehow pretty much everything planned would go down the drain. But one thing at a time.
After traveling for days, we flew to Funchal via Lisbon. Especially the approach to Funchal airport was awesome. I have never seen such a short runway. By the way, I was very glad to have had a seat buffer between me and a person with disgusting bad breath. Ugh, it still sends chills down my spine when I think about it.
Having landed safely in Funchal, I was able to pick up my Ikea Frakta bag right at the baggage carousel. Apparently nobody else travels with these sturdy bags. Tsk tsk. But I’ll sew some proper straps onto it. In this bag were my backpack and the clothes that were to be deposited at the hotel of the first and last night. So off I went with the Ikea bag on my back to a four-star golf hotel. I probably don’t need to describe the looks the lady at the reception gave me, right?
Due to an overbooking at the hotel, we were forced to take the 68 square meter suite with two bedrooms and a fireplace. Since we had no other choice and didn’t want to hold the lady at the reception accountable for the overbooking as well, we accepted this room for the night.
So the next day, after a lavish, hearty breakfast, we set off towards the forest.
Not even 500 meters out of town, a fateful mistake happened to us. We didn’t take a turnoff, walked straight past it and missed the levada trail.
Well, quickly looked at Maps.ME. Follow the path, a small detour, and we would also reach our destination. Well, at least if you hadn’t also missed the next turnoff and were walking on un-mapped paths. Not even two hours on the way and already so far off the beaten track.
That could only happen to us. Whatever - onwards to the campsite. We have to sleep somewhere. And on the island it’s not so easy to find a halfway level spot. So we continued cross-country, through river valleys, with climbing interludes and back onto normal paths that lead to roads. While the weather was still hazy at first, it soon started to rain and didn’t stop anytime soon. So we continued towards the campsite along a so-called hiking trail.
After many meters of elevation, on closer inspection it turned out that we were hiking up a mountain bike trail. Phew, we were so lucky with this shitty weather - not even the bikers dare to go on the trail.
At the next road it turned out that as a continuing path there was either the MTB trail or the road. After all those meters of elevation, we chose the gentler climbs of the road.
After various goats and sheep that sweetened our way, we hitchhiked the rest with an English couple. Very nice. We arrived at our destination right on time. Plus a hot chocolate to warm up. These are the parameters that can lift a weather-induced bad mood again. Then in the evening it was time to set up the tarp and the sleeping spot. Once again in the proven combination: Bimbi’s groundsheet and my roof. In addition, Mademoiselle also took care of the flowers in our front yard. How bourgeois (and great)!
The next morning we continued with the familiar and hated weather. First, stow away the wet clothes again. Our sleeping bags absorbed quite a bit of moisture, especially in the foot area. I definitely have to think of something for the next overnight stay, otherwise after the next night the complete loft will be gone.
So again we tanked up motivation with hot chocolate and headed to the balcony. This hiking trail is suitable for seniors. We joked a bit about how easy we could have had it. In between, a few sunbeams actually reached the island and a wonderful picture emerged. The mountain massifs, a rainbow on top and the sea within sight. Simply magical <3
Actually, we wanted to go from here to Pico Arriero and from there via the PR1 hiking trail to the highest mountain on the island, Pico Ruivo. But things turned out differently than planned. On the balcony we met two German tourists who had been on the Ruivo two days earlier. Unfortunately, the ladies told us that the path from there to the Arriero was closed. After a quick search, it turned out that the path was currently closed due to a landslide.
We continued to Santana, thoroughly dried the clothes, and the next day on to Casa del Quelmadas. From there we did a wonderful levada hike.
Still crazy how many groups of retirees came towards us, even though the narrow paths and the deep abyss to the side could really make you feel queasy. My physiotherapist would be happy. Walking on narrow paths is one of her nastiest exercises, and now it was practiced for hours.
When I’m that old someday, I still want to be able to do tours like this. Slowly the battery of the camera and of the phone was nearing its end. For the phone I had a solar panel with me... But what good is the best solar panel if not a single sunbeam reaches the panel through the cloud cover.
Quick status check: six percent battery on the phone and still enough juice for one or two pictures on the camera. That’s why I couldn’t take any more pictures for the rest of the time. Bimbi’s phone was also on its last legs. We decided to leave the devices off for emergencies.
After we had enjoyed the beautiful view, we went back to the junction to set up the tarp again.
This night I wanted to keep the moisture somewhat in check. So this time all layers of clothing were taken off before going to sleep. Not that I would sweat more in between and increase the humidity further. In addition, I left the bivy open so that the air could circulate better. The results were acceptable compared to Bimbi’s sleeping bag, but still far from good. After a completely rain-soaked night, we finally headed up to Pico Ruivo. I started a bit earlier and was totally happy when Bimbi wrote to me that she was following and I should wait. I switched on my phone for this stair picture and got the message that I should wait.
It was the most beautiful break, and even more beautiful was eventually hearing the words "kimpiiii" echo through the valley. A moment later we continued this path together. After half the way, this tough path began to take on the dimensions of alpine via ferratas. Of course without any securing options as we know them in this country. Well, at least we had this beautiful trail all to ourselves. Nobody was out there except us. If you could still see something, the view would certainly have been beautiful. You could make out a little of the beauty of the valley and the mountains and guess the rest with a lot of imagination. The humidity of 100 percent was a gross understatement. You can certainly imagine how the cold creeps into your bones during breaks. But with all these countless meters of elevation, the legs quickly warmed up again. Shortly before the summit of Pico Ruivo the sun finally came out. Quickly mounted the solar panel on the backpack and charged the phone for the next photos. Within the next two to three hours I charged the phone to over 60 percent. So I was able to take pictures on Pico Ruivo.
The sun not only had enough power to charge a phone, but also the power to burn my scalp, the backs of my hands and even the backs of my fingers...
Sunscreen factor 30... my ass!
On the descent we chose a different path. There was an almost countless number of rainbows. So many pots full of gold. And one was sooo close! At that moment you wish you had a folding spade in your UL backpack!
After this exertion of the day, my joints ached. Ergo, the choice fell on a day off. Besides: vacation is and remains vacation! Then we might as well go back to the breathtaking hotel and warm up completely in the bathtub once again. Urban survival is when you dry the tarp on the heated towel rack in the four-star hotel *laughflash*.
The next morning we decided on a tourist program. Once more to Funchal, the capital, to check out the big botanical garden. Again we had the trusty taxi driver who had already picked us up from the airport with his Mercedes. After a little chat, I seized the opportunity to note down the mileage. The driver proudly told us that he had bought the car used with 250,000 km on the mainland, but the odometer nevertheless showed signs of tampering. Apparently it had covered even more hidden km.
You won’t believe it, but there actually was some sun in between!!!! I thought I was going crazy. Only when we traveled back to the hotel in the evening did the weather turn bad again, as usual. Well, in a few hours we’ll be back in warm Germany. The temperature difference is only a few degrees Celsius *laugh*
I’m already looking forward to the next joint tour through southern Sweden in autumn! But one thing I have to say: the island of Madeira will be hiked again. But at least then, when the hiking trails aren’t closed due to landslides. It would be a shame if we had to come here yet another time *laugh*.
All in all, despite the frequent replanning, the tour was a complete success!
PS: You get three guesses which taxi driver just drove us to the airport in his old Mercedes ;-)
