The Shadow of the Wolf

Distance: 15km; Gain:700m

This was another incredible hike in a similar area to the Ox Ridge hike--less scrambling but a bit longer in duration and elevation gain.  I was joined by Linda, John, Sue and Paul from the UK.  Our hike leader was Graham, John Keo's brother from Ireland.  He's been living in Maro for the last two years and covers the Th-Sun hikes and gives John some days off.  After the hike, I feel I need at least two days off myself.  No one seemed to know why the hike was named Shadow of the Wolf, possibly because  most of the hike was on the north side of the mountain, or in a rain shadow surrounded by higher peaks.  Anyone's guess.

Most of the trail was on an old mule route, beginning in Nerja/Maro then proceeding north to Granada.  Historically, this trade route was used to bring goods to/from ships docked on the coast up to Granada and back. I will try to cover more about the history of  this area in a future post. It's a fascinating history and deserves more attention and research. 

I discovered that Sue and Paul have walked the Camino last yea, as had Linda and George from Ottawa, who I met on Wednesday.  The four of them met last year while on the pilgrimage and expressed interest in learning  more about the Portuguese Camino so I was more than happy to share what I experienced.

John, Paul, Graham, Sue, Linda

The hills are dotted with ancient caves

Paul, John,  Margita, Linda, Sue

Graham--no fear!