Monoliths on Mountains

Mother’s Day (USA) was a wonderful but scary experience. Jesse and I slept in this morning and were planning to check out some viewpoints and another waterfall but last minute changed our plans to hike to the peaks of Calcedónia & Curvaceira. A 4.1 mile hard hike in Parque Nacional Peneda-Gerês. Supposedly the only designated national park in Portugal, the other 9 parks are deemed nature parks.

We headed out, found the trailhead in the town of Covide (ironic) and started our hike counter-clockwise with the intent to hike the steepest part first, which is ~1/4 of the total hike length. I was a little nervous to hike a hard hike in Portugal not knowing what to expect but actually I would say the overall trail minus the crevasse is a moderate hike. The crevasse if hiked is what makes it a hard hike per our hiking experience. Together Jesse and I have hiked many mountains in and outside of the US over the course of our 25 years together. Apart we have some hiking years under our belts too. OK, I digress – the first quarter of the hike was filled with jaw-dropping views, boulders, and wildlife.

magnificent views

Towering monoliths

Wildlife: Flora & Fauna

Well, this is where the journey takes a turn from wonderful to scary. The peak of Calcedónia can only be reached via a split crevasse which is truly the difficult part of this hike. Jesse and I had no intention of trying the climb but we met a group on the way and thought why not. In hindsight we know why not … we were not prepared. At home we both keep our packs fully loaded with emergency kits and headlamps. Since we never intended to hike in the north, we brought neither of our packs, just Ashok’s lightweight pack. We did bring an emergency kit but I forgot it at the apartment. Seriously, what were we thinking, we are not adventure junkies though we like a challenge. OK I digress again …

So we decide to at least enter the crevasse with the help of one of the group members and were awestruck by the enormity of the boulders and crack. While we were convincing ourselves to keep going, the group went ahead. Jesse and I took our time and halfway to the end my left foot stepped into what I thought was a rock but turned out to be a gap between rocks. I quickly realized this so I jerked my foot out but in doing so banged my knee hard on the rock wall. Rocks here are not exposed to light or constant feet climbing so they are jagged with crystals enbedded in their surface. Luckily, I was wearing warm weather leggings so they were thick and I managed not to rip them which protected my knee a little.. Though I lost a bit more than skin (I will save you from the exposed pictures) 🫨

Anyway, it finally hit me that there are probably holes throughout this crevasse and we do not know if they are 3′ or 100′ feet deep so I started to panic. It is that thought that scared me more than the rest of the hike. Also, by this point the group had made it to the top and Jesse and I were alone in this crevasse. Do we go back or forward?!? Ultimately, we decided to go back though not completing the climb really bugged me. It was however, not worth the risk and my knee was swollen and hurt a lot by this point.

Note: The below photos are fisheye to capture everything- these massive rocks (and thus the crevasse between them) is ~100′ feet tall.

**Just inside the crevasse. We are laughing now …**

**View from the 1st crossing into the crevasse**

Out😮‍💨…. now to walk the remaining 3 miles with an injured and bleeding knee. Who said, “life is not an adventure!” More boulders to climb over and under, amazing views, waterfalls (big and small), flowers & vegetation and animals.

For anyone interested here is a video of a couple who made it through and unlike what they would like you to believe, they appear to have hired a professional guide to take them through it safely. Video: Fenda Da Cidade Da Calcedónia.

More Boulders & Vistas

shadow puppets

waterfalls & Water features

Woohoo, we made it past the rocks and were now on solid, if not sandy ground. What a relief. Still there were many beautiful views, flowers and animals to see.

**My feet and knees are happy to be on solid ground**

domesticated animals

We made it! My feet on the ground and I managed to make the journey on my own two feet though Jesse promised we were getting out of that crevasse even if it meant he had to carry me the entire way. He is not joking! Jesse has carried me off two mountain tops before. You have to love this guy (meu homem). 😘

We walked 1/8 of mile short of the parked car to a snack bar. I think I earned it. The group ahead of us in the crevasse were there so we go to tell/show them that we made it out. They were a nice group from Porto.

The young man at the counter made me this super unique and delicious passion fruit sangria. I ordered a glass but I got a pitcher. I guess things got lost in translation again. Should I mention he spoke English.🙊 Oh well, waste not! Besides, it is Mother’s Day and we had the opportunity to video chat with Ashok.

A solid hour later, we walked the 1/8 mile to the car, and Jesse drove while I dosed off here and there. Since it was after 7 PM, we ended up at Restaurante Pizzaria Ritrovo. It’s a casual restaurant with great, homemade pizza and yes, a carafe of wine. When in pain…