“Hike in the Sierra Nevada” ~ PICO VELETA on 3,398 metres - Granada province in Spain 🇪🇸

Hi all 👋🏻

Today I want to share with you all, this amazing HIKE and #adventure with a group of friends, I met in Malaga city while I lived there, up the Pico Veleta in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Granada province in Spain 🇪🇸 😎

With this post I’m joining in at the Wednesday Walk challenge and Make me Smile challenge. That are hosted by @tattoodjay and @elizacheng every week on Wednesday.
‼️Have a look: Here in the Wednesday Walk Community if you want to join in!‼️

Or at @tattoodjay ’s Post from today here!

I will guide you through my photos and hike as I follow the time stamps of them. Hope you don’t mind, as there are many today… I promise it is worth it 😇
So you can come along with me and look at all the details and surroundings I show you 😎 as if you would be right there with me.

Are you up for this today? As we will be hiking at very high altitudes… am I even up for it?
LET’S HAVE A LOOK 😎

The photos are taken with my (late) Canon eos 550D with 18 - 135 mm lens on 11 June 2016.
We started early and after a long drive we reached the parking at 9 o’clock-ish in the morning, after parking our cars at the start of our long hike.

Along the journey… photo taken by a friend from one of the other cars. (Shared with us all)

My friends and I 😎

Location on Google Maps, see the yellow stars ⭐️ :

The top one is where we parked the cars and the bottom one is where we want to go. Via the statue marked with the green flag.

Our walking route, from the parking to the top, one way was about 2,5 hours and 12 km. It is recommended to go early.

Location of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Granada Province.

Information about the second highest peak in Spain ~ Pico Veleta Can be found in this website!

It states:
”Veleta (from the Arab word "Balata", meaning cliff) or Pico del Veleta is the second highest peak of the Iberian peninsula and the Sierra Nevada. Its height is 3,398 metres (11,148 ft).

The mountain can be seen from the city of Granada. Veleta's northern slopes are home to the Sierra Nevada Ski Station.
The IRAM 30m telescope is located on the slopes of Pico Veleta, at an elevation of 2920 m.”

Now you know how high up the peak is located.
Let me introduce to you our entire group:

I’m the 4th on the right.
(Photo shared to all)

Here we goooooo 💪🏻🥾🥾🥾🥾

After we passed by the statue of Virgin de las Nieves (see first photograph) this is our view next to us.

The red building.

We do not walk on the road but chosen a hiking path straight up with a steep elevation…

In this photo something is happening, but I will tell you later more about it. Look at our group…

Next to us we see these views. They are just breathtakingly beautiful to say the least 🥰

Here I am looking back towards the parking lot in the distance. Time stamp is 10:25h

Our goal is to get to that peak you see in the distance following paths like this. Going up and down.

Next to me I see flowers, yes even this high up…

So of course I capture them.

Layers in the distance…

More flowers along the path.

We are walking next to the following fence. Behind it you find the ski lift, that brings skiers ⛷ up the mountain.

Look at the snow ❄️ it is very compact. And as summer already started, much is melted, just here and there is still some left. Couldn’t miss a shadow selfie 😎

I see, something next to the edge of the snow… do you too?

Look what I found up here 🐞🐞🐞 a ladybug.

I feel the snow and push my fingers in it… a mark… to stay, even if it is for a little while 😊

Little bit further we see the telescope that was mentioned above. (IRAM 30m telescope) This is at an elevation of 2920 meters. We are just a little bit below that.

Here I zoomed in at one of the reservoirs.

The peak… see the ski lift on the right going up?

Views around me:

And more flowers 🌼🌼🌼

A runner passes by and I capture him on his way down. He is fast…. The parking in the distance.

Views on the side.

Path up… the peak disappeared behind it but it is still there.

Going up even steeper now.

View back.

I find the strangest things along the way. A large metal piece…

A caterpillar 🐛

Zooming in on the landscape behind us…

Looking in front of me. I’m almost at the same height now as the top. Just one elevation before it.

But hey… where is my group. Maybe some noticed, maybe not.
They disappeared. Let me tell you what happened here.

Our group consisted out of some very well trained hikers that go up the mountains all the time and the other half wasn’t experienced in it but still fit. So instead that the leader (the fastest person) adjusted his speed to the entire group, that person pulled the group apart very early on, when I told you, do you see what is happening.

So it was split in many little groups of 2 or 3 people within half an hour. This is not good, and not the way a group should behave, but we carried on.
The slower people (keep in mind we were still very fit) tried to catch up as fast as they could in the beginning, but the speed was just too high from the ones on the front. So they, included me, tired themselves out too much. A few decided after 1,5 hours in, we carry on at our speed. But this was too late already, the damage had been done.

For me that meant unfortunately after reaching the last elevation, just before the top of the peak, I got mountain sickness… pain with breathing. So I told the others, I remained with, go on. I go slowly back down now. You catch up later at the parking lot.

You so need to know when to give up and listen to your body, especially in situations like this. Was it too late… probably, but I still had an amazing time, taking hundreds of photographs going down. 😎

So I took it easy until I got my breath back and descended slowly. Taking the surroundings and details next to me in.

Let’s go down now and I show you some more photographs, are you still with me?

Let’s go…

A flower cheered me up.

My view back after I went down a little…

The ski lifts and layers of land in the distance…

I can see the statue of the Virgin de las Nieves again in the distance.

Next to me the last caps of snow.

The telescope.

Some beautiful rock formations.

Views… stunning right 😁

Here I crossed a road now and you can see until where I got… the blue arrow. Just before the peak.

I zoomed in for you a little. I am still proud of my achievements and I learned a lot from this experience. And that is important too. I reached 2857 meters! That is about 7 km into the hike. (Now I have to get fit again, after not going on hikes for the last 2 years, due to the pandemic hahahah even this level of fitness I had while hiking up here is welcome again 😇 )

Where I turned around.

Going down further I see…

But suddenly next to me. Look at this very cute and curious goat 🐐 👋🏻😁

It wasn’t afraid at all.

A little bit further I saw much more… they saw me too.

Zoomed out again we see the landscape. Do you see the waterfall?

And the cows?

A bit far, right? Let me zoom in a bit.

The waterfall.

Getting closer to the statue again.

I decided to walk now over the road further back down.

My view back towards the peak. I see some others coming down.

The red building again.

Reached the statue, yeah!!! Almost there. Here you can see the Virgin de las Nieves closer by.

And through it the peak/ PICO VELETA.

Next to me the red building now.

Another view back when I passed the statue.

The ski lifts going up.

Another little building in the middle of nowhere. I see a car next to it. Must be for observation.

Now I see next to me these buildings and I know it is a restaurant, let’s have a look.

The view behind it.

Some details…

Parque national. National park.

There is something next to this rock. Let’s have a look.

I find a garden that is attended to by the university of Granada at an elevation of 2.550 meters.

Let’s follow the path and see what we can see.

These steps do go towards the restaurant.

Behind the gate I see this garden with diverse plants in it.

Some beautiful flowers…

Walking further…

I see this creature… it’s the Oil beetle - Berberomeloe majalis

Back at the parking lot there are many bars and little restaurants. Time stamp was 15:30h

View back… the group arrived about 1 hour after me at the parking lot.

Well done you! You made it, all the way to the end of my long post hahaha. 😁
Thank you, it was lovely you joined me on this hike! And this crazy adventure we had.

Until next time 😎
That’s all for todays post.
Hope you enjoyed my #photos and the #views and my finds on this #mountain.
Thank you for looking and reading 😊 🙏🏻
Any questions or comments, let me know. Always happy to help.

Have a great wednesday all 😎
Grtz Jackie

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