A lo Bestia – A mountain adventure.

Last November the Andalucian government / Medio Ambiente department announced that a new walking route, the GR-240 Sulayr, was ready and waiting !!! Great, a 300km lap of Sierra Nevada in 19 stages, the longest GR in Europe and something worth attempting ... except, most walkers don't have 3 weeks to spare and the guide book, apart from being rarer than rocking horse s....t, is only available in Spanish and it would appear that much of the route requires extra walking each day to reach a village. Refuges are few and far between, camping isn't allowed and there is very little water available.
 
So, why not run round in 4 days, non-stop, in fact promote the Sulayr as an international ultra running race to equal the highly successful Ultra Tour of Mont Blanc. A first for Spain and great publicity for the longest circular GR in Europe. The relevant departments in Granada thought it was a great idea, go for it ... BUT meanwhile the Government was bringing in a new law to ban ALL sports events in National Parks !!! Great, so goodbye Pradollano, no more skiing, mountain biking, running, paragliding, maybe even walking quickly is banned; so Sulayr is shelved whilst sports people and their lawyers contest this rather ridiculous law.

Anyway fast forward to June and an email from Mark Woolley, ( my, no longer allowed race, sub director ), " How about running round the Sulayr, should be possible in a week ... if we sleep rough, have to be early July though when school term ends as wife is off to Madrid for professional photography course ".
 
OK, sounds do-able and my fitness after the Ronda 101 is good, Fulvio also says ok. Then another email from Mark ; " just an idea, always wanted to do full traverse of Sierra Nevada taking in all the summits, only 100km or so, we can do it in 3 days, fast packing, carrying food and water, topping up from snow melt, no tents! Need a warm sleeping bag though as still ice and some snow about ..."

July 4th, Lanjaron. The traverse, originally called " The Adventure " and now called
" A lo Bestia " by the 5 additional Spanish ultra runners who have joined us, is ready to roll.
We had arranged to meet at 8.30am outside the famous Lanjaron balneario as we had hired a coach to take us out to Ohanes in Almeria, the start point.

The group, Mark, Fulvio, Fali, Juan, his wife Marga, Pedro and his wife Charo and myself, are all experienced mountain/ultra runners, in fact this was a necessary qualification as the route and time factor plus the need to carry kit, food and water, ( at 1kg to 1 litre ) mean't all participants had to be very fit.

The coach journey took longer than expected. The roads via Orgiva and Ugijar in the Alpujarra are very well surfaced but they are narrow and steep and beyond Ugijar more roads are being repaired, surfaced or new ones constructed but just after midday we reached Ohanes and taking a steep road out of town we soon came to a parking area opposite a dirt track. The start point of A lo Bestia, according to the GPS.

July 4th, 12.20pm. Rucksacs on, poles adjusted and away we go, climbing from the first step ... and two hours later still climbing as we approach the La Polarda recreation area, to find NO potable water, in fact no taps where the water is supposed to come out from, drinkable or otherwise! We had partly expected there to be water shortages during the early section of the traverse and Fulvio and myself had 5 litres each when we started with the intention of topping up whenever we could, the others had a little less but were ok. We had a short break then headed out and up! At 1500 hrs we reached a Sulayr information board where are traverse first bisected the GR route and 20 minutes later we reached the Refuge Polarda, one of a selection of mountain refuges dotted around the Sierra Nevada. The door was open but again, no water supply.

Another short break then away, more climbs, summits and wild terrain until at 17.20 we reached a fire watch building, one staff member and a very good water supply, the first chance we had to top up the bottles, great except that your pack weight again goes back to 13-14kg.

The next part of the route took us across some difficult terrain, loose steep rock but mixed with spikey hedgehog grass, not pleasant to walk through and interspersed with other plants, which all seem to be spikes and thorns. Progress was still fairly fast as we made our final summit marker of the day. It was now 22.00 the sun was beginning to set and my personal concern was balance. Mine is ok in daylight and when I have a visual horizon but once dark I struggle to say the least. In the slowly fading light I felt ok as long as I traveled fast and didn’t use a head torch, it was downhill to our overnight destination, at least down to 2000m ... the track was good and I stepped up my pace, one eye on the gradually disappearing strip of sunset and one on the track and our Puerto La Ragua target.

I moved ahead of the others with Mark for company and added security and eventually we saw the Information chalets by the road side summit of La Ragua. By now it was totally dark, we could see the head lights of the others, ( who had just been " attacked " by a cow during the descent requiring some bullfighting techniques, eg, wave ski poles and shout ). We had wondered why the headtorch lights seemed to spread about for a few moments.

From previous road cycling tours I knew that the La Ragua " complex " would probably be closed, and it was, but I remembered there was a water supply around 400m along the main road. Fortunately this proved to be correct and the fountain had even been developed to form a picnic area under stone arches. This was to be an ideal " camping spot " and with plenty of water flowing into a large trough via two nozzles it wasn’t long before Mark and Fali had stripped and jumped in for a quick wash; quick because it was freezing cold melt water. Not quite the ice bath favoured by Paula Radcliffe to aid muscle recovery, but close.

It was now 23.05, time to eat and despite what some folk think of dehydrated meals the particular ones we had from Decathlon were excellent and washed down with a good cup of tea we finally got to " try " to sleep around midnight.

We didn’t have tents preferring to travel light but during the summer months and particularly in Andalucia in July, a tent isn’t necessary. The experience of laying down in a lightweight sleeping bag under a clear, star filled sky is fantastic, this alone made the hard days efforts worth every minute, and even at 2000m we were comfortable.

July 5th, 6.56am. The sun was just appearing over the trees as we prepared breakfast, this time Decathlon hot chocolate muesli, honey sandwiches and cappucchino courtesy of Nescafe. Once suitably stoked up, kit was packed, rucksacs loaded, water bottles filled and by 8.30am we were leaving Puerto de la Ragua behind as we climbed, ( yet again ), following a stream across pasture land towards a forest ( keeping an eye open for the mad cow ).

10.05am, another summit marker, ( quite a few summits are un named ) and from here we could see the snow patches on the higher peaks of Mulhacen ( 3482m ) and Pico Veleta ( 3394m ) amongst a number of slightly lower peaks, all in the far distance and all to be conquered.

16.45pm. After hours of climbing, descending and traversing areas of hedgehog grass we reached the first snow field and a strongly flowing stream, just beneath the first of the 3000m peaks that we were to cross, a beautiful place where we could top up water bottles without any worry that the water would be contaminated. We then set off across the snow patches until at 19.15pm we reached an " adventure playground ". This was a long, narrow snow filled gulley, mixed with huge boulders which stretched before us, it was our route and although only a few hundred metres it made for quite an exhilarating half hour.
 
Gulley scramble over and we realized we wouldn’t make the lagoon area we had hoped to camp in unless we travelled in the dark so we diverted and climbed down to a large lagoon, ‘laguna de Vacares' where there were a few mountaineers stone circles. These stone circles are built to give wind shelter and can accommodate 3-4 people stretched out to sleep.

20.30pm. Stone circle selected, ( we had choice of 4 ) and it was evening dehydrated meal time, followed by preparing smooth patch to sleep on and then put on all spare clothes, climb into down bag, pull up bivvy bag and prepare for a cold night. The stars seemed even brighter at 2800m, sleep came eventually and the night passed in reasonable comfort. Only casualties, Juan and Marga whose circle was raided by a fox which stole some of their food.

July 6th, 6.29am. Sunrise, breakfast, water top up and away at 7.30am. Today, the final leg, around 45km including the highest of the Sierra Nevada peaks !!

The days efforts began straight away, the climb out of the camping area soon became an extremely long traverse following an almost invisible contouring track. This is the " Bazaar " of the Alcazaba which skirts the North face of this mountain at about half height, following a large ledge that splits the face. The track passed below a huge snow field, or at least we did for fear of slipping, which would have meant a few hundred metres of terminal flying, until a short climb took us over a ridge and revealed a beautiful site. A grassy area around a blue lagoon called ‘La Mosca’, just below the north face of the Mulhacen. This was too nice to pass by so we climbed down and brewed up! 10.00am, a cup of hot cappucchino, a honey sandwich, a beautiful view, good company, ... what more could you ask for ???

10.55am, time to make a move ... which, as usual, involved a massive climb. Soon the lagoon was far below and the next obstacle was the patch of snow we had seen during the climb, a snow patch which became bigger as we drew closer and a patch which appeared to be the only way through to the ridge.
 
11.45am, we reach the snow patch !!. Not too bad, only 50m or so but very steep. Only way is to kick in hard, create a step and lever forward using the ski poles. Gradually we all make the climb and the view from the ridge is incredible, blue sky, hot sun and mountains. We check the GPS and head off to join a slightly more used track which passes below the summit of Pico Veleta, at 3394m, the second highest peak in mainland Spain and also the finish point for a 50km race I enter every August. ( The race starts in Granada at 640m and is considered to be the World’s toughest road race, so this year it should be a bit easier after this little trip, I hope ).

We pass below Pico Veleta by 12.30pm and leave the " popular " track to join what appears to be a contour of huge rocks and scree marked with the odd cairn, obviously not a heavily used route!! The route traverses the ridge just above the " Tacos de la Virgin " . The " path " descends then climbs, then climbs again over some pretty " interesting " terrain, probably not suitable for those of you who get light headed on the average roof terrace, indeed, it is rather exposed in a couple of places. Eventually we start to descend to another main track and reach a stream where we can top up the bottles again from the spring that gives rise to the Lanjaron river. It is now 15.20pm with still a long way to go.

At first the track is very good, a raised causeway weaving through the mountains, it then starts to climb and suddenly we reach a huge cleft, a shear rock wall and what appears to be the only way forward, a long length of chain bolted into the rock !! Fulvio, more used to desert ultra racing and Marga were both apprehensive, but no way round so ... Best way to tackle these chain stretches is quickly, don’t look down and work on the assumption that they are placed to give added assistance within a route. Although foot holds are small they are secure and the chain saves worrying about hand holds.

16.15pm, all safely across and on with the journey, more climbs, more descents then a huge flattish stretch of spikey grassland to cross without a track line to follow. The track mysteriously disappeared probably swamped by the thorns, spikes and everything else ( all spikey ) which seems to grow at altitude.

By 18.35pm we had cleared this " enjoyable " stretch and joined a clear track which appeared to head straight down to Lanjaron. The track was completely surrounded by what looked to be yellow foxgloves, a plant which appears to have grown after a fire had destroyed any trees which had been there judging by the large black patches and burnt bits of wood.

19.09pm we join a fire break, steep and loose rock but more direct than taking the main vehicle track. We descend for another hour and half !! Then firebreak access ends and we take to the main track. A sign indicates that Lanjaron, which we have been able to see for the past hour, is only 5km away ... or was that as the crow flies ? Our journey is very close to finishing so we decide to run the rest of the way, race pace !! maybe ? Certainly felt like it.

21.40pm It's over !! The track brings us out right next to the Meson El Frenazo, the bar/restaurant near the Lanjaron balneario starting point and our choice for the Taming of the Beast, celebration ... A lo Bestia, hears to the beast.

The " Bestia " in a nutshell.

Total distance : 114.21km ( at least ).
Accumulated climbing : 7246m.
Accumulated descent : 7587m.
Altitude minimum : 689m.
Altitude maximum : 3486m.
Time : 2 days 9hours 18minutes.
Grade of difficulty : Very difficult.
Information recorded using Garmin GPS and Google Earth.

NOTE : This is a very tough journey. All of us involved are experienced mountain and ultra runners. It is not a route suitable for the " average " recreational walker, a high level of fitness is necessary coupled with the ability to enjoy self-sufficiency which means carrying an extra 12-15kg of which a large ( and heavy ) part is water.

Regarding water : it is important to note that although water is vital it shouldn't be drunk, especially during hot weather, without adding the correct balance of electrolytes. Water alone, drunk in large amounts during extreme efforts ( or even by those who are mislead into thinking that well hydrated is the same as properly hydrated ) can cause a very serious condition called hyponatremia, basically water intoxication. This occurs because of a shortage of sodium in the blood. Sweating causes salt loss and drinking excessive water dilutes the remaining sodium in the blood.

It is very important to add electrolyte tablets such as NUUN or ZYM which provide accurate mineral replacement.

Paul Bateson