January jaunts.

[Bierzo Baggie]

In a burst of New Year enthusiasm I went out for a run two days in a row.

Sunday.
Did the canal route on New Year’s morning. Surprised to see that more snow had fallen overnight on the Aquilianos range.
Running time; 30 minutes.

Monday.
Inspired by the New Year’s Day photos on the ski crew’s web-site…. http://elmorredero.superforos.com/viewtopic.php?t=186
I felt the sudden urge to feel the snow crunching beneath my feet. Drove along the Morredero-a place to die- road up to San Cristobel which at 1150m above sea level is the last village before the mini-ski station and the lonely pass beyond.
Left the car at the start of a track which follows the contours of the hillside before descending to the marvellously isolated mountain village of Santiago de Peñalba. This forms the first section of a route which can be divided into three. The first half hour is relatively flat and then just before Peñalba there’s another track to the left which veers horrendously upwards to finish after a final flurry of zig-zags at 1450m. This second section is probably just under two kms from bottom to top and then it’s all downhill along the Morredero road back to the car.
Last ran this way in Feb 2004 when the snow was ankle deep in places. This time it’s a drab, gloomy sort of day and in the end I didn’t feel the delicious crunching of snow. Instead I splashed about in the muddy slush that remained on the higher ground and slid back down to San Cristobel.
Total route-84 minutes. (Running time; 70 minutes. Walking time; 15 minutes).