Bare data can contribute to define the character of a trip. Here are a few key figures and facts for my time in the Cantabrian High Route.
15 hiking days, out of which 2 were short days
The 2 short days were not planned. In both occasions, we/I decided to bail down to town to take a break from harsh weather.
434 km for a daily average of 29
At the level of effort we put together, I’d had expected a higher daily average. I’d blame the rough going but maybe I’m getting old.
18 tarmac road crossings
It may look like a lot but most of them were small mountain roads, a few were at or near a dead-end. I occasionally walked on tarmac but it always was for a short stretch, technically avoidable but I decided it’d not be worth the bother.
Coming down to the road at Tarna Pass
2 serviced-town visits
Only one of them was planned and only this one, Reinosa, near the end of my trip, was a somewhat sizeable town. San Emiliano, at km 68, was an impromptu stop for the night, a small village with some shopping. The rest of the villages we/I visited were tiny hamlets with maybe a pub/lodge but no shopping.
2 ski resorts
Ghost towns in the summer. I missed a third one when I skipped a crest section due to harsh conditions.
Fog adding to the ghostly vibe
13 nights camping, 2 nights in a town lodge, 1 night in a mountain hut
3 nights under a roof when rainy weather hit. There was a choice and it was an easy one, given the circumstances. Camping though was always the default and an essential part of the trip.
Spot sheltered from the previous night’s wind
2 resupplies, out of which 1 was a mailed box, 1 was local shopping
My main resupply was in km 149 from a box mailed to a roadside pub at Puerto de San Isidro ski resort, right on the divide. The pub seems to be the only facility open in the summer. Second resupply was just a few goodies in a Reinosa supermarket so I didn’t need to ration in the last few days.
Food for 7+ days
5 hikers
That was the total number of people I crossed paths with during days 1 to 14. On day 15, a Saturday on a somewhat popular hiking area, I met about 20 more. All of them day hikers.
10 trail signs
Plus many instances of the ubiquitous rock cairn but you can guess it’s not a heavily travelled route. Mind you, I might have missed a few, I wasn’t really counting.
Local trail sign in the Somiedo region
2 sets of (possibly) bear prints
None of them well defined but big enough to belong to the big furry guys.
Likely a bear print
3 rainy days
In three different periods. Despite forecasts on the contrary, only one was heavy.
0 stream fords
If there was any, it was a simple hop. Every time we’d be off the crest, low enough to meet a sizeable stream, there’d be a bridge.
Headwaters streams
203582 grazing cows
Give or take. The summer dwellers of the high meadows.
Checking on the visitors
3 runs of cantabrian mountain stew
A local staple and probably my favorite food anywhere. All of them different. I tasted the versions on offer at the hotel in San Emiliano village (km 68), the pub in Puerto de San Isidro (km 149), and the hotel in Pejanda village (km 289)
If I was ever in doubt of my motivations to hike the trail, I knew I could always rely on the mountain stew. It makes it all worth it.
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