Picos de Europa Hike

Sometimes called the "Little Alps", Picos de Europa is a beautiful mountain range in northern Spain. It gets its name from the fact that voyagers returning from America first saw the peaks of these mountains and knew they were nearing Europe. 

Picos de Europa

We headed out early in the morning with two busloads of students. We had all packed a lunch to bring with us. We first stopped at a man-made lake where the city of Riaño was once located. The city was move to higher grounds to make space for the dam and lake which was then used to produce power. The power plant isn't in operation today, but the beautiful lake and a small island still stand. 

Heading Out

We went to a look-off point where there was a wonderful view, a big swing, and an oversized heart for taking pictures. My new front-end motor did really well when the trail wasn't too steep, but there were some really steep parts where my classmates helped push me. We spent some time at the lookout, then we got back on the bus and headed to Valle de Valdeón. 

Riaño

We first had lunch in a pretty little meadow where some grazing horses came to pay us a visit. Some of the students were frightened by the huge animals, but they were very docile and well mannered. They were larger than the horses I'm accustomed to seeing in The States, but I'm not a horse professional, so I don't know what breed they were. 

Picnic

When it came time to head out on our 4km hike, Ruta del Cares, in Caín after lunch, we all wished we could have borrowed one of the horses to tow me in my wheelchair up the hill. Thankfully, my classmates were all willing to help, and one large fellow, Mac, from Washington was determined to make sure I made it all the way to the end. It was a lot of fun, and between Mac, my motor, and the kind Japanese fellows, we made it all the way there and back.

Ruta del Cares in Caín

The view was wonderful! It reminded me of the canyons surrounding Zion Canyon in Utah except the colors were grey instead of red. It made me feel really happy and a little emotional that everyone wanted to include me all the way. There's so much good in the world, and I'm so thankful to the kind hearts who went the extra "kilometer" to make my day special too. 

Thank you, my awesome classmates, for making this happen!