A Journey Up Teide

#teide #senderismo #tenerife

Last month, I went on an adventure in Tenerife with some other lovely Fulbright ladies. One of the things I most wanted to do during this year in the Canaries was climb Teide, the tallest peak in Spain and the third tallest volcano in the world. It is 3,718 meters above sea level (12,198 feet) and just a hop, skip, and a jump from El Hierro, in the capital of Tenerife.

So, a few months ago, we got a group of amazing Fulbright ladies together: we came from El Hierro (:D), Tenerife, Fuerteventura, and Gran Canaria to embark on this adventure together. Undaunted by emails about snowfall or the fact that the cable car had shut down due to wind and ice, we all bundled up in fleece and down and lots of layers and drove up to the trailhead. It was a stunning drive--it looked cloudy and foggy, but as we gained elevation, we broke through the clouds and saw the peak for the first time! It is a beautiful mountain, standing alone above the cloud line and watching over the islands.

The last thing I ever expected to deal with in the Canary Islands was snow! We set off on the first leg of our hike to a mountain lodge where we were spending the night, up a long, gradual slope. There were some gorgeous red rocks that reminded me of Southern Utah poking out from the recently fallen snow. It was also cold enough that there were icicles dripping off every bush, rock, fence, and sign. A gorgeous afternoon to be in the mountains!

We also saw some large volcanic deposits that were shaped like giant eggs. They were warm from the sun, which is why we are all laying against it in one picture below :)

This sign pointing to Teide probably should have warned us about how snowy it was going to get on our expedition. But we soldiered on!

It was a chilly but sunny afternoon, and one thing we learned is that the trail measures were far from accurate. It took us around an hour to finish the first (and easiest) leg, and we were faced with an imposing mountain to start ascending. It was around 5pm, but we decided to wait to eat anything until we got to the top, where the lodge was. The sign said it was only 2.5 kilometers, which is not far (so we all thought)! It turns out, the hill was a brutal ascent that I am amazed we all climbed. It was already pretty high altitude (around 11,000 feet), so one of the problems was that it was much harder to breathe; it felt like I couldn't take 10 steps before having to stop for breath or my heart would explode. I think we all thought we weren't going to make it at some point or another, but we had an amazing group full of strong encouraging women and we made it to the lodge just as the sun was setting over the horizon, which made for a beautiful pink sky during the last grunt.

It was so satisfying to get into the lodge and our little bunk beds! We had dinner of ham, cheese, tortilla, and bread (classic Spanish food :D) and some lovely hot tea. I also bought some Teide souvenirs and learned about Guayota, the demon living inside Teide when it last erupted in 1909. After dinner, we braved the cold (it was around 20°F) and took in the stunning stars. We could see some planets (I think one was Saturn), the Big Dipper, and the MIlky Way!

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to start our last leg of the hike--up to the peak! We got up for breakfast at 5:30am and started the climb in darkness. The lodge has a really interesting schedule. It doesn't even open until 5pm, and all guests have to be out by 7:30am. Then it closes again until 5pm the next day. We also got disposable sheets, little things made of paper tablecloth material, and brought all our own water and food. But it was a cozy little place to spend the night and a great way to break up the huff that is this hike.

I think the hike from the lodge was a tiny bit easier, at least at first, because it was so dark you couldn't see the mountain ahead of you and never got up hope that you were almost done. But we got to see the sky slowly turn pink and more amazing stars, and soon enough I started to see a looming shadow.

The shadow looming ahead was Teide! It felt like we'd gone so far and climbed so far, and then there was an entire other mountain! It seemed absolutely impossible that we'd get up it in an hour, when sunrise began. Fortunately, we had a great positive group and we kept pushing.

We finally passed the closed >:( cable car hut, and pushed on to the crater, a rock path with intermittent rock stairs, snow, lots of wind, and what we all thought was a rather ineffective chain to hang on to. It was a grunt, and I am so thankful for the group of amazing women I was with, and we reached the top of the crater just a couple minutes before sunrise!

Sunrise was absolutely breathtaking. Pictures really don't do it justice, but it really made the whole huff of a hike worth it. The pink and purple sky slowly turned yellow and orange, and we could see the rest of Tenerife and several other islands peeking over the cloud line.

There was also the distinct smell of sulfur from the vents and smoking craters throughout the main giant crater. Teide is still technically an active volcano, although it hasn't erupted in over a century and a bunch of people were gathered by one steaming rock because it was so warm :)

There were a good number of people on the peak with us--maybe twenty at a time scattered all around the space, so it wasn't too crowded. We didn't stay too long after the sun crested, though--it was chilly up there and there was a lot of wind which only made it colder. So, after taking it all in, we started the expedition down.

Going down was a different type of work, because there was still a ton of ice and snow all over the path. But we took it nice and slow, and did a fair amount of scooting on our bums (as seen below :D). At least we could talk to each other because we weren't gasping for breath the whole time!

The day was also warmer, so there was more slushy snow and less ice. I even took off my coat at one point! And it was great to take in the stunning views.

When we finally got down, we were all beat! We had a lovely, extravagant meal of Italian food (check out my dessert below :D) and a dinner of tapas like mojo with cheese, garbanzo beans with chorizo, and the ever-famous croquetas (fried cheese, meat, and potato balls).

I am so glad I did this hike with this amazing group, even though it was a whole lot harder than I expected and I did not drink enough water :) And on my flight home to El Hierro, I got to see Teide over the clouds! A great end to an adventurous weekend.

It was definitely a huff, but we it was a grand adventure!

Hasta luego, Teide!