Mallorca: Dry-Stone Route

 As I write this the day has obviously ended - so I want to report that I arrived at Tossals Verds - the true mountain hut I will visit - at 2:30 PM. Wish I could find my “friend” in Soller who had so little confidence in me. I am really tired. Left the Hostal at 7:45. Topped first uphill hiking at 12:30. I have a few pictures - did not take so many because I had downloaded a map and did not want to run out of power on my phone in case I needed it. For 4 1/2 hours it was continuous switchbacks rising thru mountain walls of stone. Essentially walking a 4 foot wide cobblestone path. Most of the morning I did not have a view of where this path ended or where it crossed over the peak of the mountain. And for the entire way there were small terraced groves of olive and orange trees. I hope I will always remember this hike. Do people really come up here to work the groves? This last Pic is back to Soller where I started. After cresting it is pretty much headed downhill to a water reservo...

 Long day - 13.5 miles to Pollenca. I left early and wanted to have my phone charged just in case I needed to access my map - it was a long way to get lost!! So there are just a few pics along the way. About uphill the first 1/3, and then (ugh!) down and flat the last 2/3s. Lots of time in the oak woods and then along a path with really beautiful homes (haciendas?) - small and immaculate but all with orange and olive groves. Todays hike and the trip ended in Pollenca - a really, really old town - 12th / 13th century - with very old construction and architecture. I have one Pic here of the Sante Maria cathedral - perhaps 300 M tall to the ceiling; main altar and 12 around the side walls - unbelievable architecture. How did they do it? The hike started right outside Ste Joan Baptista church and ended at the top of the steps to Esglesia del Calvari. I walked down the long stairs from the church into the village and, believe it or not, sat down for a beer at the Calvari bistro. So...

 Well I had to put in a picture from the Refugi - though I have spent most nights in hostels, Tossels is the first real dotoire. One more tonight - Son Amer. A somewhat uneventful day today. Lots of time in the woods and there are just so many pictures of Dry Stone structures that can be sent. Evidently they all mostly look the same. But the sheer numbers of them really makes you be impressed. It was quite interesting to see the “old fashioned” way to pipe water into villages. And a few pictures including the ‘embassament’ where I presume the flowing water will arrive. Last day on the trail tomorrow. Goes by fast. More than a few people have mentioned that they come to Mallorca repeatedly to hike. Lots and lots of trails other than the GR211 I am on. And much more rugged than I ever would have expected. Everyone loves the local people - friendly, open, accepting. Long one tomorrow - 13 miles - including quite a bit of flat and downhill off the mountains and into Pollenca..

 Deia was quite busy. Quite a few tourists on a Sunday - I asked a waitress why so many people stopped there - walking, eating, seeing churches again.  Just like North Hero - shuts down in Winter. The hike from Deia was quite leisurely. Down the hill towards the Meditteranea; lots of trails near and along the ocean and the main highway. Up and down - no difficult terrain. The last pic is Port Soller - didn’t visit there - lots of hotels and boats. In the first picture above, I continue to ask, “How many people work on stone projects - on roads, hiking trails, sidewalks, farm and vineyard walls - there must be an Ed Tech class in the schools for it. And cobblestones - this pic is about1/3 down into Soller today. And the street with the Hostal. Soller is a larger village. Lots of folks at restaurants and bars, all sitting outside in the European style - most chairs pointed out toward the street for great viewing. All other stores were mostly closed . Though I did find a small ma...

 Good idea to skip today’s hike. Though the thunderstorms did not materialize,  I likely would still be wandering around in the mountains with no waymarkers and no map. Also realized that a day of relaxation is really needed to slow down and appreciate where you are before heading out into the woods so quickly after a sleepless oversea trip and immediate travel to the start of hiking. I have no idea how these big busses, on narrow and windy roads with no bike lanes, avoid hitting cyclists. They seem to pass the bikes with less than 6” to spare. I did get a bit of a walk around Deia. And actually took the steepest hike so far - just a 1/4 mile from the bus stop to the Hostal. I had to stop for miraculous intervention about half way up the road. Beautiful little village. Great get away from the Continent. Richard Branson has a villa here; Anais Nin wrote a book while staying here. Off to Soller in the morning. Rain and storms predicted again - but I don’t believe it any more. An...

 Great room and breakfast included in Esporles Hostal - all for 59 Euros. A big breakfast - and I needed it. As usual the day starts with an uphill - this time it continued for 3/4 of the day until I headed down the mountain to Valldemossa. From there: To there: The Guidebook “kind of” suggested skipping this section. Starting about 1/3 into the day there would be no more signposts, and starting at the first col there would be a continuous rock crag hindering the ability to follow the footsteps in those who hiked before us. Major problem is that at the end of September the leaves have fallen, covering footprints in between the rocks. I downloaded a map app, wrote lots of notes about markers to watch for, and headed out. I was also hoping to see a few backpackers along the way to problem solve. Neither passed nor was passed by any folks heading in my direction. Saw one group of 8 and one couple heading in the opposite direction. Quite anxious there today. On the way: And really, hav...

 It seems that the most difficult time is “getting there” no matter where there is. Things were going great at Montreal Trudeau. Easy getting Boarding Pass; no prob getting screened; luggage checkout going great - UNTIL - just as I was about to grab my backpack he asked me “what are these?” Hiking poles. Not allowed in cabin any more! Back to square one to check my backpack. Glad I left early to avoid the flyer rush! Getting there is also tiring. Flight delayed to 8:00; dinner an hour in; breakfast snack an hour before; one trip to the loo; gets you just a few hours of restless sleep. Now in Mallorca. Palma is quite a large city. Lots of really large pleasure boats down at the Port; bars, restaurants and shops scattered everywhere. And warm. Low temps this time of year is in mid to high 70s. Hopefully cooler in the Dry Stone mountains. Got one not so glamorous photo from the plane looking to the area I will bus to in the morning - and head on up the road as soon as I get off that b...