Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Kuwait City, Kuwait on March 31st.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Long hike in the mountains near Guanajuato

It was a free day for the group... nothing organized and everybody was free to do their own thing. Four of the group decided to hop on the local bus and head into the city of Guanajuato, about 13 kms (8 miles) from here.  Cost for the bus was 10 pesos (50 cents USD, 65 cents CAD).

Others simply stayed back at the RV park and relaxed, or puttered around on their rigs. Ruth and I wanted to do a hike, and Bob and Denise wanted to join us.

Woke up to a beautiful sunrise here in Guanajuato.

Sunrise in Guanajuato.

We set out at just after 9:00am. Once again, it was a bit hazy for most of the morning.

Looking back towards where the campground is.

Looking towards where we are headed!

Ruth and I had done this hike back in February of 2016. We got a little carried away that day and ended up doing 25 kms (15.5 miles) when we walked across the mountain to the city of Guanajuato. 

This time, we would end up doing a much more reasonable 15 kms (9 miles). Still, it was a strenuous hike with lots of up and down as we made our way to the lookout at 8,000 ft.

Starting to get a bit of a view.

Lots of interesting vegetation along the way.

This one is different.

Some kind of tiny fern?

This tree had white flowers, but hardly any leaves.

Zoomed in on a couple of mountain bikers in the distance.

Stopping for a break. 
Getting close to the top now!

Beautiful views!

We're almost there... one last push!

Made it to the top at 12:05... almost exactly three hours.

Great views on a beautiful day!

Bob, Denise, Ruth, and Kevin.

Scenery looking the other way.

This is the only tree up here!

We had packed a lunch and so we relaxed for a half an hour at the top and then began retracing our route back down.

Heading back down from the top.

There was still some uphill though. 
We were getting tired!

Scenery along the way.

More scenery. 

The odd things you see!

Out in the middle of nowhere there is this statue leaning up against a maguey plant. With a group of cattle looking on. There used to be some kind of settlement up here, perhaps in the early mining days.

Cow #5609!

We arrived back at the campground around 3:00pm, pretty much exhausted! 

But it was a really enjoyable hike and we are glad that there is another couple in the group that are active enough to do these kinds of hikes with us. 

We had a good happy hour with the entire group, and we all agreed to do a paid bus tour of Guanajuato today. The bus is picking us up right at the RV park, so it's convenient and for a five hour tour, the price is right.

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And in Canada...



23 comments:

  1. I see Ruth using "walking sticks". Used to see most any and every hiker in Europe using them. How do you like them? And are they helpful? "Enquiring minds" and such.

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    1. I'm not Ruth, but my husband and I have done lots of hiking, and our hiking poles are a must for steep hikes. They certainly help when climbing and even moreso when descending! They help protect the knees and help you keep your balance through tricky sections with scree and talus. We started using ours in preparation for a Grand Canyon hike (rim to the river and back in a day, over 16 miles total) in 2006, and we could never have done it without them...or if we had done it, we would have been slower. They really do help you keep a faster pace and prevent injuries and falls. The only caveat is not to stick one in between large rocks, as they can actually cause you to fall if they get caught in a crevice. But in 95% of situations, they are helpful, no matter what your age...though the older you are, the more they'll help!

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    2. I definitely concur with Emily on the hiking poles! I do find that they speed me up a little and I love them for the decent especially if it is steep. They give me a lot more stability and balance. I have only been using them this past year or so and I don't use them all the time but on hikes like this I am glad to have them.

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  2. That statue is Agave Maria hehe

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  3. Love the pictures. Very impressed with your combined fitness. I'm thinking you should piggy back Roy up the mountain with you next time. He would really enjoy the view from the top. He would probably even bring a drink for the two of you to enjoy.

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    1. Thank you Erik!

      We will have to think about doing that next time we hike up a mountain! ;-)

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  4. What a nice journey so far! Love all the photos especially the beautiful views from top of the mountains!!

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    1. Thank you Connie and Barry! We are so happy that you are enjoying our posts. :-)

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  5. Nine miles is a reasonable hike? I think some Army Rangers and Navy SEALS would be shown up by your hiking ability... :cD

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    1. Yep, not too shabby, especially considering half of that was uphill! :-)

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  6. Gorgeous views of Guanajuato and area....thanks to your fitness and awesome camera. So wish Iwas 10 years younger! Lol!

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    1. Thanks Lynnette, the views were beautiful. The idea of hiking like this is to not stop hiking, because once you stop it is hard to start again. We hope to be doing this for a long time to come! :-)

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  7. My niece, who is the director of the Colorado Springs Botanical Gardens, says that the "fern" is actually a type of Resurrection plant (S. lepidophylla or Resurrection Plant). She was very happy you saw one as she has never seen one in the wild.

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    1. Thanks for looking into that for us Chris, it's nice to know what it was called. We actually saw quite a few of them up there on the mountain. :-)

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    2. I wondered about the name and it's because it unrolls from an apparently lifeless ball when the wet season begins.

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    3. They say even a few drops of water will bring it back to life.

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  8. The picture of the cattle and the statue is frameable!

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    1. Thanks Kathy, it is pretty neat looking especially with the dark, stormy looking sky in the background.

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