1 of 32: Map of the Comunidad de Madrid
2 of32: Instructions at the trailhead.
3 of32: The team gathers for a group picture.
4 of 32: When the trail opens out, we take a breather.
5 of 32: A fountain of "Agua no potable".
6 of32: A snack at the Collado.
7 of32: A lesson on rocks at the Collado.
8 of 32: An overview of Zarzalejo.
9 of 32: Regrouping after our snack.
10 of32: A group picture at the Collado
11 of 32: The Tipsy Rock.
12 of32: Just kidding!
13 of 32: The flat rock just below the summit.
14 of32: The scramble to the summit.
15 of 32: The summit geodesic marker
16 of32: Mr. Dowling spots for safety.
17 of 32: Blue sky and beautiful views from the top.
18 of32: A happy climb
19 of32: A nook out of the wind for lunch.
20 of32: The biggest ice cube he's ever seen!
21 of 32: A view from La Machota Alta
22 of 32: A comfortable nook.
23 of32: And this is a rock, everyone!
24 of 32: A serious lesson in fence etiquette
25 of32: How farmers help hikers.
26 of32: How too many hikers repay farmers.
27 of32: La Carmita, a boulder problem
28 of 32: Looking backwards.
29 of32: A sign for the Silla de Felipe II
30 of 32: A five hour hike will do that to you!
31 of 32: The end of the trail for us.
32 of 32: The end of our hike
Our hike starts in Zarzalejo and ends just southwest of El Escorial.
We will be following the red and white blaises of the GR-10 trail, a Gran Recorrido that runs from Valencia to Lisbon and crosses through the Comunidad de Madrid.
After about fifteen minutes, we pause briefly to shed our coats, now that we have worked up some heat.
The trail skirts the south slope of La Machota Alta, and we can see La Machota Baja ahead of us.
Just below the Collado de Entrecabezas is a fountain used to water the cattle that graze on these slopes. It looks inviting, but it is not for humans.
Once we reach the Collado de Entrecabezas, roughly an hour into the trail, we stop for a snack and a view of the Cuerda Larga to the north.
There is always something to learn on a hike like this, so we waste no opportunity
The view here is to the south, looking towards the mountains Almenara and Almorchón, towards San Martin Valdeiglesias.
We still have forty minutes to the summit, so we stash our trash and get ready to leave the Collado de Entrecabezas.
A rock commemorates this spot. The trail to the summit is called the "Senda de los Trés Ermitaños", or Path of the Three Hermits. We will learn why later.
On the way to the top, we pass a number of preposterous rock formations like the Tipsy Rock.
Although there are plenty of potential nooks and crannys to crawl through, the trail really doesn't take us through any tunnels.
The flat rock just below the summit is filled with potholes "pilacónes" that have filled with woter. They are a curious sight, like little wash basins.
The last five meters are a rock scramble up a crevice that requires a bit of hand work. We go up one at a time, for safety.
There is a cannister with a summit log at the top. We all sign our first names and come back down quickly to get out of the wind.
We take no chances. Though the rock gives good adhesion, we place people to control any slip. Yup, better safe than sorry.
Here you see the cannister and the geodesic cement column that mark the summit: 1409 meters about sea livel.
On this occasion, everyone "summited".
The wind chill made it uncomfortable to be out in the open, so everyone found their own place out of the wind.
Proof that it was cold is this chuck of ice peeled out of a "pilacón."
This picture of another day was taken from high on La Machota Alta, and if you can discern a thin red line on the photo, it shows you the route we followed up La Machota Baja.
We stopped at the Collado de Entrecabezas on the way down, too, for a breather. Some people got more comfortable than others.
Yes, there WILL be a test after this, and maybe even an essay!
On the way down, our path crosses a farmer's stone fence, erected to keep the cattle in their pastures.
Farmers frequently put fences with gates in places they know hikers transit. This keeps in their livestock, but allows hikers passage.
Unfortunately, too many hikers just scramble over the stone fences and leave them in ruin. Cows get out, farmers get angry, and often restrict their lands so hikers cannot cross. Robert Frost said it, "Good fences make good neighbors". So be considerate hikers: use gates, and always close them.
La Silla de Felipe II is a very famous bouldering area. Here are some "friquis" practicing their skills on a boulder called La Carmita.
As we look back towards La Machota Baja, we see the three peaks that represent the three hermits -trés ermitaños- we spoke of earlier, hence the "Senda de los Trés Ermitaños."
Legend has it that King Felipe II, who suffered terrible gout, was carried out here frequently so he could see how work was coming on his monastery, the Monastery of El Escorial. The view was certainly worth it, as you will see in the last picture.
Yup, it HAS been a long day: five hours and about ten kilometers. That is a good day's work.
At the Ermita de la Virgen de Gracia, our schoolbus was waiting for us.
The monastery of El Escorial from just above the Silla de Felipe II. As the sun sets in the west, the last rays come through the Puerto de la Cruz Verde directly west and illuminate the monastery. We have had a great day.
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1 of 32: Map of the Comunidad de Madrid
Our hike starts in Zarzalejo and ends just southwest of El Escorial.