Above the clouds at Roque de los Muchachos: 28th October 2020
Today was my last day at Rivendell and an opportunity to visit the highest point of the island which is locate in the north of the island providing views across the Caldera all the way to the very southern tip of the island. It was going to be along long drive as I first had get out of the Caldera. It was a beautiful morning and had views across to the top ridge of the Caldera where I would be heading towards.
After leaving the Caldera I headed towards Tazacorte before climbing up long winding road to Tijarafe. One the way I stopped off at ‘Mirador del El Time’ viewpoint with views across the plains of Los Llanos.
The road then gradually started to climb up through the northern part of the island which is famous for its vineyards.
The roads in this region are also lined with Almond trees which where just starting to produce new leaves after the dry summer.
After an hour the road started the final climb up through the ‘sea of clouds’ reaching the edge of the Starlight Reserve.
Here the air is clear and lacks humidity and is one of the best places in the world to observe the sky. It is a UNESCO protected region and is free from light pollution which is why some of the best telescopes and observatory equipment is located in this region.
I parked my car at Mirador de Los Andenes where I joined a hiking trail across the highest point of the island to Roque de los Muchachos. The views across the island were stunning and I was lucky in the morning as the clouds were not too dense enabling me to view different parts of the caldera.
I was able to as far as the Faro De Fuencaliente Lighthouse in the far distance which is where I walked last Wednesday and is the very southern tip of the island.
I followed the hiking trail around the ridge towards Roque de los Muchachos. The path took me between the observatories.
The path curved round and up to the islands highest point at Roque de los Muchachos which is 2,426 metres above sea level. The rock has three view points across the ridge which protrudes out into the caldera.
A common kestrel was circling around the rock and perched just in front of me.
It is amazing that plants are able to grow clinging onto the rocks.
It was a popular view point but not too crowded given that most people drive up to the Muchachos rather than walk across the ridge.
I rested for a while at the view point and watched the clouds gradually accumulate until they formed a blanket completely obscuring the view across the caldera and island.
I walked back along the ridge to where I started the hike which felt as if I was floating above the clouds.
I drove back down the steep winding road through the clouds. I briefly stopped in the hills above Puntagordo where a fire last year had burnt a large part of the north east of the island.
The pine trees in the Canaries are a unique species which have three needles at each node rather than the two common on the mainland. The pine trees have evolved to resist forest fires and fully regrow there pine needles after a couple of years. The ability evolved due to the volcanic nature of the islands where the trees had to survive the frequent volcanic eruptions.
On the way back I stopped at Tazacorte beach to watch the sunset. A storm out in the Atlantic had created a large swell which crashed onto the beach. I decided instead to sit on the beach and watch the sunset. While I was on the beach an older German guy decided to go for a swim. Everyone on the beach looked on in surprise as he walked into the sea. This soon turned to horror as the swell dragged him out away from the beach. He rode the waves for a while and tried to scramble back up the steep bank of sand and pebbles every time the waves through him towards the beach but every time he got dragged back out to sea as another large wave crashed onto beach. He must have struggled for nearly 20 minutes to get out of the sea. People on the beach called the emergency services but as they arrived he managed to finally drag himself up on the beach into safety completely exhausted. It was a good lesson in how dangerous the seas around the island can be.
