AWW 16.04.2008 Picota Panoply

Picota Panoply or a Walk of Two Halves

Group at start at Foz do Banho. Usual suspects under the 'bushel'

Another huge turnout at 23 walkers and 3 dogs, with many of the starters declaring that they might have to leave at the halfway point because of assignations/injuries/apathy/lack of fitness etc. The walk was billed by Ian W. as "just over 6 hours and has a get out after 3 hours" which inevitably led to the grand attendance! Augmented by Myriam and myself on a 4 day stopover in between filial duties in UK, the weather looked promising and it was anticipated that the full course would near 1000 metres in total ascent - a record since records began. Myriam would also attempt to catch up on gossip since we went back to UK in mid-March, and update everyone on goings on - a tall order in only 6 hours!!
As both Deputy and Assistant Chief Blogger had taken advantage of my temporary return to the Algarve to absent themselves, I had to place the leader Ian W. under some pressure to submit his walk report before Thursday evening as we were flying out early Friday. He failed as his extensive social obligations precluded his journalistic commitment.
I loaded maps, stats and pix in preparation for his prose, and flew out hoping that my dialup connection would not be overcome by a learned and lengthy exposition and analysis of the walk. I need not have lost sleep, but the delight was that as the walk itself, the report came in two halves, both from the Leader and the Director of Traffic. There may be some duplication, as I had anticipated some comments in my preambles, but you can detect the varying contributions by the colours of the text!

The track - pink for the whole route and green for where the part-timers opted out and returned directly to the Foz

Leader: Ian W ; Soft option: Diane W.

Present: Full walk: Janet, Tina, Hilke, Dina, Myriam, Terry, John O' , Thyl, Paul
Sampler Walk: Rod, Peter, Roger, Pamela (guests of Peter), Ian S., Brian, Antje, Stan, Elaine, Vitor,
Lost Patrol: Chris
Disappointed Dogs (only half a walk) Tiggy, Maddy, Pooky

Stats:
Short Course Total Distance 12.73 km (others unknown!)
Full whack: Total Distance 19.7 km: Moving Time 5 hrs 15 min.: Total Time: 6 hrs 37 min
Moving Average: 3.7 km/hr: Overall Average 3.0 km/hr
Total Ascent: 953 m. Max Elevation 783 m. Start Elevation 197 m.
Tilley Count (by popular demand): 6

In the event we missed the 1000 m. climb by only 47 m and were 300 m short of the 20km. Ian W. is going to recce a 'loop' to augment the stats next time he does this walk - if he can find anyone to go with him!!
There were several comments that "that was the longest 20 km I have ever done!"

Peter 'forgot' his boots, and nearly fell over trying to conceal his sturdy alternatives from ace papparazzi Myriam

Terry's tribute to Maurice!

He wore the boots and carried the rucsac bequeathed him by Maurice when he went back to UK. They seemed to work very well! And now to the field reports from our joint leaders:

Sex, mobiles and the walk leader´s wife - apparently too much of all three. Arrival at the Foz was greeted by an overbearing W.L.´s W. who directed all to park around the corner so as not clutter up the forecourt, thereby generating the ire of the restaurateur around the corner. She begs your pardon. With fourteen men, nine ladies and three dogs there was undoubtedly too much sex. Mobiles will be revealed in time.

On the rocks! wending up Picota. Note the dead trees from the fires a few years ago.

Start was delayed by the inevitable to-ing and fro-ing to cars parked around the corner and the compulsory photo, so a punishing pace was set climbing the first incline, the top of which afforded a good view of bright orange cranes towering over Longevity. It would be a long time before we saw them again. Slashing through undergrowth past the walk leader´s house we emerged back on tarmac for a few metres before beginning the proper assent of Picota.

John O' demonstrating that it is not as easy as falling off a log!

Progress with so many bodies, often in single file, skirting boulders, negotiating trail bike ramps and scaling fallen mimosa was slow but the cry on, on from Ian W. at the front and Ian S. at the back encouraged us to spend less energy on conversation and more on physical exertion. The advance guard reached the summit within the allotted 2 hours.

The rocky path to the summit. Slopes of Foia in the background.

Obligatory Trig Point Photo. (873m)

This was taken by Thyl, who had worked out that the best way to avoid being in the group pix was to borrow the camera and take them himself!

Some, mistaking this for the lunch break sat down. A record photo and we set off at a bruising pace - well, some toes were bruised. At this point, as the line of walkers became long and straggly a mobile phone rang and the owner stepped off the path to answer. A call to his wife 15 minutes later confirmed he was lost having missed a turn but as all paths led down he was confident of finding his way back to the Foz. This delay along with a hard fall by one of the more seasoned walkers resulted in a later than expected regrouping on the lower road.

On the way down - group is strung out

Over (and under) the sticks!

Lunch among the spring flowers

Here the sheep were separated from the goats and we thirteen bleaters took the shorter route back to the Foz led by Ian S´s raging thirst.

(I take no responsibility for the above, written by the Traffic Warden)

Soon after lunch it was time for the parting of the ways. Diane led the sheep to the bottom of the hill, while the goats followed Ian over a succession of ever increasing undulations!

Looking fondly back from whence we came

Heading off down the tarmac road towards Fornalha, 10 stalwarts stiffened their pace to try to arrive back at the Foz before dark, having spent one hour too long in the descent from Picota. (the stalwarts were Paul and Myriam, John, Janet, Hilke, Thyl, Tina, Terry M, Dina and Ian W)

The cistus are really huge this year - and sticky!!

How Green was My Valley!

Myriam performs gymnastics while negotiating a gate at the start of a bridge!

After just over 1km we headed south west on a mainly downhill track, which eventually after one or two mishaps reached the Monchique road in time to see Rod and Ian S. floating past leaving fumes of tea beer and diesel behind them. We crossed the road, followed the river downstream and crossed a bridge to start a stiff climb to the ridge.

Heads are down! A long steep slog, west of the Monchique road

Panoply of spring flowers

At the top of the ridge we were able to see the whole route of the walk from beginning to end. Quite the view. We followed the ridge dropping down into the Caldas de Monchique valley and wound our way up to the Foz. Unfortunately we failed marginally to complete 1000m of ascent by about 50 m. Had the walkers been prepared to climb to the leader's house they would have done the " Munro" and received a free beer, but they were all too tired and it was after all, 4.30, and some had pressing engagements. As usual, Thyl found his own way down from the ridge and no doubt through brambles and leaping the stream.

Back at the Foz - morale is rising - but where is Thyl?

We lingered over our beers, and Myriam graciously volunteered to walk back to the distant car park where she had been ordered some 7 or 8 hours ago by the Director of Traffic, and bring the car to the front of the cafe. On her return she reported that Thyl's prize Mercedes was still parked there, and no evidence of the adventurer having made it off the mountain. The CB attempted several times to contact the responsible walk leader, but he, having already lost one walker earlier, had disconnected his comms rather than risk breaking the AWW record and losing almost 10% of his flock! On our way back down the road to the A22, we saw a man laying down and preparing to sleep on the hard shoulder next to the white line. We stopped and went back to look, but alas it wasn't Ian S. We roused the elderly gentleman, who was obviously (according to Myriam's finely honed sense of smell) on his way home from a neighbouring hostelry, and moved him to a safer position in which to recuperate his faculties! Good deed done we went on our way, praying that Thyl had merely decided to include Foia in the day's walk, and would return soon!

"We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success." Thoreau, Henry David (Excuses for not completing a Walk #287)