The beach at Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Toluca on December 24th!

Saturday, December 28, 2019

We were due for some exercise!

Absolutely perfect day for a hike yesterday. Lots of blue sky and sunshine, with a high temperature of about 22C (72F).

On the other side of the small lake here at Valle de Juarez there is a hill with a cross on the top. The locals call it "Picachu". Ruth and I have been to the top two or three times in the past, but we had always gone with the group from Hacienda Contreras when it was open, and every time we had got a drive about half way up and hiked from there.

This time, we decided to hike from the campground, a one way distance of about 8.5 kms (5.3 miles).

We set off at about 9:00am. Sal was driving part way up again, and offered to take some people that far. But seven of us walked the entire way.

Did I mention it was a beautiful day?

Out fishing.

That is where we are headed.

Looking back across the lake.

Starting to get a view of town.

A stable along the way.

Sal stopped to see if anybody else wanted a ride.

Aron and Ruth admiring a big maguey plant.

It as about six feet tall.

Interesting vegetation along the way.

Made it to the top at 12:20pm

The campground is at 6,400' altitude and the top of Picachu is at 8,000' altitude.

Looking down on Valle de Juarez.

Zoomed in on our campground 8 kms (5 miles) away.

Ruth and I enjoying the view. 
Thanks for the photo Jim!

Ruth, Sal, and Miguel (our guide).



And then we headed back down. When we arrived at the town it was close to 3:00pm. We stopped at a taco place and had a snack and a cold beer or two. That sure went down well.

Back at the campground around 4:00pm, we had done 17 kms (10.6 miles). Felt great to get out and get some exercise. We've got another hike planned for next week that is going to be around 20 kms (12.4 miles). Really great to have a group where most people are ambitious enough to tackle something like that!

Today is market day in Valle de Juarez. Always enjoy that. Oh, and it's carnita day as well!

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8 comments:

  1. Like you said it is nice doing things with like minded people that you enjoy.
    Now for the next blog, "What is carnita day?"
    Be Safe and Enjoy the hikes.

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sure is, and this trip we made sure to have people that are hikers and bikers! :-)

      Kevin will tell you all about carnitas in today's post. Just a little hint, it has to do with food!

      Delete
  2. What a beautiful day for a hike. Although I would love to hike that far, I don't think I could physically do it without a lot of discomfort. Glad you could do it for me. What great views from the top of the mountain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a perfect day for a hike! It was definitely one of the longer hikes that we have done on this trip so far. For those that found it too much, Sal drove his car quite a ways up the hill and then he and a friend of his hiked from there. We had one of our group go up with him and but walked back and another one walked up but rode back otherwise we all did the hike. Yep, the views from the top are beautiful, definitely worth the hike up. :-)

      Delete
  3. Don't know of many landforms named after Pokémon characters so I'm leaning toward "picacho"...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, of course you are right, slight misspelling on our part! ;-)

      Delete
  4. 5 miles away and still a clear picture. Did you use a tripod? Your camera has an amazing zoom! What kind and what type of lens?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1/500th shutter speed, so no tripod necessary. The camera is a Nikon P900 with a 24mm-2000mm equivalent zoom lens.

      Delete

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