«The mountain does not change with our ascent. It is we who change », wrote Messner rightly in one of his books. But beyond the footprint that leaves a mountain in us, The truth is that no ascension is equal to another. If so, What sense would it have to repeat peaks? There are summits, like that of the dear Peña Oroel or Peñalara's, to those that I always return and to those that I do not get back to return. That was what I was thinking while we headed to Rigüelo parking, In the Oscense Valle de Aísa, from where we planned, Through the Sierra de la Estive, The tip of Mejola (2.177 meters). It was the third time in the last six months I was heading towards the same hill, but circumstances, in any case, They were very different and turned each walk into different.
At the beginning of July he had risen from the valley that opens to the other side of the Sierra de la Estive, that of Aragüés del Puerto, where Lizara's shelter is usual starting point for ascent to the bisaurin (that, many years after, would rise again in a few days). Month and a half later, At the end of August, On that occasion by the Aísa Valley, Like now, I had promoted again until the hill of the boy accompanied by my wife and children, five and nine years old. But today is 28 December, Holy Innocent Day, And a week ago winter, So the experience has nothing to do with the previous two.
No ascension is equal to another. If so, What sense would it have to repeat peaks?
Snow is attached, Although not too much, at the top of the Sierra de la Estiva, And that makes at the last moment he decides to leave the piolet in the trunk and load only with the canes (The verb is not randomly chosen: I don't like walking with canes and I never carry them on my summer walks because my knees, fortunately, They still endure). At the bottom of the backpack they travel with me, yes, two pairs of crampons, classics of twelve tips and others lighter of only four that are fixed under the instep.
It's ten in the morning when we start. We have not get much early so as not to tempt luck with frosts on the road. After the barrier that closes the passage to vehicles, The track is considerably steep in a stretch stretch (To endure winter snowfall, I guess), just ten minutes that force you to warm up civil or criminal until it reaches the height of the Salaras refuge, on our left (A stone chimney betrays him).
Snow is attached, Although not too much, at the top of the Sierra de la Estiva, And at the last moment I decide to leave the piolet in the car
The road continues to the end of the valley, But we deviate on the right and leave the GR by a local path marked with green and white marks, that first crosses the river that runs through the Igüer ravine and then trace the dividing between the basins of this and that of Estarrón, To our right. Following in these first steps the itinerary that leads to the Aspe, We leave behind a sign that marks the direction to the collado del Bozo (left) and to the Magdalena (Right.) And soon we strip us, healed, shelter.
For now we have uploaded a lot and it is time to take the GR-11 to our left that, in clear half hillside, It comes from Canfranc and, perpendicularly crossing the path on which we ascend, He goes to the Bozo Collado. Now we have the rounded summits of the Sierra de la Estive, On the other side of the Aísa Valley, a few meters below us.
The road continues to the end of the valley, But we deviate on the right following a local path
This initial effort allows us to save the wall of rocks without major setback, Already at a lower level, that is brought to the mountaineer -for the one that at the time of thawing lowers the Rigüelo waterfall– Shortly before reaching the Rinconada del Valle, An idyllic scenario surrounded by mountains. The Collado del Bozo It's just 200 meters of unevenness above us, But since the snow covers the hillside where the path we deviate to the right and climb the ravine to the brave in shorts Zig Zags. Sun and don't run barely breeze, So the climb is comfortable despite the pronounced uneven.
At 11:30 We reach the hill, hour and a half from the car (Four months ago I had double with my children). Here we conclude then the walk, But now we want to continue until the top of the Mejola. Down there the roofs of the Lizara shelter are guessed. Before us, The hill of the foracon and the massif of the Bisaurin. Across, The dairy and all the route we have followed by the Aísa Valley.
In the hill we fit the crampons to travel the Sierra de la Estive, completely white in its upper part
We are a 2.000 Metters of altitude and there is enough snow. After bordering the Bozo neck peak (2.083 meters) for its face this, more clear, We fit the crampons to travel the crest of the Sierra de la Estive, completely white in its upper part. We progress well, except for snow sections softened by the sun, sometimes yield, making the march more heavy.
From here it is about comfortably calling one peak after another, and losing irremediably height between them. The unevenness accumulate and, especially around, something heavy is done. We first make top in Sun And shortly after, Enjoying both sides of the great views of the two valleys and the peaks of the throat of Aísa, with the head to the head, We already have the petrito in sight, where we guess the silhouette of a group of mountaineers who also addresses the tip of Mejola.
We progress well, except for snow sections softened by the sun, sometimes yield, making the march more heavy
To save us those last meters of unevenness that you have to descend to the hill of the messol, We continue halfway without pending in the Petrito, a somewhat exposed area that we avoid on the way back. From there to the summit we only have the final slope, with much more accumulated snow but that goes up without setbacks (Perhaps in this section it is better to carry piolet for greater security) leaning on the sticks. At 12:50 We are at the summit, where we agreed a few minutes with the three mountaineers who preceded us, and that they prefer to descend to eat something on the top of the petrito.
The views are spectacular, with the bisaurin on one side and the aspe the other, Thanks to the privileged position of the Mesola, on horseback between two spectacular and little busy valleys. In the lot. It is seen to the table of the three kings. The temperature is more pleasant than when I was here in July. It is less cold and much less wind than then, And we don't even have to warm us while we take pictures and eat something. These minutes compensate any effort. Within just a few days, Everything will be filled with snow, But today the conditions of the ascent have been privileged. It is the gift of the Holy Innocents.
Within just a few days, Everything will be filled with snow, But today the conditions of the ascent have been privileged
Fifteen minutes later we started to descend. This time we go up to Petrito to avoid its softened snow hillside. The route in reverse through the Sierra de la Estiva to the Collado del Bozo is exhausting, Because snow is now much more softened by the sun and occasionally a leg sinks to the knee (Blessed Poulas), pushing us even to the grass in some sections. At 13:50, finally, We reach the hill and say goodbye to the crampons.
We go down the snow -free ravine and save the rock cliff on the right, by a marked path that forces Avizor Eye to not lose the stone milestones that indicate the road. Thus we avoid the long half -first hillside.
On the way back the snow is much more softened by the sun and, occasionally, One leg sinks to the knee
Without seeing anyone else in our tour, Soon we arrive at the head of the Valley and, Already on the paved track that leads to parking, Apartment a camouflaged ice puddle in an umbría and I fall to the straight ground like a table, stopping the blow with the wrist, that fortunately resists. Five minutes from the car would have been a quite stupid way to injure. At three we are in the parking lot (actually, cars are either in the shoulder without further ado). The always beer beer jug we took in an Aisa grill next to the road. What would be the mountaineer efforts without the reward of that final beer?
