afternoon hike in monfrague

Leaving Salamanca, we headed to the National Park called Monfrague. We really didn't know what to expect and were surprised to see the massive replanting effort that had gone into the place. Rolling hills after rolling hills were filled with rows of trees all of the same height. We assumed there must have been some heavy deforestation in its past and they were trying to get it back. We stopped in the little village in the heart of the park for a map and a little info on where would be a good place to hike.

We found a hike that seemed reasonable and headed out across the river to the trail head. We decided on a hike that would take us to an old Moorish castle that sat on top of one of the many ridges in the area. A hike with a scenic destination always makes for an easier hike.

 It took us around an hour to make it to the top. At the top we had stunning views in all angles and as Andrew's dad said, "I feel like we can see all of Spain."

 We were able to climb up in the castle to get even better views. We felt like Moors watching out for invading Christains.

There were many giant buzzards circling overhead, ready to pick on any fallen hikers - luckily that wasn't us. We also found out once we reached the top, that there was a road on the opposite side of the ridge we hiked up, that takes you almost to the castle. But the way we saw it, the hike allowed us to earn our beers that evening.

The bridge is where the trail head was. To get an idea of how far we hiked.