With the aim of making you even more aware of the wonderful world of trail walks and hiking trails in the middle of Nature, I invited Eugénio Torres, my professional colleague, who is one of its most experienced and passionate supporters, for a conversation.
This article is an almost complete excerpt of our pleasant conversation. Here some history and many stories about trekking are told and recommendations and plans for future walks are shared. After the previous article - https://www.mouramarques.pt/post/caminhadas-trilhos-e-percursos-pedestres-a-sua-espera - this conversation will go a little deeper into my (and our) adventure through (and I am never tire of using the adjective) this "wonderful world"!
Marco Moura Marques (MMM): Eugénio, thank you for agreeing to talk to me about this topic that tells you a lot.
Eugénio Torres (ET): Thank you.
MMM: I would like us to start with exactly the reasons why trekking, hiking, trails tell you a lot, and share with me - and with those who will read us - when and how you discovered this world.
ET: Look, Marco, it might make you laugh, but I've been hiking since I was a kid. I went to school and walked six kilometers each way, following paths at that time. I can't even imagine my son doing something like that.
MMM: But where did you do that?
ET: I'm from Valença do Minho. There was a road to the private school where I studied. But I cut straight and went along the mountain along a path through the middle of the mountain. My parents knew. This path had a strange name: “the path of the dead”. I lived in a house, on a farm, which was in the middle of the hill. All my friends did this type of route, it was a normal thing. My relationship with hiking comes from there.
MMM: And what followed?
ET: It evolved from there. I have always done road cycling. But then mountain biking came along and I joined. And then, yes, I woke up to something else. I increasingly did mountain biking in mountains and even in high mountains. I was federated, I ran, I competed. From then on and at an age, let’s say, more adult and mature…
MMM: Still in Valença do Minho?
ET: No, already in Porto. I came to Porto when I was sixteen. When I was eighteen or nineteen, mountain biking was rudimentary, there was no equipment, we ran in jeans. And in many situations we placed feminine sanitary pads to protect the saddles, as there was no equipment suitable for mountain biking.
MMM: Ahahah… an object truly with a multipurpose function.
ET: It's true. Those were other times, when real mountain bikes didn't even exist. But then things started to evolve... One day, on a normal walk, without a bicycle, I realized that when I was riding one I could see nothing of the places I passed. Because riding a mountain bike requires you to be very focused on the path in front of you. And from then on I started making my discoveries on the mountain. At that time I used to travel and discover routes alone, which I don't do now. There was no GPS, what there were were mountain maps, from the army, which I bought at Porto Editora, which cost me a fortune. I discovered and followed paths, with a compass and these charts. And then I invited my friends and guided them on bicycle routes. But first I did these routes on foot.
MMM: Would you serve as a guide to your friends?
ET: Yes, I was a guide and was declared a guide. And at that point, I did a series of things.
MMM: So at that time there were no Small Routes and Large Routes yet?
[Note from the Autor: "Pequena Rota" or "PR" and "Grande Rota" or "GR" in Portuguese]
ET: No. There was nothing like that. You were going to the mountain, by yourself, with a compass and some charts and nothing else. But it gave me a lot of experience and experience.
MMM: So you discovered trails and walking routes from your experience with bicycles. And did you get back on the bike or do you still get on those bikes and ride those mountain paths?
ET: No, I no longer do mountain biking, I stopped doing it a few years ago. I do road cycling and a modality within cycling, which is already old, but which is very fashionable today and which is "gravel". The difference between mountain biking and "gravel" is that mountain biking is "breaking stone". You go through all the places and floors, you go down things that you couldn't imagine going down, not even on foot. The "gravel" is... gravel. In other words, you walk through mountains, but you don’t "break stones". In certain places you can't pass, you have to carry the bike on your back. You drive in mountains through ‘firebreaks’ areas and little else.
MMM: Is the thing that fascinates you about one thing and another, that is, cycling and hiking, similar?
ET: Yes. Everything I have done and do has a common point: Nature.
MMM: So that's your appeal?
ET: Yes. Nature. Sport linked to Nature. Furthermore, I don't know if you know, but I do photography; or rather, I took photography. And a few years ago I went on photography walks: I would set a starting point and go… it would take me an hour to do a kilometer. And I was recording, photographing. And then I discovered spectacular things. I've traveled a lot of Europe: I've done the "Picos de Europa", Pyrenees, Alps... and so on. And I have dreams about other places. But we have such good things to discover in Portugal... that after all these years I still continue to discover new things.
MMM: Things to discover right next to our door... Before I ask you about these experiences on other paths other than here right next to your door, and because this conversation is intended to be read by people who are starting out in trekking, or who are completely unaware of it... In my case, for example, I'm a beginner, I did half a dozen trails, mostly near where I live (except one that I did in the Algarve, because I was there on vacation)... But I realized that to advance a little further in this world, although it is a world accessible to everyone, the truth is that we must know some precautions to take when diving into it. Recently, in my previous newsletter, I tried to make people aware of this world, which has many things to discover. And now this conversation with you, one of the "guardians" of this wonderful world, I dare say, aims to share some information with people so that they too can experience it. So, I ask you: what would you recommend to those who, like me, have only done a few routes and want to know more, but also to those who have not yet discovered trekking, but have simply walked in beautiful places and who now realize that out there is a fantastic world to discover?
ET: I think each of us, first of all, should try to figure out what it he or she wants to do. I used to go to the mountains alone, on pure adventure, and that gave me a great experience. Today we have several types of trails. In those early days of mine there were no walkways, there were no PR’s (Small Routes), there was no GPS, there was nothing… Nowadays you can choose what you want to do. Do you want to do walkways? So some ordinary sneakers, some ordinary cool clothes, a container of water... and you're fine. Do you want to evolve, climb the mountain, make PRs? So you have to have another type of equipment and training. And you have to face something that I like and that you learn to like: altimetry.
MMM: What is this, exactly?
ET: Altimetry is like... you go up, up, up and it seems like ýou never reach the sky. I remember going up hills and halfway through it I thought: “this only stops in the sky”. But be aware that if you are not physically in good health, doing altimetry is complicated.
[Editor's Note: “altimetry” (a combination of “altitude” and “metrics”) is the representation of the relief of the terrain, that is, the variation in altitude of each point on the surface under study. It is used to generate contour lines, measure vertical angles and obtain elevation coordinates.]
MMM: Breathing requirements… the air density is different… the oxygen level…
ET: So you have to know what you want, what you are prepared for and how you can prepare yourself for what you want to do. If you want to do mountains and trails, then, nowadays, you have a lot of trails to do. Beautiful trails, where you don't need a guide, you don't need help from anyone.
MMM: But will there be trails with different difficulties?
ET: Of course. There are even very difficult trails. For example, three years ago, I went on a trail to Mont Blanc, in Switzerland. We start early in the morning and finish at the end of the day. I went with three other people, all experienced in the mountains. But only two carried measuring equipment. When we reached the end, completely exhausted, someone asked: “did we do what… about 20 km?”. I looked at my equipment and told them: “you are wrong… we did 7 kilometers”. In other words, it took us eight hours to cover seven kilometers. But we went up to three thousand and so meters... But, for me, the biggest difficulty is going down, not going up.
MMM: Why?
ET: It might have to do with me, although I think it will be something common to all mountain hikers. The difficulty and danger are in the descent and not in the ascent. When you emerge, you have everything in front of you. When you go down, the feeling you get is that you can just stop about ten meters ahead, if you miss a movement. So, in addition to this difficulty in climbing these seven kilometers, we then had the difficulty of descending. And between the climb and the descent we still had something called "ferratas". It's about crossing a mountain holding onto chains that are already set up there. Now this also has some difficulty and danger…
MMM: None of what you’re saying can be confused with mountaineering, right?
ET: What I'm talking to you about is mountaineering. What is done in these types of places, like Mont Blanc, is mountaineering. And to go mountaineering, you must have already been through some things, know others, in short, have had some experience. It's not essential, you can go straight away... but it's a good idea.
MMM: Are we already talking about sticking pegs into the mountain and passing ropes?
ET: Not exactly. But you might want to bring some gloves, so you don’t ruin your hands…
MMM: Does an altitude of three thousand meters already require breathing aids?
ET: No. But you must take into account that adapting to three thousand meters is difficult. In such a way that our Serra da Estrela, almost two thousand meters high, makes me feel that altitude if I go there to do some activity. I feel… I feel the breath of altitude. If, for example, I drive up the mountains and, at the top, get out of the car to do some activity, I feel as if I were climbing or having just finished climbing stairs. In other words, there is a need for some adaptation.
MMM: So, for example, for this hike in the Alps you had to travel there a few days before starting to climb?
ET: No. I went to a friend's house, where I usually stay when we go hiking together. We were there for one day and left the next day. Going up and at the top, I felt the breathing a little. But we should all be aware that when we walk ten to twenty kilometers, our difficulty in adapting to the physical demands of the walk also has a lot to do with the speed at which we want to do it. You can do five kilometers in an hour or you can relax and do them in an hour and a half. It depends on the pace you want to impose on your walk. I'm a hiker, but I don't go walking to make time. When I go to the mountains I always go in the spirit of doing whatever twenty kilometers, taking care to arrive before sunset, but not with the aim of arriving at three in the afternoon, for example. I take it easy and when I'm done, I'm done.
MMM: You might want to enjoy the landscape and you will, right?
ET: Yes. You may want to photograph the landscape, the animals, you may want to stop, see and enjoy a waterfall... If you look at the clock, you miss all of this. I only do one timed walk a year.
MMM: But is there this ‘modality within the modality’, that is, taking walks with time?
ET: Yes, there is.
MMM: Does it work based on personal bests or is there some competition?
ET: Based on personal bests. You go there and try to set your best time. Everyone defines their goals. The timed walk I take is thirty-five kilometers long. I started at eight and finished at one… I went there and left at night… But the challenge is yours. You are the one who defines it. But you are controlled throughout several points of the route. And there are points that won't let you pass after a certain time. For example, this year I decided to go with a colleague, who was not in the best physical shape. After twenty or so kilometers they cut us off and took us by car.
MMM: Returning now to the routes and practices of true hiking beginners… Taking my most frequent experiences, which are in "Serra da Freita" where I did one trail and two half trails, that is, I did a small complete route – "Nas Escarpas da Mizarela" - and half of two others – "O Caminho do Carteiro" and "Na Senda do Paivô". These 'half trails' were due to me not having completed either one or the other, as I mixed up the two routes and got a little confused. Since all these trails are available on the internet, and we can all search, download routes from Wikiloc and other sources, once again I ask you: what recommendations do you have for those who have never done these trails? Can they go alone or accompanied? What time should they go? What time of year should they go? I'm asking you about this, as I've learned that these are important questions, although I'm not completely clear on all the answers... What can you say about this?
ET: Regarding "Serra da Freita", I can tell you that the entire Serra is "technical", it’s tough. All of it. Unless you go to see a waterfall and take a short, peaceful stroll there. You must be sure of what you are going to do. You should never go alone. I've done many routes alone, but at the moment I no longer go and I don't advise anyone to go alone. You should know what you're going to do, take a map if you don't use GPS.
MMM: Sorry to interrupt... but when you say don't go alone, it's not because of certain obstacles you need someone's help to overcome them, but rather because something negative could happen, in physical terms, for example, and you have someone who can help you?
ET: Exactly. You should not walk alone in mountains. You don't have to be accompanied by someone experienced, if that's great, but the key is that someone else goes with you. If something bad happens, someone can always pick up their cell phone and call 112, which works everywhere.
MMM: Let me introduce something here… When I search the internet and analyze the available routes, I see that they are classified as “easy”, “medium”, “difficult”… And their length in kilometers is also indicated… And also the indication of whether the route is linear or circular... For someone who has never hiked in the mountains, only having walked on the boardwalk by the sea, you can tell them that they can take their partner, choose one of these paths and do five, ten kilometers?
ET: I think yes, they can do it. Let me explain something: the difference between a linear and circular path. The linear route is one that you pass by and then pass by again in the opposite direction in order to return to the original starting point, while the circular route is the one that you follow and return to the starting point, but without passing by the same route. Regarding the length of existing walking routes, it doesn't seem to me that there are any routes shorter than five kilometers.
MMM: So if the description of a short route says something like “linear route” and “five kilometers”, does that mean that to do it and return to the starting point we will have to multiply this length by two?
ET: Yes, it will be ten kilometers. But you can also take a circular route and return along the same route. On the circular paths you will always have guidance in both directions. It all depends on how you feel and what you think you can walk. On average, I do no more than four kilometers per hour. Now it's a matter of walking and understanding how you feel, to understand and get to know yourself. The ideal is to start early and try to finish on time. If it's Winter, you should aim to finish the route before five o'clock. If it's Summer, you stretch out a little more. For example, if you are going to do fifteen kilometers, you should count on four to five hours. In fact, these calculations are fundamental, you shouldn't start the walk and go in late at night. Unless you have a lot of experience and are well equipped. I already did.
MMM: And in the Summer, I say, based on my experience, we should avoid hot hours… Either start the walk very early or do it later in the afternoon.
ET: Of course. From June onward, I finish my mountain walks. Because of the heat… and the danger of fires. And then, at the end of September, I resume them.
MMM: I have two related questions that all beginners ask: “What shoes do I wear?” and “what do I carry in my backpack?”.
ET: Regarding footwear, if you are talking about mountains from 500 meters above sea level, and in "Serra da Freita", without a doubt, I would recommend boots.
MMM: Does the boot cover the ankle?
ET: Yes, I recommend it because of the braking and twisting… But if you're going for a low mountain hike, along rivers, for example, like the "Camino de Santiago", I think a trail shoe is great. For example, if you do the "Serra da Freita" plateau, just walking up there, and although I always recommend mountain boots, I think that trail shoes are not inappropriate. It is important to adapt your shoes to what you are going to do.
MMM: And not everyone adapts to a boot, right? There is some discomfort there…
ET: From my experience with boots, I can tell you this: there are boots for all feet. And if you buy a good boot, from mid-mountain to low, it's easy to adapt. Here we have another possible problem: there are people who suffer from excessive heating of their feet. I don't know what this is, but I know that there are people who are sick. They stop halfway up the mountain, take off their boots, take off their socks…
MMM: Are socks important too?
ET: Very important. Mainly because the appearance of blisters comes from the quality of the socks used
MMM: Should socks be suitable for hiking?
ET: They must be socks suitable for trekking. On these walks there will always be friction on your feet and it is not a good idea if the socks are not suitable.
MMM: So what should people carry in their backpack, besides some spare socks and something for blisters?…
ET: My backpack is always loaded with some things that sometimes make those who accompany me smile. I often carry a larger backpack than the people I accompany. There are even those who don't carry a backpack... and there are other people who end up understanding why I carry such a big backpack. It's just that I end up taking things for myself... and for them. What I carry in my backpack depends a lot on the time of year. If it's a Winter walk you'll easily go heavier, while in Summer you'll go lighter.
MMM: What if it's September or October?
ET: During this period of the year you will need to carry a normal mountain backpack, between sixteen and twenty kilos.
MMM: And what do you take there? Within normality... then at the end you can mention the exceptional that you also carry.
ET: I always have a backpack kit ready. I have plastic bags for everything, to waterproof everything. I have a plastic bag for a clothing kit: two pairs of socks and a t-shirt, in an anti-perspirant jersey. I even incorporated pants into this kit, but I no longer include them. Another kit that I include in my backpack and that I consider very important: first aid. In this kit I include some basic things, but there is one that I won't give up: the thermal blanket. It's something that costs you around four euros and could save your life. It's something that doesn't take up space. I also always include a frontal.
MMM: And what is that?
ET: It's a light that you put on and hold on your head with an elastic band. You might ask me "but why would I take a fontal if I’m going to go on a three or four hour walk and finish it during the day?". Yeah… but one day it goes wrong and how do you get out of the mountains? I also carry a coiled rope, about five meters long. I've never opened it, but it could be useful to tie something up, to get someone out of a more complicated place...
MMM: Look, you're talking to someone who likes to have things under control... You're giving me some tips that I'm going to put into practice.
ET: I believe. The rope fits well inside the backpack, it doesn't take up much space. The front is also important. I know that there are cell phones that also have lights, but then, at the moment of truth, it doesn't work or the battery runs out and you can't get out of the mountain, you don't even know where you are...
MMM: Does this front run on batteries? How is it loaded?
ET: Mine is already loaded for the mountains. It is already a frontal with an above average capacity, with a autonomy of twenty hours. It is connected to electrical current to charge the built-in battery. Mine also has a piece that fits where you can put batteries, in case the battery runs out. The front has already been useful to me, it has helped me out of some situations. But what I have already mentioned is basic. Now I don't hike mountains without poles. That's a fact. And these sticks can be two normal wooden sticks. It helps you climb up, it helps you balance your back. And, importantly, it is also a defensive weapon. If you encounter an animal that attacks you, how do you defend yourself? I use sticks everywhere. I'll never forget that one of the first mountains I climbed, in Switzerland, I didn't carry poles. I remember that my colleagues immediately told me: "you’re not going without sticks". And they lent me some, all crooked. And if there was a day I needed sticks, it was that day. Because to climb a mountain, with a backpack on your back, you will need help.
MMM: It's funny that whenever I've seen hikers with poles, I never noticed the advantage. And the only possibility I saw for this advantage to exist was the fact that I saw them with large backpacks on their backs, and possibly the poles could help balance the body on the walk and on the climbs...
ET: Using poles requires some training, you first need to understand how you work with them in your walk. They help you go up, they help you go down, they help you cross a river stream. But they can also help you fall, because if you don't know how to use them, you could trip over them and go down... There needs to be some training or experience to use them, but they are essential.
MMM: In "Serra da Freita", for example, do you also use them?
ET: Yes, I always carry them. Especially because you can pass along a trail, the passage of which is blocked, it is closed by the bush. So how are you going to open it? Are you going to put your hands in the brambles? With the sticks you can beat the bush and open the blocked trails. They are essential.
MMM: And are they resistant?
ET: A lot. My current poles are not carbon, the ultra-light ones that even bend. They are sticks that cost fifteen euros each. And they are already four years old. I bought some in "Picos da Europa", very expensive, heavy and with springs. Times were different. But in the meantime, I bought some for my daughter, blue ones, which cost me five euros each. They are sold as sticks for kids, but I think they are the basic essentials, not worth spending more money.
MMM: Are they height adjustable?
ET: They are. The kids' sticks are enough for you, for example.
MMM: And what else do you put in your backpack?
ET: I usually always carry mosquito repellent with me. After all that I have already mentioned, we enter into the food theme. I always carry a liter and a half of water.
MMM: In more than one reservoir?
ET: I always carry a liter and a half tank. If it's Winter, I always take a small thermos bottle with coffee. Enough for two or three coffees. Or, tea. I bring food, but I don't like those meals where you just add water and you have a meal. I also don't take fish or meat. But I take black beans, for example.
MMM: So you take protein, but in another form.
ET: Exactly. I usually take tomatoes. All this inside those watertight containers. Or, sometimes, I buy some plastic packaging at Mercadona and another supermarket, with pasta inside. For a euro and a half you buy this, it's great and you'll look good. I take fruit. I take some sweet things, dried fruits…
MMM: Have you ever needed to supply yourself with water? Where? In streams?
ET: Yes, quite a few times. I've already resorted to streams... But a few years ago, maybe ten or fifteen, I stopped getting my water from streams. I have a colleague who, in "Marão", got his water from a stream and had to be teleported to the hospital, as he fell into a coma. Because the water was contaminated. You see a stream of fresh, crystal-clear water and you think there's no problem in drinking from it... but what you don't know is that a few meters above, a wild animal urinated in these waters... So what happened is that my colleague drank the water' poisoned' like that, which was enough to make him feel really bad. So, from then on, I and some people in my circle never supplied ourselves with water that way again. And fundamentally this is what I put in my backpack.
MMM: So taking this somewhat dramatic story that you told us, what can you additionally tell us with this dramatic charge? And funny stories, of course.
ET: Well, dramatic, I have two stories… I never lost control or was under too much stress at any time, but I went through complicated stories. One of them took place in "Fisgas do Ermelo". I miscalculated the end time of the circular route. On the other hand, I was going with someone who decided to go down there, which was not calculated in terms of the length of the journey. We went down, up and also eased into the walking speed… and we ended up at night. Although I had a GPS, the truth is that it didn't show me where to cross a river. But we effectively had a river in front of us. And the river had a huge flow that did not allow us to even reach the middle of the riverbed, otherwise we would be swept away by it. It was complicated. From our experience, we end up not getting into stress. We went down a little, but stopped because we thought there shouldn't be anything there, as the village was on the other side. We could already see the light in the village. This was on a very dark night. However, we discovered an old bridge, passed it and reached the end, but only with the help of the GPS. There was no other option…
MMM: Was there a network on cell phones? Could you have called someone if there was no other solution?
ET: I don't know if there was a network... but 112 always works. One thing is certain, if one day when you get stuck on the mountain and see that you can't walk any further, get out of there... it's not worth going on adventures. You have to wait for daylight. How do you wait for it? You have a thermal blanket to spend the night.
MMM: So you don't take some kind of mini-tent?
ET: No, only on crossings, otherwise I don't use it.
MMM: Is it okay with a thermal blanket?
ET: Yes, you feel good. A thermal blanket is prepared for heat and cold. On one side it protects from the cold and on the other it protects from the heat. Wrap yourself up in the thermal blanket and spend a peaceful night, just out in the open. You can't go into despair, fall down a ravine, hurt yourself... You're left without light, there's no way to continue without risk, so you find a quiet place, take off the thermal blanket, lie down, cover yourself up and wait for dawn. The other story was more complicated… We went to do the thirty-five kilometers of "Freita Trekking", in the middle of the pandemic. They warned us that we would not receive assistance. Each person would continue orienting themselves using GPS. Everything went very well until halfway through. We should never have gone, because it was in October and we already knew we would arrive after hours, at night… but we took the plunge. Halfway through a storm arose: rain, hail, cold… It went very, very badly. The rain was like a bucket... There was nothing dry anymore. I don't know why, my GPS blocked it, it was the first time it happened to me. I had to open it, close it again to restart it… and this was always the case until the end. We are out of control. But in the meantime, we were in a village and then it was the "end of the world": the rain was so, so much, so much... The GPS sometimes misleads us in one thing that, if it's at night, you have to be very careful: when we have two paths or two uneven trails, which run in parallel or intersect... sometimes you don't know if you're on one or the other. And we, we realized later, that at a certain time and place, we were five meters below the trail we should have been on. Where we were was a water channel, so much so that I thought: “How does someone put a trail here?” But we ended up following it out there. And this happened when it was around ten o'clock at night, we were in danger of running out of electricity and, I think, not even a thermal blanket could save us from that.
MMM: But wasn't there a village nearby?
ET: No, no, we were far away. At a certain point, clinging to water pipes and trees, we ended up getting on the path. And then we followed him… and we finished the walk at midnight.
MMM: But did all this give you some anguish?
ET: Yes, it gave us some concern. It’s not like “I’m going to die!”, but due to the weather conditions and what was going on, it was complicated. We had nothing dry, nothing, nothing...
MMM: In these more stressful moments, do you feel that your body becomes more alert?
ET: Yes, without a doubt. The adrenaline kicks in.
MMM: The worst thing would be losing control?
ET: The worst thing that could happen… Well, I've had it. Last year I had something like that. We went to see the “almond trees in bloom”, where I go every year.
MMM: In February?
ET: In January… February. We got off at a Douro station. From there to the trail we had to go through a series of situations. So much so that when we arrived at the trail we were already running out of time. We walked the entire route and then had to make the journey to the train. And two colleagues were already becoming paranoid. We ended up missing the train and caught the next one, at night. But they got sick because they got stressed. When people travel with me, they already know that, no matter how much it costs them, they always come to an end.
MMM: Do you go on more walks as the advisor or guide for this group?
ET: Yes, I am almost always the guide. I don't go on paid hikes. Or rather, I do one: "Freita Trekking". I do it with a group of friends, it's a group to which I owe something, I like walking with those people.
MMM: And is it paid because there is an organization behind it?
ET: Yes, it is paid because of its organization. It's thirty-five kilometers. They provide assistance and control. And you don't miss out because they give you an anti-perspirant t-shirt that will cost around fifteen euros and which here costs twelve. They give you more lunch, water, etc. It gets paid, fully paid. Now those that charge twenty or twenty-five euros, no. I don't even walk with a hundred or so people... I go on my walks, I'm more or less certain about the people who walk with me and who I know... and that's how it is, on that basis.
MMM: So, to finish... and although this topic will continue for the next few months, I'm sure, at least it's my interest and my desire... So to finish this article, I ask you: what are your plans for the coming weeks and months? What do you have in mind?
ET: This year, for various reasons, I missed a lot of things I had planned at the beginning of the year. I usually do two “Santiagos” a year, at least. This year I made one.
MMM: Different paths?
ET: Yes, I always try to mix it up and make something new or make something I haven't made in many years. I always try to do something different. This year I did one, it was great, I had never done it before. It was that path that goes by boat... it was brutal... but now I don't remember the name.
MMM: Is it a Portuguese path?
ET: Yes, you go through Vila Nova de Arousa to Padrón. As I only had a few days, I did the "Camino de Santiago" from Pontevedra and in Arousa, I took the boat trip... it didn't occur to me, but it was very good, in historical terms, in terms of everything. The boat only crosses once a day, because the tide goes out and you have to walk. In other words, if you don't pass at that time... you won't pass. It was brutal! And then I made Padrón to Santiago. Very good, really very good.
MMM: And do you still plan to do one more route to Santiago before the end of the year?
ET: I wanted to see if so. And I have a few more things in mind. One of them is “the nose of the World”. I didn't want to delay this walk too much, as "Marão" has a high altitude. If I let this go on for those days in December, when the days are shorter, it's complicated... If that happens, maybe it's best not to do it. And I still have some things in "Serra da Freita"... but when it comes to Freita, I don't plan too far in advance, as it's more like “I'm going to Freita next week”.
MMM: I’ve seen that it’s your place of choice, your refuge…
ET: Yeah. And this year I still want to go to "Senhora do Minho".
MMM: Which is in…
ET: Ponte de Lima, do you know it? From there, if you look northwest, you will see a mountain up there. And you walk the mountains from below to above.
MMM: It’s a difficult route, moderate?…how would you classify it?
ET: It's medium difficulty. You do well. I can tell you what is difficult, but between easy and medium, sometimes I don't know how to distinguish clearly.
MMM: After this path, how do you get down? Do you take the same route back?
ET: “Senhora do Minho” is a circular path. I go up a path that is over fifty years old and go down a GR (Grand Route) which is an old Roman path.
MMM: Fantastic!
ET: Both the climb and the descent are brutal. And then up there you have two things: you have a view to the southeast, where you see Ponte de Lima and that whole area. And if you turn around, you see the sea. You see Vila Praia de Âncora, you see Moledo, you can’t even imagine everything you see…
MMM: “Senhora do Minho”? I've never heard of...
ET: It's not a marked trail.
MMM: But you said you were doing a GR...
ET: That's because then I catch and go down a GR. I have this habit: I do a lot of routes, but I often don't complete them. Enter through one and halfway through I connect with another, where I exit. I have a route that I’m not going to do this year, at least I don’t think I’m going to do it anymore… I like doing crossings and GR’s. And then I have a route that I was supposed to do this year, which is “the Fishermen’s Way”, on the Vincentian coast. It is a route of more than two hundred kilometers.
MMM: I included something about this path in an article I wrote for my blog.
ET: I did the “Fishermen's Way” about fifteen years ago. It didn’t have that name yet… it was “the way" or "the path”. And more recently, two years ago, I did it in two parts. And, as for me, it is one of the most beautiful trails in Portugal. If you like the sea…
MMM: I love it, I love it… And, as the name suggests, is it made up of several paths that always lead to the coast?
ET: Yes, always by the coast. Well, apart from one trail or another that goes further inland, in the "Vila do Bispo" area. Because the coast is so cut out, if you were to do these trails always, always following the coast, like I already did... forget it, you'd never leave there again. It’s called “Fishermen’s Trail or Path”. Why?... Because along it you will find lots of small trails that fishermen took or take to get from home to their boats. There are lots of places that are called “fishing places”. But beyond that, the natural landscape you see… leaves you speechless.
MMM: I imagine so... Eugénio, I'm going to take advantage of that last 'image' that you share with us, to bring to an end this first conversation with you, certainly the first of many, about a topic that tells you so much and about which you have so much to say and tell me and us. Thank you for sharing and I hope that our first trail together will be very soon!
ET: Yes, it certainly will. I am grateful for the opportunity you give me to share this passion of mine with you and your readers. And I am at your disposal, for whatever you need and whenever you need it, when the topic is hiking, trails, routes in the middle of Nature.
Want to know a little more about trekking? Do you want to share your own stories and experiences from this wonderful world with me?
Don't hesitate to leave your comments here and/or contact me:
Marco Moura Marques
+351 967 035 966
marco@mouramarques.pt
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