The Climb

Today, for the first time in what seems like months, I felt the sun on my face. The sky was bright blue, with not a cloud in sight. In a place where rain is almost always in the forecast, I couldn’t help but feel ecstatic. My friends and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day by doing a little exploring.

My roommate Taylor, who is an avid runner, found a trail that led into the mountains of Asturias. She bragged about the breath taking view of the city, and I insisted we travel the path today so I could experience the sight for myself.

As we neared what I can only describe as a very large hill, I knew I was in trouble. No estoy en forma (I’m not in shape), so the thought of any type of strenuous activity made me reconsider my previous desire to see the city from great heights. I knew that I couldn’t turn back; so I put on a smile and began the hike with my three companions.

View from the hike

We were unable to locate a paved pathway, so instead of taking the time to find it, we figured walking through the muddied grass would suffice. The terrain soon transformed into long tangles of weeds and branches covered in thorns. “Guys, I’m not liking this,” I said from the back of the pack. “We’ll be fine,” insisted Taylor as she continued upward, pushing her way through the mess. A native saw us struggling and said something while pointing to our right. “I think he’s talking to us,” said Aline.

“I think he said there’s another path we can take to get to the road,” I said.

“I’ll look!” said Taylor as she slid slightly down the hill and meandered to our right.

“Yeah, guys, there’s a small path over here that’s completely clear,” she said.

The three of us followed Taylor’s lead and within minutes we were standing on pavement. I turned around to capture my surroundings and found the city staring back at me. Green fields, roaming animals and mountains covered in snow accompanied the hundreds of buildings of Oviedo. Taylor was right. The view was amazing.

After we took a minute to catch our breath and take some photos we followed the road further up the hill. We encountered sheep grazing in fields of grass, stray cats sleeping atop what appeared to be an abandoned shack, and even a horse and its foal. This is how I always imagined Spain. Houses of all colors lined the streets and the bells from the necks of wandering sheep could be heard as we continued up the road. The further we went, the more beautiful Oviedo became.

We stopped above a group of sheep lazily eating grass and took in the city one last time before we began our descent. I felt slightly disappointed to head back to reality, where rolling mountains and farms animals all seem so far away. But as I walked down the pathway, the sun warming by body, I knew I’d be back.