I’m about 19 hours from departure from home. 26 hours from departure from San Fran International (SFO).

I leave Arnold, CA at about 10:30am tomorrow morning. It goes like this:

• Arnold –> Burlingame parking (10:30am – 1:00pm)
• Burlingame –> SFO (half hour)
• Depart SFO at 4:20pm (British Airways)
• After 10 hours and 30 minutes, arrive at 11:00am on the 17th at Heathrow in London—lamenting that it looks nothing like the films from the 70s.
• Wait a couple of hours and connect with British pilots again, to Warsaw, arriving at a gentlemanly hour: 5:30pm on the 17th.
• Take an Uber to the downtown hotel for the 21 Conference.

Then I spend five nights there, 17-21, the conference is 18-21, and I’m speaking 19 or 20.

Monday, the 22nd, I depart:

• Warsaw –> Madrid (10:50am – 2:45pm)
• I have to hump the eff out of this, from terminal 4 to terminal 2 in an hour
• Madrid –> Malaga (3:50pm – 5:00pm)

And then, my Navy Officer friend since 1987—as I was a 7th Fleet staff officer on Blue Ridge—picks me up in Malaga. He’s been a resident of Spain for about 15 years now and I’ve not seen him since when he flew out from the east coast to west coast for my wedding in 2001.

Here’s how it goes from there. It’s about 100km over about 6 days, about 65-ish miles. Very gentlemanly, though by day 3, I expect I’ll be hurting a bit. Paul treks all over the world in a 60L backpack and has done so for many years. What a planning tour guide.

The regional temperatures are very reasonable. It’s at some altitude, perhaps 1,200 meters on average (close to how I live, at 4k feet). So mid-80s in the day, 70s in the evening, 60s or 50s at night. Perfect.

W. Alpujarras (GR7) Itinerary

• Válor – Yegen (5.5 km)
• Yegen – Mecina Bombarón (7.2 km)
• Mecina Bombarón – Bérchules (6.0 km)
• Bérchules – Cádiar (5.3 km)
• Cádiar – Juviles (9.6 km)
• Juviles – Trevélez (9.0 km)
• Trevélez – Busquístar (14 km)
• Busquístar – Pórtugos (2.2 km)
• Pórtugos – Pitres (3.2 km)
• Pitres – Capileira (7 km) 
• Capileira – Bubion (3 km)
• Bubión – Pampaneira (1.5 km)
• Pampaneira – Soportújar (7.6 km)
• Soportújar – Cañar (8.2 km)
• Cañar – Lanjarón – (7.9 km) 

MONDAY 22 JULY: Airport to Lanjaron

• 5PM  Pick up Rick Malaga Airport
• 5.30-7PM  Drive to Lanjarón: A7 to A44 to A348
• Ask in hotel about long-term parking; packed lunch; reserve 27 July
• Hotel: Oyo Hotel, Av. Alpujarra 42 (PAID)

TUESDAY 23 JULY: Válor to Bérchules (18.7 km)

• Buy lunch to go.
• 10:00 Depart Lanjaron bus station for Valor.  Be there 10 min prior.
• 12:00 Arrive Valor.  Lunch on bus.
• Válor – Yegen (5.5 km)  See Brenan house.
• Yegen – Mecina Bombarón (7.2 km)
• Mecina Bombarón – Bérchules (6.0 km)
• Hotel: Los Berchules, Carretera de Granada, 20

WEDNESDAY 24 JULY: Bérchules to Trevélez (23.9 km)

• Bérchules – Cádiar (5.3 km)
• Cádiar – Juviles (9.6 km)
• Juviles – Trevélez (9.0 km)
• Hotel: La Fragua II, Posadas 4 (w/resto)

THURSDAY 25 JULY: Trevélez to Pitres (19.4 km)

• Trevélez – Busquístar (14 km)
• Busquístar – Pórtugos (2.2 km)
• Pórtugos – Pitres (3.2 km)
• Hotel: Fuente Capilerilla (C/Fuente Escarda 5) or San Roque (Paseo Maritimo 57-59)

FRIDAY 26 JULY: Pitres to Pampaneira (11.5 km)

• Pitres – Capileira (7 km – *Detour off GR7*)
• Capileira – Bubion (3 km *Back to GR7*)
• Bubión – Pampaneira (1.5 km)
• Hotel: Estrella de las Nieves (Huertos 21) or Hostal Pampaneira (Av. de la Alpujarra 1)
• If Capileira: Hostal Poqueira, C/ Doctor Castilla 11

SATURDAY 27 JULY: Pampaneira to Lanjarón (23.7 km)

• Pampaneira – Soportújar (7.6 km)
• Soportújar – Cañar (8.2 km)
• Cañar – Lanjarón – (7.9 km)

SUNDAY 28 JULY: Malaga Old Town

• 1.30PM Rick flies to Madrid
• OR, We see Malaga and overnight in the Old Town.

On that last, still “up in the air” whether I fly from Malaga to Madrid Sunday afternoon (28th) to catch my noon:30 Monday (29th) flight on Iberia back to San Fran, arriving 4:20pm, exact time I departed the 16th. I could just dump the flight and take a 7:00am train up on the 29th. It will depend, based on how I feel after a week on the trek.

I plan to do nightly postings about stuff, if I feel up to it.