El teide; the (illegal) Spanish top

With it's 3718 meters above sea level, el Teide and Tenerife can call themselves the proud owners of the highest point of Spain.
Me being on Tenerife had to visit this previously active volcano. Since it used to spew lava around the years of 1600 and 1700, the area is covered with dry solid pieces of lava.
Near the top you can see several mountain peaks close to eachother which used to be separated volcano's such as el Teide and el Pico. This all after the whole top used to be one big crater of an incredible 16 kilometers of diameter. Still today you can see on the south side the strong borders of the old crater like a long dike all around this mountain top.

By bus from playa las Americas - the most touristic place of the canary islands - I took a local public bus - of which an incredible amount of 1 bus per day is driving - into the mountain. Slowly this diesel bus showed us a hard job to get us nearer to the top. During this ride I already had a magnificent view over the area, completely layered with hundreds years of old lava. With a view to the back in the sharp hairpin corners through which our bus driver steered us like a really rider, I could enjoy a beautiful view of the south coast of Tenerife, covered under a thick warm and comfy bright set of clouds.
When I looked a little further away i could well see some other mountain tops, not belonging to Tenerife, hidden between the comfy soft clouds. I realised this must be the Island of Gran Canaria. And further to the west I found la Gomera, la Palma and el Hielo. A German hiker with who I had a quick chat about the Teide told me with good weather conditions you should be able to see all 7 islands.
The bus took us the a top of 2356 meters where we could jump into a cable lift known as the teleférico. With a speed of almost 29 km/h, the blew little lift cabins raced straight uo the mountains. In this small little cabin high above the mountain it didn't seem so fast. But when our counter cabin passed it was gone in a second! With our view becoming better and better we reached the highest point of transport at a altitude of 3555meters.

From this height you could perfectly recognize the remainings of the old crater, surrounding the peak. There was another 163 meters remaining before the top of the top was reached. So close, i had to go! Only discovered a crucial problem while talking to the German hiker I was talking to during the bus ride. Each visitor requires an official permission to be allowed onto the mountain. The permission was free, not a problem. BUT, you had to get the permission from an tourist office in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capitol of the island which lays outstretched in the north, more then an hour away!!!
Disappointed as I was I kept enjoying the view so far still possible and I kept giving a glance over my should to that very top with a row of colorful dressed climbers happily looking forward to finish those 3718 meters.....

I remembered a few years ago when I was back in England. There was a good house festival in Liverpool which we both wanted to visit but entrance tickets were incredible expense and above of all, it was sold. It were the times that both Dennis and I were watching 6pack on the Dutch tv, in which people do tricks and get in concerts for free. We made a joke by saying to go to creamfields, getting in 6pack style. It worked! While remembering this moment I thought I'd give it a try on el Teide. I queued up, grabbed my ID card like other people, waited for a good moment, good inspiration and I followed my intuition. With sharply checking out the situation I grabbed my chance when the 'guard' turned away to get the permission. I was in!! Quickly, without looking backwards, full of an convinced posture I walked on before I was called back. I heard no shouts, no one running after me or anything. Nothing happened and I climbed step by step closer to the top. Every three steps was a meter less of those 163.
With some breaks to get oxygen and fresh energy I got myself to the top in about 20, maybe 30 minutes heavy climbing.

I made it! And I was só happy i made it. Thát was a piece of nature up there, I have never experience before. High above the clouds, without any airplane-chair under your bump :)

The rocks where all different from material and color, depending on when they got erupted from the volcano. The crater at the top got closed throughout the years, but still here and there steam was escaping from under the lava our of the earth. And some placed, putting my hands oj the rock I could easily feel the rocks being heated from inside. Which is very typical since at other places the lava was covered with snow and ice.


Spending about half an hour enjoying the views and taking photo's, I found myself back down the path, through the gate were this guard was still doing his job checking the permissions and with a muchas gracias I left this beautiful in-active volcane, back down with the strong blue cable cars down to the bus of TITS, Tenerifes public transport in order to catch my bag, say good bye to Maria, my kind couchsurfing hostess and meet a friendly smiling Ryanair cabin crew welcoming me aboard my flight to Oporto, Portugal.

My colleagues gave me some leaving presents to bring along the trip and they made me promising to take photo's with them!


Unfortunately the sheep didn't have the permission to get to the top....