Neither the weather forecast for today or for my feeling wasn’t good. Again it was supposed to rain most of the day. I couldn’t fall asleep last night and woke up about four in the morning feeling nauseous. This didn’t bode well. I thought that maybe after breakfast I’d feel better. I did but not significantly. I put the waterproofs over my shorts and went out anyway, but took it really easy. I wanted to go towards Refugio de Respumoso. Initially it wasn’t too bad, but when I reached the first stream crossing from yesterday (it was so much easier to cross today) I started feeling both my knees. The good news was that it brightened up and got really warm, so I took off the over-trousers, rubbed in some Voltarol and sun-cream. As the path started going up and I began to slow down. All those magnificent views kept me going. In fact, they were simply awe-inspiring.

When I get to the first Azule the colours are just stunning! They called those lakes ‘blues’, but they are really green. I guess it’s one of those never ending arguments about what’s blue and what’s green. Whatever it is, it’s stunning! I get to the upper lake with the speed of a snail. It’s not an exaggeration. My knees are killing me. I watch some crazy people diving in. This makes me wonder. If I stand in that water for a few minutes, it would be like a cold compress and should ease the pain. I find a nice rock to sit down and take my boots off. ‘Ouch’ is not the expression that I used when I dipped my foot in. I learned to swim in mountain rivers and streams, but this lake is ice-cold! I keep forgetting how high I am. The upper Azules at over 2400 m. There was no chance to stand in this water. My feet were just too sensitive. I tried to dip in just one knee at a time and this seemed to work. At least, it brought some temporary pain relief.

I kept wondering if I should go any further. The path climbed up steadily, but wasn’t awfully steep and I was tempted. I knew though, that I would have to walk down again and wasn’t looking forward to that with my knees as they were.

Now, this view made me feel a bit better about everything, but especially about my packing. It could always be worse…

I’m glad that I decided to come back. It was hard enough. To be perfectly honest, I literally just made it. I’m not sure if I could walk for another 10 minutes without collapsing. When I got to the refuge, I went straight to bed and set the alarm for six. I thought that if I slept for more than two hours I wouldn’t sleep at night. I fell asleep instantly. I was planning to do some writing, but I really wasn’t in place to do anything apart from getting something quick to eat. Something struck me and I decided to have tea and then only boiled water. I’m not sure why. Literally, a gut instinct. An early night was in order.

On the mountain the Lord will provide