For our third day in Andorra, we chose another nearby hike – one that’s high on some of the top-10 lists – Pic de Cassamanya. Driving to the trailhead, we got our first full taste of mountainside living – switchbacks from Soldeu to Col de Ordino. And similar to Els Pessons the day before, this trailhead was also at about 6,500′ elevation which, combined with the “numbers” about the route, promised to be another significant effort due to the altitude (and our lack of acclimation).

We were blessed with another perfect day, sunny, nearly cloudless, and low 60’s. Parking at the trailhead was mostly of the “pull off to the side of the road” type parking. Even shortly after 9am, there was little room left to park, but we found a spot, geared up and were off – immediately up!

At this beginning elevation, it didn’t take us long to break out of the trees and into the alpine “pastures” which characterized this hike.

The trail was super-easy to follow, not much opportunity to get lost! And even only a mile or so in, it was clear there wasn’t to be any level ground – up, and up. One could only imagine how inhospitable this might be during the winter months – highly exposed and no opportunity for shelter! But for today, was beautifully blue!

Continuing on, as we reached the first (pseudo) height of land, we did need to stop, mainly to catch our breath. At this point, we were probably around 8,000′ – and due to the slope – found each step was accompanied by a breath cycle – in/out, step, in/out, step. Stopping more frequently just created more opportunities to be in the moment and take in the breathtaking (!) views.

As the above shows, while the trail was still mostly obvious, we had moved beyond the pasture-like area into a much more rocky landscape. No boulders like we’re so accustomed from New Hampshire’s White mountains, but still rocky. The slope/elevation was really beginning to wear on us – breath in/out, step, breath in/out, step.

Soon enough, the effort just became too much and we decided to turnaround, not even making the first of the three summits (Pic Oest de Cassamanya) which characterize this hike. A few more moments to marvel at the day and soak up the experience, and we began our descent.

Returning to our car, we decided to not retrace our steps back to our hotel, but instead to explore further into Andorra. Yet another reminder of just how mountainous Andorra really is – AND, a much deeper appreciation for efforts behind the Tour de France stages!

In the end, we were very satisfied with the day, while not “achieving” the summits, a good reminder both of our own abilities and the adage that “the mountains will always be there”.