L based this whole Madeira trip around this hike. This hike that is considered to be one of the best...not only on Madeira but anywhere. It was AMAZING! It was a peak to peak hike that didn't pack the distance that our levada walks did but elevation changes and the trail itself were out of control. Amazing! And we did it. We made it. Luke was one of VERY few kids that we saw on the entire trail. Proud of his stamina and grit and appreciation. Luke and I near the beginning of the hike...ready to go!
We wore hats and gloves...it was that cold.
I love the "guardrails". Straight down on either side. Not sure those strings tied between two rebar poles are gonna help.
That's the ocean out there. I will never forget the vastness of these views.
More tunnels and passage ways
Amazing, right?!
SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many steps.
A mini-break to dab. Because, why not?! Ha! This kid cracks me up
The trail map (elevation map in the lower left). We hiked from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo. It was worth every single step!
Our trail guide, our navigator, our geologist, our love!
Early on in the hike when the trail was wide
So pretty!
You can see the redness of the trail up ahead....hugging the mountainside.
Awe
Straight down
For every step down there was a step up...equal in steepness.
Amazing!
The trail is to the right of the photo hugging the mountain...lots of tunnels on this trail too
The higher we got (this is near the top of Pico Ruivo) the foggier it got.
The top of Pico Ruivo! We made it! Our packed lunch never tasted so good :-)
There was a break in the clouds and Team Tully put our sandwiches down for a summit family photo. Proud of our mountain climbing selves.
The steepness of these stairs don't come across...there was no way you could climb or descend these bad boys without holding on.
A sheer cliff and thick fog. Eerie but in a beautiful way!
This trail tested us and we passed with flying colors. It was incredibly beautiful with views and sights that blew our minds. I am thankful for our 8 hours on the trail. Thankful that we are healthy and able enough to do this. Thankful for that TIME together as a family challenging and encouraging each other. We are indeed a team.
After that crazy hike we came here. This is the view from the front porch of the tent/cabin (not a typo...tent (fabric) walls and a solid roof). Our front porch looked out on this...no filter, not weird camera angle. Just me standing on the porch looking north. The tiny town of Achadas da Cruz (population of less than 200) is located on the northwest side of the island. We stayed in this cliffside hut for two nights and absolutely LOVED it!
The side yard with Luke relaxing after our peak to peak hike.
How awesome is this?! Once again we found an Airbnb gem!
Poncha. An alcoholic staple in Madeira. L bought the smallest bottle he could fine. We sat out here and stared at the Atlantic ocean while Luke wandered with his new dog buddy and drank. It was gross. We had about 4 sips total.
From our cliffside tent/cabin we hiked down to the rocky beach below. About an hour long hike (seemed like 10 minutes after all the other hikes we did!). We walked along the coast to a TINY farming village. A village where the farmers come to stay for 2 or 3 days to tend their crops and then make their way back up to their homes. There is no electricity or potable water down here. A lovely community of farmers that used to terrace their land along the cliffs but after a landslide occurred on the cliffs they used the churned up dirt and soil from the landslide to farm. Amazing use of land.
Sunset
Making our way down.
Luke's best buddy....Blaze (Luke named him that...not sure he actually has a name). An adorable stray dog that followed us down to the beach. He never went ahead of Luke...he obviously had done this hike before.
The rocky beach below
Luke and Blaze = BFFs
Looking back up the canyon from the beach.
Tiny Luke on a giant boulder
The farming village. See the landslide landscape? Now, the farmers used to hike back up the cliff at the end of their stay. But now there is a cable car that takes you back up. It was the best/most terrifying cable car ride ever.
Incredibly remote, incredibly isolated, incredibly beautiful!
CRAZY!!! but crazy AWESOME! We rode the cable car up with a tiny and smiley old Portuguese couple. They were adorable, and obviously had ridden this cable car many times. I was slightly nervous that we were above the weight limit for this ride but they didn't seem concerned. You have to push a button to let the cable car operator (who is at the top) that you are there and ready for your ride to the top. He goes to lunch from 12-1...every day and is finished his shift at 6pm. The farmers set their clocks by this. It's a heck of hike up if you don't get the cable car.
View from the cable car - we aren't even at the top yet!
WOW!
We made it! Our tent/cabin is about a 200 - 300 yard walk beyond the cable car. A ride of a lifetime!
Luke and Blaze :-)
Out of order but there is Luke on the boulder beach at the base of the cliff
A gorgeous trail
We took half a day off from hiking and came here. Porto Moniz and we swam in these gorgeous pools fed by the Atlantic Ocean. It was a fantastic break from the trails and a nice reset for more Madeira in the days that followed.
The island of Madeira is only about 35 miles long and 13 miles wide but it is incredible rich and full of nature's wonders. We could have spent 5 weeks instead of 5 days here. It was the perfect addition to our Portugal adventure!
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