We went to bed socked in by clouds and woke up the same way. The locals told us on cloudy days, if you drive up in elevation, you can be above the clouds. So we enjoyed a lazy breakfast and then headed up, back to where we hiked yesterday to try to catch this!
Luckily, we did. We were in between two cloud layers...it was beautiful. The deep valleys and ocean views of yesterday were gone. Replaced by thick white puffy clouds settled along the coast and in the valleys.
I also woke up feeling like a have a cold coming on, so we decided to take it easy today. So, we hiked a levada, one of those ancient drainage ditches that Madeira is known for...we picked a somewhat flat hike, as our legs were still recovering from yesterday's big hike. Choosing Levada do Caldeirao Verde was perfect for us. It was probably around an 8 mile hike, but mostly flat and on a good trail. I believe there would've been killer views, but we were completely in the clouds, so it made everything look like an eerie scene in a movie. Huge drop offs accompanied us most of the way. They've put cable railing up on most of the super sketchy areas, but in some spots, it makes you really appreciate not having vertigo!
There is an insanely large drop off of Toms left. The trees are growing straight out of a sheer cliff. Impressive.
The hike was beautiful. Way different than the dry and sunny weather we've been having. The moisture felt good and we rarely have the opportunity to hike in the clouds back home.
Luckily, we did. We were in between two cloud layers...it was beautiful. The deep valleys and ocean views of yesterday were gone. Replaced by thick white puffy clouds settled along the coast and in the valleys.
I also woke up feeling like a have a cold coming on, so we decided to take it easy today. So, we hiked a levada, one of those ancient drainage ditches that Madeira is known for...we picked a somewhat flat hike, as our legs were still recovering from yesterday's big hike. Choosing Levada do Caldeirao Verde was perfect for us. It was probably around an 8 mile hike, but mostly flat and on a good trail. I believe there would've been killer views, but we were completely in the clouds, so it made everything look like an eerie scene in a movie. Huge drop offs accompanied us most of the way. They've put cable railing up on most of the super sketchy areas, but in some spots, it makes you really appreciate not having vertigo!
There is an insanely large drop off of Toms left. The trees are growing straight out of a sheer cliff. Impressive.
Waterfalls along the trail.
The hike was beautiful. Way different than the dry and sunny weather we've been having. The moisture felt good and we rarely have the opportunity to hike in the clouds back home.
But I think tomorrow, if I'm feeling up to it, we will tackle something a bit more challenging!
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