We just kept on going…to the tower

The walking notes from Catalan Adventures were detailed. Easy to follow. There were even photos of turnoffs we needed to look out for. Plus we had GPX tracks. My husband generally held the paper walking notes and I checked the GPS.

It was pretty simple.

Day 3: Coastal trail to Cadaqués. Total Accumulated Ascent: 550 meters, Maximum Elevation: 229 meters. Distance: 15.3 km.

Day 3 was a strenuous hike along rugged coastal cliffs. An optional detour to Cap de Norfeu would add significant elevation and time to the 5 hour hike. We were undecided whether we would do the detour. Let’s see how we feel when we get there, we thought.

All morning we hiked up and down to shallow bays. Up and down. Up and down. Three plus hours into our hike, we came to yet another climb. The notes indicated a steady uphill for approximately 10 minutes.

Ok.

We trekked up the rocky path. Step by step. Paused to catch our breath. Climbed some more. Slow and steady.

It started to feel like a long 10 minutes. But that can happen on an uphill climb. We kept climbing.

After some more time (maybe another 10 minutes?) my husband stopped. He pointed up, “Is that the tower?”

I was breathing laboriously. Are we still going up? Are we going to the tower? I finally took my phone out of my pocket with sweaty hands to check the GPS. We were off route. “I think we are on the detour,” I replied.

We both look back down at the distance we already climbed. It was a good amount. “We may as well keep going now,” my husband said. I nodded. It seemed like the logical thing to do at that point.

It all worked out for the best.

The view at the summit was spectacular. The Cap de Norfeu is a rocky peninsula that juts into the Mediterranean. From our vantage we could see clearly the undulations along the coast that we had followed all day. All the little coves cut into the cliffs.

The abandoned tower was pretty cool too. Torre de Norfeu, a mid-16th century watchtower, is at the highest point of the peninsula (169m). A circular stone tower with two floors. It’s function was to defend the waters from pirates, back in the day.

We were glad we conquered the climb. It was a good decision, even if we did not really make the decision.

“We took a wrong turn and we just keep going,” my husband said quoting the Bruce Springsteen song Hungry Heart.

Yep, sometimes it’s best just to keep going.