Like the Guanches before them, the Spanish carve an existence out of the rugged volcanic rock. The rural ones chase their goats up steep mountainsides, and grow astonishing terraced crops in the crevices of almost vertical ravines. Two teachers visited a farmer in his lonely habitat, where he grew lemons, cactus fruit and other foods. He had to hike the harsh paths to cultivate, weed, fertilize and harvest, hauling his produce out on his back, up the incredibly steep slopes.
One day while I was hiking with friends, we spent a half hour getting partway up one slope. We heard bells, and saw a flock of goats across on another mountainside. They tripped merrily around two slopes, down a steep ravine to the bottom (where we had been) and raced up behind us to cross our paths, all in about 5 minutes. I was amazed. Yet more amazing still was the shepherd hollering his way behind them, polevaulting his path over impossible places with a wooden walking stick. As he passed us and greeted us, I saw that he was at least my age (60!) and had his full wind, despite having raced over down, around and up two mountain slopes in about 7 minutes. Now there's a hardy group of people! They certainly have my respect!
No comments:
Post a Comment