La Gomera

This was our seventh Canary Island. Boy is it vertical! It took a long time to get anywhere since you had to drive up and down ravines through numerous switchbacks. Hermigua is the town we stayed in -

As we drove to various hikes and destinations, we’d pass many “roques”, like Roque de Agondo…

(note the road in the pic for scale)

… Roque Cano…

… that stands guard over the town of Villahermosa -

And then there are “rocks” that you have to take a boat to see. We went for a “3 hour tour” to see Los Organos…

… so named for the pipe organ they resemble -

This was the back side -

Now to talk about hiking… which of course we did. The center of the island is criss-crossed with innumerable trails. Many Europeans come here specifically for a hiking holiday.

Our first hike was quite the undertaking - over 8 1/2 miles with 2300+ feet of elevation gained. I really wasn’t sure what all we were going to see, but the terrain was quite varied. We passed by abandoned farms…

… and through small villages…

… before reaching the literal pinnacle of the hike -

La Fortaleza

The name means “fortress”…

… and the only way to the top is a narrow, steep path…

… that made even me a little nervous…

… and reminded me of Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park.

That staircase part was made even more hairy by the presence of our two mascots who decided to follow us, and be right underfoot at times -

The views from the top were epic!

As always, to view that video, click the link at the end of the post to open in your browser.

Our second hike on this island was much more sedate…

… but no less gorgeous, in a dripping greenery kind of way -

My parting shot today was taken from the ferry as we left La Gomera, for our last stop before heading home -