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I wanted to write this post today because today is a very special day for me. I took these photos, practically selfies, this morning. For the first time in the 15 months I've been hiking, I dared to climb to the summit alone. My wife wasn't there, nor were my friends, and in fact, there weren't many people hiking so early this Saturday morning. It was just the music, God, and me. I can't forget that last January I suffered for four hours doing this hike with my brother Douglas. In fact, I think he shouldn't have taken me to the top the first time. But today, alone, and with only a 10-minute break, I managed to accomplish this feat in two hours and 12 minutes.
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Quise escribir este post hoy mismo, porque hoy es un día muy especial para mí. Estas fotografías, prácticamente selfies las tomé esta mañana, y es que por primera vez en los 15 meses que tengo practicando el senderismo, hoy me atreví a subir en solitario hasta la cima. No estaba mi esposa, ni mis amigos, y de hecho no había mucha gente en esta mañana de Sábado subiendo tan temprano, solo éramos la música, Dios y yo. Imposible olvidar que en Enero del año pasado agonicé cuatro horas haciendo este recorrido con mi hermano Douglas, de hecho creo que él no debió llevarme a la cima en mi primera vez, pero hoy, en solitario, y con solo un break de 10 minutos logré hacer esta hazaña en dos horas y 12 minutos.
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Why so many selfies? Well, I decided to take a picture at every spot where I've usually stopped to rest this year. Besides, I didn't want to waste time taking pictures and wanted to focus on my personal goal. Without the guys, the hike was really tough. Many times the thought of turning back crossed my mind, and that's why I decided to use my snack right after the point of no return for me—that place where I know the best thing to do is reach the top. And in fact, up there is a reward that goes beyond personal satisfaction 😅 At the top is the cable car...
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¿Por qué tantos selfies?. Pues decidí tomarme una fotografía en cada lugar donde generalmente me he lanzado a descansar durante todo este año, además, no quería perder el tiempo tomando fotografías y enfocarme en mi meta personal. Sin la compañía de los muchachos fue realmente duro el trayecto, muchas veces se me cruzaba por la mente regresarme, y por eso mismo decidí usar mi refrigerio justo después de la zona de no retorno para mí, ese lugar donde ya sé que lo mejor es llegar a la cima, y de hecho, allá arriba hay un premio que va más allá de la satisfacción personal 😅 En la cima está el teleférico...
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For those familiar with El Ávila mountain in Caracas, for me, the point of no return is the wall, the last concrete path after the Cruz del Ávila (Ávila Cross), the area where you can see the cable car and the "Papelón" Park Ranger Station up close. That climb, so incredibly steep, usually drains my energy. In fact, when I reached the top, I lay down for a while and even got a headache, but I was prepared to fight off the migraine. I stayed hydrated the whole way; that's another secret to not feeling bad. I climbed with just water with some lemon and salt and a soda cracker. I think not carrying as much weight as usual helped me on today's hike.
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Para quienes conocen la montaña El Ávila en Caracas, para mí, el punto de no retorno es la pared, el último camino de concreto luego de la Cruz del Ávila, la zona donde se aprecia de cerca el teleférico y el Punto de Guarda Parques "Papelón". Esa subida tan, peor tan empinada generalmente se lleva mi energía, de hecho al lograrlo me recosté un rato y hasta sentí dolor de cabeza, pero estaba preparado para combatir la migraña. Me mantuve hidratado todo el camino, es otro secreto para no sentirme mal, y subí solo con agua con algo de limón y sal y una galleta de soda. Creo que no llevar tanto peso como otras veces me ayudó en el trayecto de hoy.
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The day was slow to get going, just like my spirits before the point of no return. It always looked like it was going to rain, at least until 9:00 a.m. Caracas was shrouded in clouds all morning, but the higher I climbed, the more the clouds remained below me. I reached the summit at 10:12 a.m. and everything was perfectly clear. Ávila Mágica looked fantastic because the cable car was still closed, and there were only a few kiosk employees getting everything ready for its reopening. Up there, there were only hikers, and not many of them. After a stroll around the summit, I went to buy my ticket to go down, which is only one dollar for hikers. They started selling them at 10:20 a.m., and at 10:30 a.m. I was able to descend, just as the more sensible people were starting to make their way up. Perhaps to you, the reader, this might seem like a silly or ordinary story, but for me, who has worked so hard to write it, it fills me with immense satisfaction... Every day I fall more in love with life ❤️
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Al día le costó mucho levantar, igual que mis ánimos antes del punto de no retorno. Siempre parecía que iba a llover, al menos hasta las 9 de la mañana. Caracas estuvo envuelta entre nubes toda la mañana, pero mientras más subía, las nubes iban quedando abajo. Llegué a la cima a las 10:12 de la mañana y todo estaba muy despejado. Ávila Mágica lucía genial porque el teleférico seguía cerrado, y solo habían algunos empleados de los quioscos alistando todo para la apertura. Arriba solo había senderistas, y no eran muchos. Luego de un paseo por la cima fui a comprar mi boleto para bajar, el cual solo es un dólar para senderistas. Comenzaron a venderlos a las 10:20 y a las 10:30 pude bajar, justo cuando las personas cuerdas comenzaban a subir. Quizás para ti que lees, esta pueda ser una historia tonta o normal, pero a mí que me ha costado tanto, me llena de una infinita satisfacción... Cada día estoy más enamorado de la vida ❤️
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