Ascent of Alcazaba 3371m via Canada de Siete Lagunas and El Colaero rake. Led my wife Marion. Trip planned from Cicerone Guide " Walking and Trekking in the Sierra Nevada", and additional e-mails to "Spanish Highs" mountain guiding company.
Day 1: Left Trevelez village early afternoon, around 1pm, to walk on a well-marked path to Siete Lagunas wild camping location. Took around 4hrs 30 minutes including stops, circa 1400m ascent (from 1500m to 2900m). Feeling hot in the valley (30C+), cool breeze at the camping location, a wide valley with seven lakes, the largest being Laguna Hondera, where there are flat open meadows, and a number of natural caves which are used as howffs/rock shelters. Around a dozen other campers were present. The breeze steadily picked up towards sunset, and having investigated one or two of the unoccupied howffs, opted for a flat area of grass which appeared to be largely sheltered from the wind. Settled down after a light supper (we were having problems with a borrowed Camping Gaz stove). Inside the tent (Hilleberg Anjan II) it soon became apparent we were in for an uncomfortable night - the wind continued to pick up and each gust was stronger than the last. Even with earplugs on and buried in our sleeping bags, the noise of the flapping fabric was almost deafening, like being on the inside of a Lambeg Drum on the Twelfth of July (Northern Irish in-joke) , worse than anything we'd experienced in Scotland (or the Himalaya or Andes for that matter!). Morning couldn't come quickly enough - don't remember getting any sleep whatsoever! The wind suddenly dropped around 5.45am (a Katabatic wind?) and we quickly breakfasted and set off. Straightforward route finding thanks to Cicerone (Route 1 in the Guide). Followed the stream up the valley passing each lake in turn. The Colaero turned out to be an easy-angled rake with some mild scrambling, leading out on to a broad summit plateau, where several paths through loose rock and scree converged on the summit, about 2 hrs from the tent. Back to tent for lunch and re-pack, then what felt like a very long, hot descent to the village, reached finally around 6pm. I felt the affects of heat and altitude worse than Marion, and indeed was too wasted to have dinner in our hotel. After rehydrating with numerous cups of tea I was very happy to fall asleep!
