We move in the coastal foothills of Sierra Blanca.

NOTE

Itinerary, which in its ascent section, has nothing to do with a usual hiking route. A route that for this reason would be considered mountaineering with technical areas.

In our case, although they were not necessary, we completed the equipment with harness, rope, and helmet to secure the passage at certain points. From my point of view, it would be advisable and necessary to carry the equipment to avoid risks in case of any unforeseen events
While, for a mountaineer accustomed to climbing, airy passages, and who knows how to read the terrain and the climbing routes, it is still a technical route. But for companions not accustomed to this type of progress, it can be a demanding climb with some risk.

In addition to some exposed steps in the sharpest sections of the ridge, in the final part of the ascent, it is necessary to emphasize the verticality and exposure to falls from a certain height.

In the wall (approx. 20m), a fixed rope is installed, knotted in short sections, with a girth knot to secure the ascent. Although we carry our own rope, once we reach the meeting point, we verify that ON THE DAY OF THE ROUTE, both the rope, the knots, and the meeting point are in perfect condition for use.

That being said, it should be noted that it is a fixed rope for securing, not for use as assistance in the ascent, and in any case, it serves as a reference for taking the practical route to overcome the vertical.

In the final scramble to the summit, exposed and with a drop, it is important to mark the ascent route before entering, as once in the vertical, all reference disappears, and the options on both sides would put us at risk.

I hope that the detailed description and the markings included in the corresponding photographs are helpful to anyone who has any doubts. In any case, I can provide any other indications to those who need it.

As we begin our mountaineering journey through Sierra Blanca in the parking lot at the Pinar de Nagüeles access. From here, next to an updated information panel on the trail network, we glimpse up at the picturesque southern spur of La Concha, which seems to be an odyssey in the morning as we climb its walls.

We now walk along the shared trail of the pine forest and the Great Path of Malaga, a pleasant walk on what seems to be a hot day. As we approach the dry ravine of the Piedras river, the path splits in two, overlooking the one that crosses the ravine, which we will return on. We continue straight on the Mina de Buenavista trail, but not for long. Once we pass by an electrical post on the same trail, we abandon the trail and look for a path that attacks the ridge directly, thus managing to climb its ridge almost from where it starts in the pine forest, already gaining the huge views behind us of the Costa del Sol.

For now, the ridge maintains a gradual ascent, without ups and downs, gaining height continuously and on manageable terrain. After reaching a first hill, the views open up in front of us with the imposing southeast ridge ascent of La Concha. From this moment on, we won’t have anything else on our minds.

The ridge becomes steeper, and we always stick with the more aerial version of the ascent, finding peaceful ridge sections and others where it narrows, tipping the verticals over the head of the Piedras river. We will not encounter opposition to reach the Mina de Buena Vista area, but it is from here that the ascent becomes more rugged, with sections where it will take us time to navigate the ridge to maintain its height.

After leaving the mine area behind, a first spur now hides the summit line, it will be our first continuous climbing sector. In the approach, facing it, we cannot guess the ascent route until we are practically at its base. Its middle-high part is defined by steep rock planes, so we choose to veer a little to our right and enter through the cracks in the rock, climbing and linking the gaps that are visible until the terrain levels off.

At the top, again, a short stretch of live rock ridge but soon turns into an exposed crest, with some climbs and airy passages, with a drop to our right and few options towards the ramp that disappears to the left. A broken section that will make us take it easy, overcoming each obstacle by securing our steps.

All this while we are positioning ourselves under the southern spur. What were distant silhouettes on the approach are becoming imposing walls that cut us off. We now progress with one eye on the terrain and the other on the verticals. We will have to add this last crest section, which turns out to be the most complex of the ascent along the ridge, to the accumulated distance in the climb, so we take a few minutes under the first approach to regroup and chart our ascent route.

We enter directly from the col, encountering rock with good support and grip, without excessive verticality and with cuts in the rock that secure each climb. A good introduction to facing the wall, because it is a wall, an insurmountable wall with a clear way up.

We will have to move under the vertical until we find the reference of the fixed rope. I would divide the ascent into three well-defined parts.

In the first part, we enter leaving the rope to our right, it is a few meters of climbing taking advantage of the rock crevice that places us under an 8m step.

Now the fixed rope marks our ascent, the most exposed section with an overhang at its exit that makes this point critical in case of failure. We climb and clearly see the grips and footholds, so we won’t need to secure with the rope.

In these challenging meters, if we do not want to set up our rope and it becomes necessary, a harness with two slings can save us from the situation by securing with the slings at the girth knots of the fixed rope.

In the last part, once we have passed the step, the progress is a few meters diagonally without verticality and ends next to the fixed rope meeting point.

Finally, the summit of La Concha stands above our heads.

A new vertical section stands in the way now, it is a small spur with a drop on both sides that forces us to mark a direct route from the small ridge at the exit of the wall.

We emphasize the intermediate area, with a steep slope where securing the footholds in the faults of the rock leaves us a few meters from the summit. We finally consider the ascent complete.

We now change our mode of progression, ahead of us there is still a good stretch of km through the formidable network of trails in Sierra Blanca. Well-defined, conditioned, signposted, and marked paths.

With the maze of trails on the table, I choose to simplify the conclusion and complete the trail map by taking the shortest possible return option. And of course, our first link will be on the well-known Juanar to La Concha trail.

We soon have the feeling that this is another route, completely different from what we experienced in the morning hours, and that will allow us to complete the day through the peaceful coastal valleys of the sierra.

A path always transited and not leading to error at any of its intersections, flanking the Cerro del Lastonar and the Salto del Lobo to face the rock of the Cruz de Juanar.

It is under the rock where we turn to face the Mediterranean, begin the descent towards the head of the Vertiente de la Laja and the Puerto del P