GR131 Canary Islands, Day 24 – Thursday, Feb 5, 2026
We had a long, restful night in the tent about 300 meters (985 feet) above Los Canarios. I could hear the wind howling through the tops of the trees in the pine forest.
We didn’t get a particularly early start. We watched the sunrise through the tent fabric, feeling hopeful for a beautiful day. However, as we were packing up our sleeping bags, that hope faded when we heard the pitter-patter on the tent. Sure enough, the fog and rain had arrived.
The tent got a bit wet before we managed to pack it down. We bundled ourselves up in waterproof gear and began the trek upward. Today involved a lot of climbing, but fortunately, the steepest sections came early in the day.
The fog lifted after a short while, and it turned into quite nice hiking weather despite the strong winds.
We eventually crossed paths with two hikers heading downhill, clearly on a long-haul trek themselves. They turned out to be Eva and Thomas from the Czech Republic. They were hiking the GR131 on La Palma as well, but in the opposite direction. This was their final day on the trail. We had a lovely chat, and they gave us some great info on where to find water and tips for good campsites.
As we hiked on, we quickly moved back into the fog. The wind was intense. Fog is, of course, just tiny water droplets, and we were a little slow to put our rain gear back on. Though, to be honest, «waterproof» clothing is never quite as waterproof as the advertisements claim.
The weather eventually turned downright miserable. We had reached an elevation of nearly 2,000 meters (6,560 feet), and the temperature was dropping. This was actually worse than what we experienced on Lanzarote.
Usually, we can seek shelter under or behind the pine trees, but not here. The moisture in the fog clings to the pine needles, and once enough of it collects, it falls as large heavy drops. The wind catches these drops and carries them sideways. Consequently, it was always wet directly under and on the leeward side of the trees.
After a while, the mist and drizzle turned into a proper rain. Our goal for the day was Refugio El Pilar. It was a climb of just over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) to get there, which fit our schedule well, even if the total distance wasn’t many kilometers.
Refugio El Pilar is a recreation area with BBQ pits, benches, and tables—the kind the Spaniards do so well. It’s actually a very nice spot. However, there wasn’t a building we could actually stay inside.
We were wet and cold when we arrived, so we took cover under the roof of a small shelter by the road. There, we changed into dry clothes while weighing our options.
We weren’t exactly thrilled about the idea of pitching the tent in this weather. The worst part was our wet clothes, which we desperately needed to dry out.
There were no buses, and we had no cell service. In fact, cell reception has been very poor on La Palma these past two days.
I suggested making a hot dinner in the shelter, and Inger thought that sounded good. I also suggested we try to hitchhike to Santa Cruz. Only two or three cars had passed while we were there, so the traffic was light, to say the least. Inger thought that was the better plan.
We packed our things while keeping an eye out for cars. We had just finished when the first car appeared—a little Fiat. We jumped out onto the road and stuck out our thumbs. Believe it or not, they stopped! It was Jonas and Cynthia from Germany, who were kind enough to pull over. Talk about luck!
They were vacationing on La Palma and had been out for a day trip, but the weather was so bad they cut it short. The Fiat was small, but we managed to fit our packs in alongside their gear.
Then it was down the winding roads to Santa Cruz de La Palma. We had to head quite far down the mountain before we finally got cell service. I couldn’t find any vacancies in the city center, but a hotel on the way down into town had a room available. Jonas and Cynthia drove us all the way to the hotel door. Hikers are such great people.
We thanked them profusely and checked in. The room was large and beautiful, with a balcony where we could finally dry our wet gear.
Tomorrow’s plan is to take a taxi back up to Refugio El Pilar and continue the trek. We’re hoping for better weather, but we’re not holding our breath.
Daily Stats:
• Distance: 15 km (9.3 miles)
• Elevation Gain: 1,100 meters (3,600 feet)