Fisherman's Trail Day 9 - Carrapateira to Carrapateira (inland loop)

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
10/3/2024	8.4 miles	5 hours 32 minutes	812'	2.1 mph	665.7 miles

Our itinerary had no hike for today (I had built in a rest day due to my foot). But my foot has been feeling good! I didn't want to rest, because I want to hike while my foot feels good! So, Dian and I did a loop hike, while Tara and Phyllis opted for a rest day.

We had no app for the hike, so we looked at the paper map to come up with the route. We only saw 2 hikers the whole day. It was a hilly inland route, not on the coast. We saw cork trees. They have acorns. Seek identified them as oak trees. Later I learned that cork trees are a variety of oak trees. People cut the cork off the trees every 9 years and mark the year on the tree. It's really fascinating. Apparently, the removal doesn't harm the tree. We had a dog follow us for part of our hike. I assume he belongs to some farm in the area, and just likes following hikers. He was skittish though. Before finishing our hike, Dian and I stopped at the local town museum to learn about life in the area. My translation app was helpful in reading descriptions of exhibits. 

After our hike, we stopped by a restaurant in town. Then Phyllis and Tara joined us. After dinner the 4 of us went to investigate a fort, but when we got there, there was only a church. A fun day talking to other hikers at breakfast and dinner. We love this hotel.

Cork tree

Cork tree

Strawberry tree

Dian and I stopped for drinks in town

Phyllis and Tara walked into town and joined us - turned into a late lunch.

Cucumber, avocado, tea, and wine for dinner.
The grocery store in Carrapateira was very small.