Getting lost in the right direction - An adventurous and insightful hike on Madeira
The following is about a hike I did in November 2021. The day after, I sat in a café in Machico - for hours - and wrote what you're about to read. I'm happy to finally share it, years later.
It’s 8.50 in the morning, when I leave my friend’s house in Água de Pena, Madeira Island, heading off for another hiking adventure with only a brief plan in mind and a map in my backpack. The Madeiran water system is characterized by irrigation channels, so called Levadas, which transport water from the mountains into the agricultural regions. Many hiking-paths simply follow the Levadas both through the forest and partly through urban areas. In the denser populated living areas, like the one my friend’s house is located in, the Levadas are just small channels with narrow sidewalks squeezed in between houses and farmlands. Following the Levada in these places is definitely off the tourist paths and locals usually look at me with surprise and sometimes even suspicion. If anyone starts a conversation, they soon get to be surprised by me actually speaking their native language, Portuguese. This is not quite common for someone looking like the typical tourist, with hiking cloths and a backpack of a well-known German brand.
Walking along the street leading up the mountain towards Santo António da Serra, shortly called Santo da Serra I take a chance on getting a ride. Fortune is with me, and the second car stops. Two locals on their way to work take me all the way to Santo da Serra where they drop me in front of the marketplace. Those local markets are very different from the touristic ones like for example in Funchal, the capital of Madeira Island. Since I have an entire hiking day in front of me, I unfortunately cannot purchase everything I would like. We’re in the middle of November and basically everything a vegetarian’s heart could desire is available here. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, lattice, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, onion and garlic as well as many different kinds of fruits, even those a Central European wouldn’t necessarily recognize. Besides the local bananas, oranges, kiwis and avocados one can find passion fruit in different varieties, guava, cherimoya and even the fruits of the well-known plant windowleaf (Monstera deliciosa). I only get myself some passion fruits and kiwis and a piece of apple pie for the afternoon. This has to be enough for now. Hopefully I’ll be able to come back next Sunday.
Around 10 a.m. I leave the market and make my way towards the Levada Serra do Faial where I want to start my hike today. In fact, I don’t have a specific plan for now, however several possible options. Further decisions will be taken on site according to my feelings and intuition. Once I’ve reached the Levada, I follow it to my right where I soon find myself surrounded by high coniferous trees, creating a somewhat dark, however magical and calm atmosphere. I’m feeling so energized yet calm and peaceful, grounded in the moment and fascinated again and again by the beauty and variety of the Madeiran forests. Soon, I sit down aside the water channel and eat my breakfast of fruits, oats and yogurt mixed with some nuts and bits of dark chocolate. After about thirty minutes’ walk along the irrigation channel, I come to an intersection with four possible options. I take out my old-school physical map to double check which path I should be taking. Here is, where I make the first mistake. I certainly wanted to hike up the mountain Pico do Suna, however, I had another road in mind than the one I would be taking from here on. According to my brief plan, I would have had to follow the Levada a bit further and then take the hiking path up the mountain. However, I take the earth road directly from this intersection. Soon, I’m noticing my mistake and quickly find the advantage in it. Like this, I wouldn’t have to walk up and down on the same path. I would reach the top from one side and could continue my way down on the other side. Awesome.
The road is quite steep and even though I’m breathing deeply and sweating in the humid air, I feel my legs being strong and well-trained. This is the outcome of a very active lifestyle with lots of hiking throughout the last one and a half years. While ascending the steep earth road, I recall an exercise I’ve recently picked up in an audiobook about training the mind’s focus: Walking with present moment awareness, which means noticing only what’s present right now and not drifting away in any other kind of thinking. I see the plants, some flowers, the rocks, a cracked stone, a plastic pipe, the texture of the leaves, the clouds passing by, … This is really grounding, and I can imagine it to be highly effective when having a monkey mind jumping around worries and problems like I used to have frequently just a couple of weeks ago. Even during walks in nature, I would have had my mind engaging in all kinds of thinking, not being able to disconnect and simply take a break, but rather mentally running wild like a spinning machine. When it is hard to empty the mind, it is still possible to fill it with something else, something healthier, like noticing every aspect of the present moment. Through verbalizing these observations, it is even easier to keep the focus on them and not drift off in thoughts. I enjoy this experience, although I’m soon getting interrupted by a four-wheel off-road vehicle, driven by a guy with a camera on his helmet. Not to be judgmental here, I wonder how he perceives this present moment, flooded by adrenaline, polluting the air and producing noise that can be heard over the entire valley, while bumping over the rocky mountain road.
To my right, I discover a path, leading upwards, while the road continues at the same level in front of me. This must be the path to the mountain top, I think, and follow it. Highly energized, I enjoy my hike to the fullest, getting aware of how alive I feel! That’s what life is about, isn’t it? To live it, to be alive and to feel alive! I suddenly remember something I’ve read in one of Paulo Coelho’s books a couple of months ago. One of the book’s characters reflected about the following tomb stone inscription: “He died while he was living.” Back then, I totally fell in love with this phrase. It’s so beautiful. How many people aren’t already dead while they are still alive? How awesome is it therefore to be alive to an extent that goes beyond the physical body functions of a pumping heart and working organs?
Feeling so fit and energized, I follow the path further and further until I finally get to wonder when I would reach the top of Pico do Suna. On the map it seemed way shorter. By now, already one hour has passed since I’ve left the Levada at the intersection. I take out my map but cannot really get clear about anything. Furthermore, I suddenly have a choice between different paths, none of them appearing on my map. This makes me finally alert enough to switch on the GPS of my phone. Google Maps displays my current location and by comparing it to the roads around, marked on both Google and my physical map, I can identify that I must have already been off my planned track for a while. I’ve been walking in an entirely wrong direction. Brilliant. The problem here is that these paths I am currently on are not even marked on my map, since they aren’t part of those declared touristic hiking paths. Google Maps isn’t of great help here either. Unfortunately, I forgot to download an app with a detailed map of the entire island. I wanted to do this when having Wi-Fi access but then forgot about it. That’s actually the only thing that could help me out of this situation, despite going back on the same path of course. This, however, is the least option to consider. I am trying to download the app now, quickly noticing that it’s too big and that it would take forever with the kind of mobile connection I have up here. Alright, no fast decisions now. I put down the backpack and put on my jacket since I’ve gotten quite sweaty during the steep ascent. As a diver, I always remember the golden rule: Stop. Breath. Think. Act. I quickly analyze the cornerstones of my current situation. I have to admit that I am quite lost. I don’t know where these paths in front of me and to my left lead to. I don’t know where I’ve made a mistake either so that I haven’t reached Pico do Suna. I don’t have a map showing clearly where I am or where I would be heading if I continued. The download of the app doesn’t work. However, I am safe, since I could still go back the same way I came from. Not being the most pleasant option, this would surely be the safest one. Wait, maybe I could find an online map, equally as good as the one in the app. I do have mobile internet, and I can certainly give it a try. Yes, with this idea I hit the bullseye. There is indeed an online map that reveals every single small path I was walking on and as well those I can see in front of me. Awesome! Now we’re talking about new options. By continuing, I would soon meet a street. Over some paths leading almost parallel to that street I could reach Ribeiro Frio from where I could follow the Levada back to the intersection I came from initially. This, however, would be a really long walk! I can’t quite estimate how long it is since this online map is lacking a scale. Should I really take a chance on it? What would be the worst case? Ending up in Ribeiro Frio too late to walk back and having to hitchhike all the way home. That would be ok as well. However, maybe I should really turn around instead. It would take me less than one hour in order to find the part where I’ve missed Pico do Suna. With the new map, I could get back on track and still go for my original plan. Having taken the decision of walking back, I put on my backpack and nevertheless continue the path ahead, following a hunch and going for the unknown. I’m laughing at myself and my decision making. Still, I’m at peace with it and I feel safe. After all, this is not the middle of nowhere. There are streets close by, and I have lots of good experiences with hitchhiking on Madeira. I will always get back home in the end.
Wow, just around the corner, an entirely different forest awaits me. It’s very humid here, dark and mossy. Even mushrooms flourish under the densely grown coniferous trees. What an amazing location! It would be worth spending more time here to explore and enjoy it to the fullest. For now, I’ll continue my mission. The scale on this map is smaller than I’ve thought and by proceeding faster than expected I gain new hope. On a parking site, a guy is just putting on his trail running shoes. He must know the place. I go over and ask him about the options to walk to Ribeiro Frio. He says it would definitely be possible; however, it might be around 7 km and take me about two hours. Hmm, that’s too long if I want to continue walking all the way back to Santo da Serra. I thank him, follow the path ahead and again consider the different options. What about hitchhiking to Ribeiro Frio and walking back along the Levada? Or walking to Ribeiro Frio and hitchhiking all the way back? I wonder if it would really take me two hours to get there. The online map shows a possible shortcut which I don’t think the guy had been talking about. That path must lead me there faster. In that case, I could maybe complete the entire round by foot. For now, I continue walking while keeping track of time and my progress on the map. Later on, I’ll decide on how to proceed further. These trails here are entirely new for me, so why should I skip them by hitchhiking? After all, my goal is to have a good time, to discover something new and to move in nature. My destination is the journey itself, not the fastest way back home. The help of the online map is priceless since it literally shows every single path I encounter.
I haven’t stopped for lunch till now and besides not feeling hungry, I’m also not relaxed enough to take a break yet. I first want to get back on well-known terrain. My body still feels strong, my legs feel like they could be walking forever. Great! I feel great joy descending on a muddy, rocky path, covered by such dense forest that even I, not being especially tall, have to take care of my head at times. I’m literally moving on some tracks I would have never discovered without this new map. And I am finally heading in the right direction. Just about half an hour ago, I stood up there at the mountain, entirely lost and about to walk back the same path I came from. Looking upon from a meta-perspective, it’s simply awesome to observe how the situation has evolved and changed. To me, this demonstrates the treasures hidden in the unknown, revealed to those who dare to go for it.
Only one hour after having asked the runner, I reach the recreational area south of Ribeiro Frio. Since it is Sunday, this place is quite populated. My attention, however, is consumed by the tiny forest of beech trees! I have a special relationship with them. Since I am originally from Southern Germany, I grew up with beech forests all around. Living in an area of Sweden, where beech trees are rare to find, I got to discover my love for them as well as how much I have been missing them. Since the beech needs seasons with at least some winter rest, it only exists in certain parts of Madeira Island. Up here, at more than 1000 meters altitude, it obviously finds a suitable climate. What a beautiful surprise! Currently, they’re even wearing their yellow-orange autumn dress, a rare encounter on this subtropical and evergreen island. Who would have thought that I would be travelling from Sweden to Madeira in order to find those beloved trees of my home in Germany? And by the way, if I hadn’t been lost and taken whatever decisions I’ve taken, I probably would have missed out on this experience. How beautiful it is to get lost in the right direction and discover miracles around almost every corner.
Leaving the beech trees, the people and the smell of barbeque behind, I reach a pastureland with many sheep. Distracted by the cute lambs all around, I miss a sign and get lost once more. This time, I start feeling slightly stressed since I’m losing time and daylight here is not unlimited unlike in Swedish summer. Soon, I discover the right path which first leads through dense bushes but is soon clearly visible ahead of me. From now on, I shouldn’t get lost anymore.
This trail-running path is descending quite steeply and after only twenty minutes, I reach the creek. Awesome! Now I’m safe. Now I’m really back on track! Following the old Levada will take me to the popular hiking trail PR 10. However, I won’t have to walk that one all the way from Ribeiro Frio but rather meet it somewhere in the middle. Finally, I can sit down and have a little lunch break. It is about 2.30 p.m. As I start eating my sandwich, I am quickly considering the remaining parts of my hike. The next step from here is to reach the PR 10 on which I’ll proceed until the crossroad where I had chosen to hike up the mountain this morning. From there, I still have to return along the Levada and then down the road to Santo da Serra, where I will somehow rely on getting a ride down to my friend’s house in Água de Pena. Considering all these remaining stages in front of me as well as the remaining four hours of daylight, I quit my lunch after half a sandwich and less than ten minutes. I don’t feel particularly hungry anyways and it seems more tempting to just continue my journey. My legs still aren’t tired even though I’ve been walking the entire day mostly at a high pace and covering a 1000-meter elevation difference. Only twenty minutes later, I already reach the PR 10, recognizing this intersection from previous hikes. This was faster than expected and from here on the Levada will continue without bigger differences in altitude. Time to finish my sandwich.
It is three o’clock as I continue my walk, always following the water channel. This is in fact one of my favorite Levada walks. It is incredibly beautiful and only because I’ve been here before and will for sure come back, I can manage not to take any photos. Madeira has almost become my third home after Germany and Sweden and I’m getting more and more familiar with the places and hiking tracks. Usually, I would have walked slower, seizing the beauty in its wholeness. Today, I’m on a different mission and that’s equally fine. I also enjoy the fast pace, the agility with which I can still move after so many hours of hiking. Raising this into awareness, I am incredibly grateful for having two healthy, fully functioning and strong legs, taking me wherever I want. Today, I feel especially in touch with the strength of my body, and I feel very comfortable in my skin. Mostly walking completely alone, not hearing or seeing anyone else, I am occasionally catching up with some other hikers, quickly passing them and proceeding at my own pace. Especially since being back on track, I feel very joyful about today’s project of completing this long and challenging, at the same time very beautiful and varied hike and reaching Santo da Serra before sunset.
After exactly one hour on the PR 10, I arrive at the crossroad and I smile at the sign pointing up the earth road, indicating Pico do Suna. Four and a half hours ago, I chose to take this way, never reaching the mountain top but discovering new places and linking several dots on my mental map. Life is awesome, unexpected and beautiful! Still smiling, I continue my walk along the Levada. Thirty minutes later, I leave the water channel and descend to Santo da Serra. Making my way to the other side of town, I notice that the local market hasn’t closed yet. Awesome! I anyway do not intend to walk all the way home but trust on getting a ride. Therefore, I might as well purchase some more fruits and vegetables. The vendors are about to pack away their products, but I still get whatever my heart desires. How lucky I am! From where I still take the energy I don’t know, but I’m not nearly as tired as expected. With a full and heavy backpack plus another bag in my hand I proceed towards the bar next to the park. Two days ago, I’ve already become friends with the Brazilian bar lady, and I still have time to go for a coffee. She directly recognizes me, and we have some short chit chat whilst she’s serving the numerous other guests. It’s a crowded Sunday afternoon in Santo da Serra. At 5.30pm I walk to the end of this small town where I pick a suitable place to try my luck in hitchhiking. Again, already the second car stops, and a friendly old man gives me a ride. We engage in a great and humorous conversation. Even though I suggest he could drop me in a place more suitable for him to continue his way to Funchal, he drives me all the way to the front door of my friend’s house. How lucky I am, again! It is 6 p.m., sunset time, and I am at home. What a perfect day. Really, what an awesome day. Entirely unexpected in so many ways!
It’s good to have an initial plan or at least some ideas of which to choose from throughout the day. However, if the unexpected happens, I don’t necessarily need to stick to the plan. Going for the unknown, taking assessable risks, being spontaneous and open for new paths both literally and figuratively, is what makes life a miracle, wonderful, exciting and full of surprises. All it takes is being receptive for the hidden treasures to reveal themselves. I am incredibly grateful for every single experience of this day. Just one day can be so rich, if we only allow it! Yes, I got lost today, several times, however always in the right direction. In fact, there is nothing but right directions. It all depends on the perspective and it’s up to each and every one of us to choose which light we want to shine on our individual experiences.
