I started with 5kms jogging to make it to the beach where it will be a more or less straight line to Pico do Arieiro.
With a very warm night 🌡 and in the middle of the darkness I touched the water 🌊 and headed up ⬆️. My first stop will be 3 min later when I found a caffeteria and I asked for a expresso ☕.
Ready to go up ⬆️. Soon I'll join the street called "Rua Das Dificuldades". I think it has some relation with the 2.7 kms lentgh that brings you 500m higher up ⬆️.
From here, I was in Monte and knew the next bit. I was near Pico alto around 7:30 and it was about time for sunrise 🌄, so I decided to make a pit stop 🛑 to have a look. It was getting lighter and there was some shadows but the sun still needed some time. So I decided to keep going and after a while the sun ☀️ to appeared in the horizon 🌄.
After that I was closer of Pico do Arieiro. I could see it 👀, but still about 300m ⬆️ and a few kms. I follow one of the official paths and the peak is approached from the west, so it added a bit more distance than I expected. Still I made it shortly after 9am. Way before the meeting time (10am). I waited here and joined the group to do peak together.
Up to hear I didn't find a single person in 4h, however from here the parh is quite busy. The path itself is espectacular with stairs up and down and most of the time secured by wired cables.