My drive to northern Tenerife was treacherous. The roads were steeper and more narrow than any other road I had been on. I made the drive at night after my trip to La Gomera and navigating these difficult roads at night was somewhat terrifying. There were several points where the road was so steep that my rental car started losing grip on the road and I feared that I'd inadvertently start moving in the opposite direction. This adventure was capped off with a driveway that lead to my next Airbnb. The driveway was just as steep as the steepest roads I'd experienced so far. It had a turn so tight at the end that I had to get out of the car numerous times to check and make sure I wasn't going to hit anything. The next day I decided that a hike was in order. Unfortunately, it looked like rain was in the forecast. I grabbed my rain coat and started walking. The trail was called Las Vueltas de Taganana and it started just a stone's throw from the Airbnb I was staying at. Although the day started dark and stormy, the clouds opened up and the sun came out in short order. The trail climbed quickly out of the valley and town that the trail is named after, Taganana. It was a strenuous hike, but it gave the gift of spectacular views of the valley, coast and surrounding mountains. Northern Tenerife feels quite a bit different from its southern and western parts. The area is more forested with vegetation that seems more tropical in nature. It also feels even less flat than the rest of the island. This was an accomplishment considering the mountainous terrain I'd already experienced. The views on the hike were stunning. I stood on the mountainside with a view down to the valley and out to the coast with mountain ranges on either side, towering above me. Even though this view was expansive, it felt a lot more intimate than the vistas I'd seen in Teno Park. The view was a narrow one to the coast and the vegetation was darker, greener, and more overgrown. Unfortunately, due to my late start and slow progress, I did not complete the trail. I had to turn back before the lack of light made it impossible to see the path in front of me. I got back to Taganana, the small village glowing street-light orange, just as dusk was fading to night.
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