El Cedro 8km, the sign had said. Easy. There wasn’t much of a path, so we followed the big water pipe that led upwards and into the narrowing barranco (valley). But the moderate steps from the beginning soon turned into big slippery rocks, trunks, and drop-offs. Becoming more of a challenge, becoming more thrilling. Whenever we turned around to take a look we had gained a few more meters altitude, and the view was getting more and more spectacular. Dense undergrowth, followed by a sudden opening and another mirador, vista point. Then the Teide came into sight, Spain’s highest mountain on nearby Tenerife, its bottom veiled in clouds. …

As it turned out, El Cedro had a wonderful small restaurant, La Vista (the name says it all), that reminded me of a ski hut in the Alps. Around lunchtime hikers filed in from all directions to find one of the rare seats out on the terrace. Patatas bravas, tomato salad, grilled fish, and una cerveza sin (literally ‚beer without‘, meaning alcohol), a chat with the people at your table. Plus a one-of-kind terraced campground – with open-air showers sharing that view.

That was the day I got hooked on hiking. Blame it on Gomera. We had decided to spend a couple of weeks on the Canary Island, with no particular plan in mind. Time to relax, read a few books, be offline for a while, explore the island. Of course, I had read about Gomera: the characteristic volcanic landscape, its unique Parque Nacional de Garajonay, the small colorful villages and the bizarre coast line, gleaming black beaches – yet I was stunned by the beauty of it all. There are many ways to discover it – take the bus, rent a car or a mountain bike. But for me hiking is the perfect way to get to know the islands’ many treasures. You get lost in the moment, and there is no place you’d rather be.