Today we are going to talk about one of the peaks that is located in one of the most emblematic areas of the Picos de Europa National Park. It is about Pico Urriello, better known by the name of Naranjo de BulnesIt is one of the most famous peaks in this national park and is located in the central massif. It stands at 2518 meters high and was first climbed in 1904. Since then, this peak has become one of the important milestones in the early days of Spanish mountaineering.
In this article, we'll tell you all about the characteristics, geology, and importance of Naranjo de Bulnes.
Key features
It is a summit that is composed of a calcareous monolith that was formed for the most part by light gray limestone rocks. These rocks were massive and microbially built. These materials originated from a large platform with a high content of marine carbonates and was developed during the carboniferous periodThe rises and falls of sea level during the Carboniferous period It caused the emergence of the upper part of the platform and karst processes developed.
In a karst relief, the cavities originate as a result of the karstification process and are filled with materials from the Permian periodThese materials are identified by their reddish breccias and clays. The main characteristic of Naranjo de Bulnes is that its morphology was primarily created by glacial modeling. Glacial modeling was responsible for the general appearance of the geology of the terrain throughout the glaciations. The entire Picos de Europa area suffered glaciations during the quaternary epoch, whose last glacial maximum occurred approximately 38.000 years ago.
Until the beginning of the glaciations, the upper part of the central massif was covered by a mountain cap. The peak was a rocky outcrop entirely surrounded by the crags of two glacial tongues. It has a polished wall and does not have any edges. These are different features that indicate the abrasive action of the glacial tongues on the walls of the Naranjo de Bulnes. Glacier modeling has unique characteristics that allow geologists to identify the formation of each of them.
Geological and cultural interest of Naranjo de Bulnes
As expected, a peak with these characteristics, the result of a glacial process and famous for being a landmark in Spanish mountaineering, is of great geological, cultural, and social interest. If we look at the geological interest that Naranjo de Bulnes may have, we see that it is geomorphological in nature. The geomorphology of this peak is a good example of a nunatak. The nunatak is a type of rocky outcrop that takes place within a mountain cap. This mountain cap is characterized mainly by presenting highly polished walls due to the action of glacial ice.
Cycles of freezing and thawing cause rock abrasion. Because this peak has experienced numerous glaciations, ice abrasion has polished all the rocks, modifying their morphology. This morphology is characteristic of a moderate glacier and, at the same time, serves as evidence for interpreting the evolution of Quaternary glacial dynamics.
It also has other non-geological interests such as historical and cultural. From the cultural and social point of view, it can be said that it has good characteristics to be a good landscape. It is considered one of the most emblematic and well-known elements of the Picos de Europa National Park. We must also add the historical aspect since the top was climbed for the first time in 1904 by Pedro Pidal and Gregorio Pérez. These two mountaineers were the ones who laid the foundations of Spanish mountaineering.
How to get to the base of Naranjo de Bulnes
There are many ways to get to the Vega de Urriellu area. Perhaps the simplest will be to leave the car in the town of Sotres. From there, we can walk along the existing track and head to the Cabao winter ones. Later we will cross the river Duje and from there we can practically ascend to the Pandébano pass where the track ends and the path begins.
From here we can already see the Urriellu, and if we follow the path, we'll reach the village of Bulnes. There are other trails as well, but they're a bit more complicated.
Although it is not the highest peak in the Cantabrian Mountains, It has an altitude of 2.519 meters and is considered one of the best known peaks. What makes this peak particularly famous is its 550-meter vertical west face. As mentioned before, this face originated through Quaternary glacial formation and the abrasion of ice and melting ice.
Most famous climbs
After the first climb in 1904, some more have followed. The second ascent took place in 1906 and was carried out by Dr. Gustav Shulze in geology and experienced German mountaineer. He also did it for the north face and he did it alone. He was the first mountaineer to use pegs to be able to rappel down the south face. This geologist described the climb as short and difficult.
In 1924, a mountaineer named Víctor Martínez Campillo managed to open a new, easier route on the left side of the south face. Since then, it has been known as the Víctor Route. One of the last climbs took place in 1973 and was widely covered by the media. The interesting thing about this climb is that it was a winter climb and had claimed several lives and made several spectacular rescues.
As you can see, Naranjo de Bulnes is one of the best known and most famous peaks in Spain. I hope that with this information you can learn more about it.