The Peneda Gerês National Park has breathtaking scenery. Pretty villages, pine forests and rugged mountains. It’s been a joy and a tonic to spend some time here.
There was some excitement on Friday evening. Sheila and I were having supper on the terrace of our hotel. I looked up at mountain in front of me and saw smoke in the forest. Within minutes there was a lot more. Sheila said it must be a forest fire. I said they sometimes burn areas of forest in a managed way. As I spoke, two helicopters flew overhead carrying hoppers of water to extinguish the fire.
We sat for an hour or so and watched the whole thing play-out in front of us. At first, the fire appeared to be getting out of hand. We could see the flames from a distance of, I estimate of 1.5 kms. The two helicopters continuously refilled and returned every two minutes. Luckily, the reservoir is only a few kms down the road. I watched in awe as the pilots dove down towards the centre of the fire to release their payloads. The extinguishing effect of the water was clearly visible from where we sat.
Eventually, the fire was brought under control and the helicopters were able to stand-down. They deserved a cold beer for their efforts. The next morning as Sheila and I set off on our hike, the smell of an extinguished wood fire was clearly noticeable.
We’ve now hiked three days in succession in tough hot conditions and have decided to have a day off and sit by the pool. I’ll provide a little more detail next time.
A little too hazy! 
Wandering Boomers 