16 km and 1,100 vertical meters This past February 12th we made the trek from Valley of Cabó up to Cal Pallarès of Noves de Segre, through Ares and Baridà. In total it was about 16 km, with about 1,100 vertical meters elevation gain.

We left the road of Cabó near La Oliva, at 10.45 am, arriving at Ares at about 2.15 pm (a total of 3 hours and half).

Upon reaching Ares, Msgr. Francesc Perarnau pastor of the church of Montalegre of Barcelona, celebrated Mass. Then we had a great barbecue organized by Octavio Rico and Daniel Macias, from Igualada.

In total we were about 45 people from Barcelona, Sant Cugat, Igualada, Sabadell, Andorra, Sant Pol de Mar and Lleida.

At 4 pm we set out towards Noves de Segre arriving at 7.45 pm. In total it took us 9 hours = 7.15 hours walking and 1.45 hours on breaks.

We reached the road of Noves de Segre when it was already night, which helped us to experience an atmosphere more similar to how it probably would have been on the expedition of evasion in 1937. During two sections of the walk we read some historical documents that helped to remind us of the expedition on which St. Josemaría went. Through these documents we learned that the climb to Ares was especially hard for Saint Josemaría, who had to be carried in the arms of others almost to the village of Ares: “These sons of mine took me pushing, dragging, in their arms, almost up in the air“, said Saint Josemaría some years later.

And Francisco Botella remembers: “What a last hour we spent climbing up the mountain! I remember it was more than three hours of climbing hard, like I’m saying. I felt like mourning with grief to see Father going up like a sack, physically carried in our arms. ‘My sons lifted me in their arms, I couldn’t have done it,’ said Father years later and repeatedly, when referring to these hours of effort and pain.”

The descent through the Torrent de Baridà also had its complications, as it is very steep.

Remembers Francisco Botella: “Many falls and many stumbles. We bruised our feet. . . the cold is very intense. Father counts his own falling down, there are many, many!, Always received with good humor: “twenty-six!, Twenty-nine!” We count them out. Thinking of our work ahead, we take it all with peace and joy. But the trek is a real killer. “

We were able to contemplate only a fraction of these experiences, but we took note of what those conditions of 1937 might have been like with little food, walking at night, persecuted, with poor footwear, cold and all the inconveniences that we can imagine.