Molino de la Hoz – Gasco Dam. With snowshoes

Community of Madrid

Ferran Pérez

01/11/2021

Molino de la Hoz – Gasco Dam. With snowshoes

We are going to repeat an almost urban route due to its proximity to Molino de la Hoz but this time under a completely different environment than the storm Filomena has given us.

We are going to do this route of “The unfinished dreams of the 18th century”. To do this, we left Molino de la Hoz with rackets and crampons. (Yes! It’s incredible but true!) And we take the path with some problem or another due to the fall of trees due to not supporting the weight of the snow, which they were not trained for. We immediately pass the Arroyo de la Isabela and continue along the path, more or less marked by the footsteps of other hikers.

We reach the crossroads of La Isabela and turn left to go to the Ruined Gasco Dam. Reason why we could title the route as that of unfinished dreams.

The Gasco Dam remains in ruins since May 14, 1799, a storm destroyed it. And coincidence has made that now, the storm Filomena, we dress all in white.

Note that this Dam and its surroundings want to be protected by the Community of Madrid declaring it BIC (Patrimony of Cultural Interest) for what this work meant during the reigns of Carlos III and Carlos IV. Those who started what was to be the largest dam in the world in its time.

Leaving history aside, we continue the route crossing the dam and walking on the other side of the Guadarrama River. Everything is beautiful and this part is already virgin snow. No one had stepped on it. We go down to the Guadarrama riverbed passing by an old construction of a house that is in ruins in the same riverbed, with the intention of going up a path again to the dam. But sincerely. The path is quite difficult as the trees are fallen by the snow. So we try to pass the Guadarrama … but the same thing happens to us and in the end we are forced to turn around the other side until we return to Molino de la Hoz.

Sincerely. An incredible Nordic route with snowshoes and crampons that without a doubt … it will hardly be possible to repeat because a snowfall of this type … will surely never occur again.