28.9 km – 17.9 miles

900 meters – 2952 feet elevation gain

7:10am to 2:40pm walking time

I knew today would be a long day and it was, but it was another beautiful day. It started in the dark, on flat pavement and sidewalk. The stars were still out and I was partially bummed not to see the view since it was almost like a gorge. All the walking for most of the day was on road – sometimes busy and sometimes not – sometimes there was a shoulder to walk on and sometimes not. Despite being on or next to road, I enjoyed the that it followed along with a river or streams most of the day.

I could tell there were lots of people in front of me and behind me, but we mostly stayed spread out from each other for most of the day. The numbers are definitely picking up the closer to Santiago. You only need to walk the last 100km to earn the Compostela, so many start from not too far out because of limited time off.

I can’t get over buildings like the one above. Often they’re still in use – sometimes they’re a barn on the bottom and a house on top. These would not pass building code in the US, that’s for sure. But I think they’re so interesting and charming. You’ll see a building hanging on by a thread next to or attached to a brand new building. Very common to see in a lot of these Camino towns.

A geocaching friend that walked the Camino a few months after I did back in 2016 has been following a pilgrim that’s been posting on facebook and he asked me to say hello to that guy if I saw him. I knew his name was Hector and had seen some images of what he looks like. Today as I was taking a break, someone mentioned that their friend Hector was at the next bar down. When I saw him leaving that bar I knew it was the guy my friend mentioned. A bit later on the trail, I found him and surprised him a bit by knowing who he was. He was happy to take a picture with me for my friend.

Other than that, I didn’t spend much time with anyone today until I met up with Erin from Australia at the town I’d be staying in. She hasn’t been feeling well so will be busing on today. I may get to see her one last time tomorrow before she leaves the Camino for other travel.

I reached the border of Galicia today, so that means I’m finally back to my preferred Camino markers. Each region seems to have their own unique way to mark the trail. Hard to see in the picture below, but these give you a km count to Santiago.

I’ve got to decide how much walking I’m doing tomorrow. Could be an average day, or if I’m feeling good, it could be a longer day. I’d love to catch up with more people I know, but I know my feet would like to not push it.