It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt. That’s what I was thinking to myself a good part of today. The reality was that it did hurt. Whatever my leg pain is hasn’t gone away and walking another 34 km on it didn’t seem to help. I have to count myself lucky though because in 31 days, only at the end on my journey am I dealing with major pain. It won’t stop me. I will walk into Santiago two days from now. 

Today wasn’t as bad as I made it just sound. Though the last few kilometers I was cursing the guidebook author more than I had in days before. Flat he said. Downhill he said. Sure, some of today was flat and some of today was downhill. He forgot to mention that for every downhill there was a major climb back up. Be looking for my honest review on Amazon sometime after I get back, John Brierley. 

The Camino is a different Camino now. It’s no longer just those in it for the long haul (from St. Jean in France to Santiago…or farther). Now it’s the “Sunday Strollers” Camino. Or the FNG group….ask me in person if you really want to know what that means. They started in Sarria, most of them. They have their little daypack. They are fresh and excited about starting their big Camino journey. They are not the “family” that you meet at the beginning of the Camino. You try not to hate these people, but sometimes it’s a bit hard. 🙂 They’re good people too, but their very chipper “Buen Camino!” is sometimes the last thing you want to hear. 

My Camino family had a photo contest today. We were trying individually to get the best picture of the day. I decided to ask half of Spain to pose with me for my picture…

This is going to be one of the days I want to forget on the Camino. Nothing terrible happened but a combination of small bad/annoying things made it the day that got me closest to having a break down. 

Yesterday was so long and so hot and overall really draining. So today when the alarm went off I still wanted 5 more hours of sleep. Then the start of today my leg was in excruciating pain with every step. Not sure what’s wrong with it but I know it hurts. Then the pain got traded for mugginess, which meant being drenched in sweat and when I sweat the flies decide that I’m fun to hang out with. Nothing could get them to leave me alone. Add that to the never ending hills and I was not a happy camper. 

I’ve been in much worse situations but today was the first day that I got close to wondering why I’m doing this. 

Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m a determined person. When I put my mind to something, I do everything in my power to make it happen. So coming into this Camino I knew that nothing was going to stop me from finishing it as planned. Even if I got hurt or had pain along the way, I was going to stick it out to the end. That’s just what I’ll do. I’m in the homestretch now, so nothing will stop me. Not even the first blister that showed up at the end of today.

The thing that kept me going today was my group of Camino friends. Knowing that I’d have a great group of people to hang out with the end of the day made me realize that my not-so-good day wouldn’t stay that way forever. I’ll forever be grateful for all the wonderful people I’ve met and the bonds I’ve made on the Camino. It’s a community that cares and watches out for you like you’re family. So a big thank you to Eva, Paige, Nicki, Wes, Maurice and John for keeping me going when I wanted to break down and feel sorry for myself. 

Sure, I’ve showed you lots of beautiful countryside and talked about special moments on the Camino, but what I haven’t told you is that it’s really hard. Some people train for half marathons for months before running/walking them. We are out here walking half marathons + a couple miles or more each day. We are doing this on little sleep, and often while not eating the best foods for these kinds of activities. We are facing endless hills, thunderstorms, high temperatures, low temperatures, strong winds. We endure pain and exhaustion on a daily basis. 

Despite having a not-so-great day, I’m still loving every bit of this experience and wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

I would share photos, but the wifi in my albergue is terrible. So this post may be updated with photos later on. 

UPDATE: Photos!

Today was a long day. 33km total through more beautiful countryside. Anyone familiar with the Brierley guide for the Camino hates him by now. He is a liar. He doesn’t know how to map things. His guide is mostly valuable as it shows the route, villages, points of interest, cafes/bars, etc. What he doesn’t know is mapping. He mentioned a hill today, but forgot to mention that the WHOLE day would be up and down hills. If I meet him someday I’m going to introduce him to my altimeter app on my iPhone or a GPS device. The words we said about him on the Camino over the last few days are not going to be shared on this blog. 😉

After a morning of beautiful farm country and fighting off bugs, we found a cafe that had pizza! I love having pizza for breakfast so this was amazing. 

We saw a snake on the trail today. It was itty bitty, but it looks scary in the picture. Some people were a bit afraid of it. 🙂

Then we headed off to Sarria where we found an amazing Italian place – more pizza for me! Actually the best pizza of the trip so far. 

The afternoon was long and hot. Really long. Really hot. Still beautiful but really long and really hot. 

Our village, if you can call it that, is right next to the 100km mark. Getting so close to Santiago! 

Scenery wise, today was one of the best days of the Camino. Over every hill and around every corner the views were amazing. It started off with a nice sunrise as we walked from our mountain village. 

We only walked 22km today, so it was a “short” day. However we made it long by stopping in almost every village along the way. 

We also took a break at a cool statue at the top of the mountain. I also took the group to find their first geocache. 

The last 6km I walked pretty fast down the mountain. It’s one of the first times I’ve walked alone on the Camino. While it was nice to walk alone for a bit, I realized how appreciative I am to have an amazing group of people to walk with and share albergue rooms with. The last few days I’ve felt like I had a family on the Camino. Makes me all the more sad that we will finish soon. 

I’m in a village up in the mountains, though calling it a village might be a stretch. There are about 5 buildings here and some of them are for only for animals. Some of the locals just took a stroll through town…

Today was a day we were all dreading for a while. It was “big hill day.” Sure we already walked over the Pyrenees mountains, but after days of mostly flat, the idea of a big hill was scary. Though we are not quite at the top, I realize now that it wasn’t worth all the hype and dread. I maybe won’t say that too loudly around my fellow pilgrims though. I still feel really great overall and felt like the big hill wasn’t so big after all. Still no blisters or other major ailments. I think at this point I may feel good all the way to Santiago. (Knock on wood)

The scenery was beautiful today. Going through the mountains always makes for better views. 

The albergue tonight is very new and comfortable. We booked out a room for nine for our group of eight people. Makes a big difference when you know everyone in your room. You are a little less annoyed by the snorers when they are your friends. 

I’m sitting at the local bar/cafe with some of my roommates for tonight. Eva and I were lucky enough to be adopted by an amazing group of people. It’s possible we may not stay together until Santiago, but I’m enjoying the now while I can. 

Today was a beautiful day through wine country. One of my coworkers who walked the Camino said this was one of their favorite sections and I can see why. It’s beautiful with all the mountains and vineyards. 

We got a late start today, which was ok because we had reservations at an albergue for tonight. Along with our late start we also took some long breaks. It’s easy to do when you’re meeting such nice people. I think everyone here is using the opportunity to be there person they want to be. And with that, they’re open to meeting new people regardless of age, country of origin, gender, religious preference, etc. You kind of have to be since you may be sharing a bunk with that person tomorrow. I kind of wish everyone in the world could experience this. I think there would be more acceptance in the world if people had to be pushed out of their comfort zone like this. 

Anyway, staying in yet another cute village in Spain tonight. I do think I need to revisit a lot of these villages someday when I’m not walking the Camino. It would be nice to explore them when I haven’t walked 15 miles already. 

Tomorrow will be a hard day. It’ll be nearly 3000 feet elevation gain and 30kms. Hopefully I can find some pasta for dinner! 

Btw, here’s the cat that lives at our albergue tonight. 

Today started in a fog. Literally, I felt like I was in the Misty Mountains from Lord of the Rings, the fog was so thick. Though I would have liked to have seen the views from the adorable mountain village we stayed in, the fog was more fitting for the start of the day. 

Cruz de Ferro is an emotional place for many. If you’ve seen the movie The Way, you’ll understand why.

After a short visit at the iron cross, we kept going through the foggy mountains. At different times you could hear cow bells or wild dogs in the distance. It was eerie and peaceful at the same time. 

After some steep downhills, the fog lifted and we could see the mountains. After spending days in the flat Meseta and then through industrial parts of Leon I was happy to see mountains. 

My body, though tired, is happy to have some more variety in terrain. I’m amazed at how good I feel after walking this far. I feel like I could go climb Mt. Rainier tomorrow. With a steep climb ahead, I hope I continue to feel that way.

Ponferrada seems like a cool city but I’m not sure I have the energy to go explore it.

Tonight we are staying in a fancy new albergue with a new group of friends. Having taken rest days twice, we have had to meet all new people twice now. Sure, you meet new people on the Camino every day, but some make a bigger impact or feel more comfortable to be around. 

I think the biggest thing I’ve learned on the Camino is to live in the moment. Amazing people will come and go in your Camino life every day. Your favorite person today may be a village ahead or behind you tomorrow. You hope to see them again, but know you may not, so you have to appreciate the now.

Today was another good day on the Camino that took us through some pretty countryside. Weather ranged from cool and nice to cold, windy and rainy. 

We started back up into the mountains so our first bigger elevation gain in a while. Tomorrow we climb a little more to the Cruz de Ferro which will be a neat spot to visit. I packed a rock I picked up in Idaho to leave there. 

The village of Foncebadon is very small and mostly just consists of albergues. It feels like a resort town without a resort. I’m staying at the hippie albergue. They apparently have yoga in the morning. I will not be partaking in the yoga. But I am eating the pilgrim’s meal tonight. Wish me luck! 

I’ve found a place I’d like to vacation to someday. Astorga is one of the cutest tourist towns located in some pretty beautiful countryside. The walk here today was one of my favorite days on the Camino in a while. Sure, the Meseta has its own beauty and charm, but let’s face it – it’s kinda boring after about a day. Then the two days of trekking into and out of Leon were the least exciting walks of the Camino so far. 

I’m entering the final chapter of my Camino, which is exciting and also a bit sad at the same time. I can’t wait to get back to my own bed, a decent shower every day (with full sized towels!), more variety of food and the job and friends I love in Seattle. But I’m also sad thinking that I have only about 12 days left of one of the most incredible experiences of my life. 

My job currently is to walk every day. My body is conditioned for it now. I can walk 15 miles and then head out of my albergue to walk some more even after I’ve reached my destination. I’m able to sleep slightly well in rooms of 12-20 people from all over the world. I wake up at 6 not dreading the day but interested to see what it has to offer for scenery and wondering who I will meet. 

Today we took the scenic detour and it was worth every minute and every hill. 

We walked through the adorable town of Hospital De Orbigo. Definitely a place worth visiting again. Then up through the hills to reach our final destination of Astorga. 

The village of Astorga has a beautiful cathedral, a famous museum designed by Gaudi and a chocolate museum. I likely only have time to visit one of these. I do love chocolate, but I’ll likely opt for Gaudi. 😉

If the original pilgrims wore these shoes, I think there’s nothing wrong with me wearing flip flops. 

Though I didn’t wear my flip flops on the Camino today. They just don’t quite cut it in the rain. Today was the first day since day 2 that it rained. That day was only a mist. Today the poncho was necessary. This was the one item I packed that I hoped I didn’t have to use. There’s a good chance I’ll have to use it again tomorrow. 

Today’s walk was not very exciting as a good chunk of it was just leaving Leon and its suburbs. There were sections where we had to walk on the highway with big semi trucks passing by. The rain started and then went. Then it started again in a big way. Along with thunderstorms and wind. 

We meant to take the scenic route of the Camino today and end up in another village, but the signs for the turn were not clear. So we followed the main Camino path and decided to walk an extra 4-5kms to get to a village with multiple albergue options. 

This actually works out well because tomorrow was originally going to be almost 30km, so now it’ll be a bit shorter. 

There is absolutely nothing to do in this village. So I’m longing for the TV that I had in my hotel room in Leon. I’ll just have to find some other way to kill time until dinner and bed.