The Final Countdown

Wow-the days sure do fly by. My mom is so great about updating her blog. I, on the other hand, spend too much time reading and talking and sleeping....and not enough time keeping up with writing :) 

So let's see...after my last blog we had the three hardest trail days...consecutively. 

We left Rabanal in the dark, preparing to hike to the highest peak on the Camino. At this point lies the Cruz de Ferro- a cross on the trail that we had heard a lot about. You are supposed to bring a stone from home to leave at the cross- a symbolic representation of the weight of something you are leaving behind on the Camino. We had brought stones from home and were prepared for this special/spiritual/symbolic moment. 

Unfortunately, it was a very foggy, cold morning and the cross was overrun with eager pilgrims and tourists. The lackluster lighting and recent rain made the cross look EXTREMELY less than impressive. On top of that, a woman stood on the rock pile the entire time we were there...slowly putting down each and every rock she had brought. (You can see her bent over in the pictures- she would not leave!) 

Below is what the cross is supposed to look like.... (Or what we were expecting)

 

Below is our "moment" HAHA (notice are volunteer photographer didn't even get the whole cross in our picture)

We left the cross laughing. Was that really it? The rest of the day was a challenging 17 miles.  Tough, but the beautiful mountain scenery made it all worthwhile.  

We stayed in a cute village, Molinaseca. The next morning we were off through Ponferrada. Below is a picture of the town castle. 

Heading out of Ponferrada it started to rain. It was the weird sort of rain where it was pouring down rain one moment, and bright and sunny the next. Perfect condition for rainbows!! We saw 4...one of which was a double rainbow. Lucky day! 

The day was long- 19 miles- but it was our first long way that felt really good. We got to our end destination, Villafranca del Bierzo, and after searching for an albuergue and not finding the one we were looking for, we stumbled upon the most beautiful, brand new albergue. 

Because the Camino is gaining popularity, new albuergues are popping up everywhere. Some of our favorite stays have been at these albuergues- as they are new and clean and usually really cool (great incorporation of the old architecture). Anyway- great stay- ran into old friends- made new friends- and made a great meal together. 

The next day was labeled in our guidebook as the most challenging day. The trek was 18 miles and gained 3600 ft of elevation. Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating, and we had a feeling it was going to be a long day. 

Me in the morning- hopefully optimistic!

The first mountain we climbed was gorgeous. 

Unfortunately, those clouds never went away, and by lunch it was a complete downpour. The rest of the day was absolutely miserable. We were cold, wet, and exhausted. Near the top of the final mountain, we barely had any footing it was so wet. At one spot, we had our own mini "running of the bulls"...we were heading up the trail and cows were sliding down at the same time we were trying to go up. I wish this picture better portrayed reality (how close the cows were). What a site!!! (And seriously scary)

After finally reaching the top (absolutely drenched and freezing) we found that the town was completely full! No room in the albuergue or any hostels or hotels. On top of a pretty crappy day (literally...so much horse and cow poop) this was terrible news. 

Luckily we weren't the only ones our of luck, so we found 2 Italian guys and a Korean lady and called a taxi to the next "town" We stayed in the only option in town-a creepy, expensive, nasty hotel. (With no heat or hot water). My mom and I pushed our beds together and tried to get warm after such a cold day- but it didn't really work. What a day-- what a night!

Woke up the next day to slightly better weather. We were now in the region of Galicia- a very green (rainy region) that had Celtic roots (and although I've never been to Ireland- I envision it to be like this). 

 

The past few days have been beautiful walks. Lots of farm life and green (reminds me a bit of home:)

Two days ago we passed through Sarria. From Sarria, it is officially 100k to Santiago. It is also the town that you must start in to get your official "credential" in Santiago. (I still need to write about our credentials). Consequently, the number of pilgrims on the trail have significantly increased. We knew it would happen, but it takes away some of the magic of having walked the entire Camino and wanting to enjoy the last few days without a million "last minute" pilgrims jumping in. It also means we've had to make reservations at albuergues a day in advance. (As everything books up by midday). 

I'm trying to have a positive mindset though, and realize that it is just as much their camino as it is ours....it's just hard. 

Speaking of Camino moments, yesterday Mom and I got crazy lost! It is amazing this didn't happen sooner as the trail is only marked by yellow arrows or shells. (And never in any guaranteed way). Anyway, the mornings are getting darker and darker and so yesterday, in the dark, we missed an arrow and ended up (by our guess) about 10k in the wrong direction. We had to walk back via the interstate to get on track. Not fun at the time, but funny in hindsight. 

Other than that, life is good! 2 more sleeps until Santiago. My body is exhausted, but I'm not ready to be done. (Which is a good thing because we plan to hike 4 more days past Santiago to the ocean). 

More to come soon! Ultreia!