Walking The Way

09/21- Got up at 5:30 am and hit the trail from Belorado to Santovenia de Oca. It’s was 38 degrees this morning, so I bundled up for the walk. This was a big day as it was the longest distance I’ve walked 29 km (18 miles). It also happened to be uphill the majority of the walk so I wanted to get a head start before the sun was up.

Given the steep ascents and descents of todays journey, I knew it would be a challenging day. What was really nice to see was that my body is now so conditioned to do these walks that I didn’t have too much difficulty in making the necessary climbs. The terrain for the Camino varies from pavement to loose rocks, which was the case for most of the day. A lot of large loose rocks under my feet.

As the day went on, the terrain once again began to transition from sunflowers and wheat to pine forests as the trail climbed to an elevation of 3800 feet.

I walked with my buddies from NC today as well as a new friend from Demark. A lot of laughter and humor to keep us all distracted from the steep hikes we did today.

This walk tested everyone. While our minds might have been saying stop, our bodies just kept going. They say the first week of the Camino is a physical challenge, the second week mental, and the third spiritual. We definitely had some mental challenges today, but not being alone on todays journey made that challenge easier.

My thoughts: Tomorrow I will head to the city of Burgos. It’s an exciting milestone to get there. They say if you can make it to Burgos you can make it all the way to Santiago. The other milestone will be me reaching 200 miles walked tomorrow!! Crazy!!!

Once I reach Burgos, I will have a rest day before heading back out on the trail for one of the most mentally challenging parts of the Camino, the Meseta.

I continue to be so incredibly grateful and humbled to be able to be on this pilgrimage and feel fortunate to also have met others from all over the world who have chosen the same journey. ❤️