May 24, 2016
Oh boy! This was the toughest day yet for me, although it was more mental than physical, I think. Our route today was from Arzua to Amenal, a total distance of 13.7 miles. We've now finished walking Stage 32 of the Camino and have only 10.2 miles until we reach kilometer 0 at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. (Hard to believe we're now so close.)
On the map, today's route looked fairly flat with a few gentle up hills, so I thought this would be an easy, though long, day. The hills were a lot harder than I had anticipated! It made me feel a little better when I heard the same type of comments from the others. (Could it be we're all getting a little tired of walking 9 - 15 miles per day?)
Be that as it may, the hills weren't the major reason I had such a hard day. What really made it tough was that today it rained. (I know, I'm a native Oregonian and a little rain shouldn't bother me.) However, this wasn't a gentle misting rain or the kind of light showers we typically get in the Pacific Northwest. This was a full-blown, sky opening up and dumping kind of rain! I knew we were in trouble when the windshield wipers on the bus couldn't keep up with the pelting rain during our drive from the hotel back to yesterday's stopping point in Arzua. The flimsy disposable ponchos Becky and I had brought with us were not going to cut it!
Thankfully, our guides had some heavier ponchos previous guests had left behind and we were able to borrow those. As we started out from Arzua I felt snug and cozy and decided that maybe it wasn't going to be so bad walking in a torrential downpour. Little did I know then how uncomfortable this poncho would become as I tried to decide which was worse....getting soaked in the rain or sweltering inside this plastic sauna. All I could do was keep my head down and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
At about 6.5 miles into this horrendous walk, we came upon an oasis in the storm, La Casa Verde, where we stopped for coffee and a snack. The place was like no other cafe/bar along the Camino with pilgrim shirts hanging from the ceiling and graffiti everywhere. Music was blaring (Elton John, U2, etc.), the air was humid from all the wet clothing and it was jam-packed with pilgrims. One felt a fraternity with them all as we all tried to find a little respite from the storm.
To make a long story short, we finally reached our destination and I can only hope and pray that the weather will improve for our final walk into Santiago.
No comments:
Post a Comment