Camino de Santiago: Part 4

I apologize for my last post. I was in the Meseta. I have now crossed through Leon over to Galicia and, to quote Will Farrell in Old School, "It is GLORIOUS!" The yellow of the plains has become lush green valleys and towering hills, with postcard perfect Spanish towns and the people to match. I´ve also come to realize that the Camino is a little like Rehab, not that I´ve ever been. First, you are in shock. Then follows the stages of confusion, anger, depression, and eventually, before you even realize it, you have changed. You begin to enjoy things... even look forward to the days. The last three days on the trail have been absolutely magical, more along the lines of what a positologist should experience. So without further ado...

Days Walked: 16
Kilometers Walked: 503.1 km
Hours on the Trail: 116:15
Distance to Santiago: 152 km

Wednesday, August 12, 2009: Day 13
Leon to Hospital de Obrigo. 35 km - 7 hours

I slept as late as possible in my temporary luxury of a Leon hotel room. Trust me: 2 stars has never felt so good, and I had never put a price on silence before, but it was golden. I came away from the experience how impressed with my appreciation of the little things. A definite unexpected aspect of the Camino. I made a point to stop at the Gothic Cathedral at 8:30, as I had been eager to explore it after being so blown away by the exterior the night before. What I found inside ended up a disappointment, as a rather plain interior could only be described as hollow. I noted this discrepency while hoping it never applied to myself. I walked out of Leon with a smile, in a great mood from the overall experience, though.

On my way out of town, I paused at the San Marco Parador Hotel - Spain´s line of luxury 5 star state run hotels that are all built out of converted historical buildings. If you are ever traveling to Spain and want to splurge, than exploit history and stay here. The route then rolled through concrete suburbs that lacked both charm and-or creativity, eventually thinnig into a weak line of strip mall-esque growth. I was surprised by the amount of industry, and it was unfortunate that the next 20k ended up being "Anytown, USA." I did however, reach charming Hospital de Obrigo and its beautiful bridge at 4pm, and decided to rest my feet. I had big plans for tomorrow.

Thursday, August 13, 2009. DAY 14.
Obrigo to Acebo. EPIC 56 km - 12.5 hours

It was an epic day that is not in any guidebook... or more appropriately, best described in 3 days of normal guidebooks. On Thursday I powered 56k over a major mountain pass, officially earning the yellow jersey of the Camino.

The day began in the dark at 6 am as I snuck out the cobbled streets of Obrigo. The next kilometers were filled with cornfields, where I watched the sun turn the dark blue sky into a brilliant orange as if lit by a match. 15k took me into Astorga for breakfast, an historical city on the far edge of the flat plain. I sought out at church designed by my favorite architect, Gaudi, and enjoyed CCL (Cafe con Leche) at a cafe bearing his name. From there the landscape became something that can only be described as "Southwest" with the brush looking ever closer to Tucson, Arizona. The towns along this path - Murias, Santa Catalina, El Ganso - also had a wild west appearance. Many of the buildings lay in ruin, while all were constructed out of brown stone. Only a handful of Albergues and bars showed any sign of life, and despite being clean and attractive, it was obvious that without the steady flow of Camino dollars these towns would quickly meet the same fate as John Wayne.

I was joined at this point by Alain, a fast walking French dentist who looked like a poster boy for his home, the Pyranese mountains. He had the perfect boots, rolled down wool socks, NASA designed backpack, and Alex Hoad white smile. I wanted to call him Gulliver for some reason. We covered another 15k while discussing a variety of topics including the French health care system, whether all American family own guns, and why we call them Freedom Fries. By 3 pm we reached Rabanal - Alain and most guidebook´s stopping point for the day. I´d covered 33k, but was just warming up. I bid my new friend farewell - a far too frequent occurance on the Camino - and headed into the afternoon heat.

I had thought about this moment the previous night and was excited for the challenge. I peeled off my shirt and headed up the mountain, suddenly alone for tyhe first time in a few days. Above a pair of large hawks searched for prey, and around me a constant hum of unseen bees could be heard. The landscape became increasingly mountainous and steep. At 1.5 hours I reached Foncebedon, a remote outpost on the east side of the range. I grabbed a fanta inside a strangely out of place medieval restaurant and escaped the town, thanking my lucky stars I wasn´t born there. Above vthe village, I came to a major camino landmark, the Cruz de Ferro. It is a large cross that marks the high point on the mountain, but also serves a symbolic purpose, as it is surrounded by thousands of "worry stones" left here by the pilgrims. Here is the point on your journey where you are supposed to let go of what has been weighing down your heart. I made a significant pause, said a prayer, and felt a real release as I dropped my stone.

Friday, August 14, 2009: DAY 15
Acebo to Villafranco de Bierzo. 37km - 11 hour

Lost of thoughts are running through my head as I reach Villafranca. I had began before dark, and a second full day of pushing has put me suddenly within 180km of Santiago, with plenty of time to reach my ultimate goal. In a weird sense, up until now there was always a lingering question in my head if I could finish. But I mentally prepared myself over the last few days as if they were crucial stages in the Tour de France, and now I´ve officially conquered them and the rest of the trail is a mere formality. Yet at the same time, as I was walking through the rolling hills of vineyards, with the bright sun on my face, I got the nastalgic feeling that I needed to enjoy this - that perhaps my "wandering" days are coming to an end. I felt a flash-forward to sitting behind a desk (dare I say?) and longing to return to the carefree hills of Spain, where your only concern is a distant village with an intruiging name. Maybe in fact I needed this time in my life to truly fulfill my need for exploration - or maybe its just an introduction to the next phase of my life? Time will only tell...

Saturday, August 15, 2009: DAY 16
Villafranca to Cebreiro. 28 km - 7 hours

Today was by far the most enjoyable walk of the Camino. I can really feel myself starting to enjoy this, and can see now why people come back multiple times - a sense of accomplishment mixed with the charming countryside and villages of West Leon and Galicia. By now my body is conditioned... I´m a lean, mean walking machine. My belt has lost 2 inches! I am also adjusted to the routine, and am no longer worried about blisters or injuries... leaving me free to enjoy the ever increasing charm of this land. Long forgotten is the yellow, flat Meseta. Now the Camino leads through bright green valleys filled with oaks and poplars. Rolling hills and rugged mountains form the path alongside gentle rivers crisscrossed by Roman bridges. This is the Spain I came to see.

I began the morning with Georg (yes, no "E") the Unicyclist. He is from Austria and we fast became friends when we met a week ago. His journey has been slower than expected, and with a huge hill to climb today he anticipated a slower pace and thus wanted to go with me. The fact that a doctor diagnosed him with a hernia and forbid him from doing sports or anything "extreme" may have also played a roll in this decision. We ro9lled out of sleepy Villafranca at 8am and began a 20k trek through a narrow valley. As I walked, I could feel a sense of satisfaction creeping on, while at the same time the trail began to swell with new faces, evidence that we are nearing Santiago. (A pilgrim must walk at least 100km to earn a "compostela" of completion, thus many people - mostly Spanish - begin around this point.) It is cool to tell people I began at Pamplona, over 500km to the east.

Around 10am we stopped for a CCL in Perejo, where we met a pair of Spaniards from Madrid. Javier translated while Domingo (literally Sunday) told of his own Unicycle adventure on the Camino. 2 years ago he rode the final 150km into Santiago on a unicycle, and while I could see the disappointment on Georg´ face that he wouldn´t be the first, he quickly perked up when he was told of "UNICON" - The Olympics of Unicycle. He made me promise on the spot to help him train for NEW ZEALAND 2010, so at least my problem of what to do next is solved.

The next 10k led us through a number of small towns wedged between the hills - Trabadelo, La Portela, Ambasmetas, Vega de Valcare - and finally to Las Herrerias at the base of the mountain. Here the trail turned steeply uphill. I tightened my pack and began powering up the 8k ascent where I would gain almost 700 meters (2100 feet.) I was looking forward to this challenge, and soon I was sweating profusely! However, it wasn´t the panting, dead type of sweat. Rather, it was the trained and focused type you saw on Michael Jordan in the 4th quarter of an NBA Playoff game when he was at his best. 16 consecutive days of walking had prepared me for this, and I passed several weary "newbies" as I accelerated up the hill. Not to dwell, but it became the rare moment you search for in professional sports. I had no fear. No worry. I just climbed higher and higher until the oaks gave way to Heather (not my sister), and I could see for miles in all directions. I paused to take it all in - the warm August air, the Blue Sky and the white clouds. The Valley below with its brilliant shades of green. It was truly a mountaintop experience.

With a smile I crossed the border into Galicia - the final region - and into the ancient stone city of Cebreiro. Only 152 km to go...

J. TWICE