Sunday, May 12, 2024

Sleep. My body rebuilds itself overnight. My pack, however, is a shit show, with everything shoved in at all angles producing sharp Dyneema-covered spears poking at me through the pack. The day’s walk begins laggardly, moving far slower than my mates. I watch them move into the distance and around curves in the road. I run into a familiar face moving at my pace, and we walk for several laugh-filled hours into late morning—lots of fun. She tolerates my dumb jokes and constant farting. She decides to break, and I take the opportunity to set the wolf eyes, shifting into top gear. Much of the landscape is similar to what was walked through yesterday. Before long I am walking into Santo Domingo de la Calzada, easily finding the municipal albergue. When I arrive I feel a bit done. A queue of about ten has formed outside the door, and I put my pack down in the order forming. Some groceries are acquired, and the day’s materials are transferred to the hard drive. I aim for the darkest of sleep.

Today’s distance walked: 35.7 km    |    Total distance walked: 256.11 km

“The more I took pictures, the more I felt like something inside me was being chipped away.” — Kyosuke