Thursday, May 30, 2024
Today will be a 30-kilometre walking day. I am prepared by 7:00 am, moving more slowly than usual with a group of people. The morning is clear and there is no worry about rain. Within the hour I have some distance on the group, settling into a quick pace. As much as I want to walk with them, I don’t feel comfortable with the pace. I’ve been happily walking at quicker paces as this reduces the time spent in the hotter portions of the afternoon under the day’s heat. I do want to walk with people, however, I also enjoy the confident pace with which I have become accustomed. The mountains walked alongside today are beautiful! A quick stop for coffee in the town of Fillobal before continuing to Triacastella. This is the point at which the Camino splits into two directions: one a longer one winding south to Samos where there is a monastery donativo; the other, a shorter route more directly connecting to the city of Sarria. The day passes and I arrive. A few people are checked in. I do the same, shower, organize the bunk, then walk across the street to a cafe/bar where I sit on the patio with the laptop to write. Greg soon appears, and Marino is next, joining me on the patio for a beverage and some shade from the sun. The laptop is put away as we prepare for a 7:30 pm mass in the monastery chapel. We enjoy dinner afterward, finishing quickly to sprint back to the monastery so as not to miss the 10:00 pm curfew and get locked out.
Today’s distance walked: 38.1 km | Total distance walked: 818.13 km
“It is all just beautiful. Beautiful.” — Marinho
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
I don’t sleep much, if at all. It is not stress, or pain, or worry. I believe that I am too much in my head for some reason. After preparing for the day when the pack is ready, I feel less self-aware and the excitement for walking grows. Some stretching is done before setting out. The initial section into the town of Trabadelo is a short 22 km. The trail quickly steepens and the walking is fun! The day is crystal clear—the hot sun hanging in a blue sky above. Today I walk alone to achieve mental clarity on several things I’ve been reflecting on. i). Hiking my own hike. I need to be comfortable, and aware of my abilities for walking quick, long sections of trail. These things I can do. When I focus on why I am here, these thoughts seem obvious. However, I have been worrying too much lately about the social dynamics of this walk, obscuring my original intentions. This has resulted in walking the walk of others rather than my own. ii). Do not get involved in the drama of others. When attempting to help others or offer helpful advice negative ramifications result in these actions. It isn’t that I want to close myself off—I want to be open and helpful. I don’t, however, want to be a “giving tree” for the selfishness of others too occupied with their own lives and drama. I see Greg on the trail, and we have a conversation about these thoughts that I have been having. He offers some tough-love advice: walk how I know I need to, and if it leads to interesting people and conversation, revel in it. If not, move on. Paul appears, and we walk into the magical town of O Cebreiro together. We check into the municipal albergue, prepare our bunks, and find dinner and pints with Magnus and Greg. Big laughs—these two are funny as hell when sitting across from each other. I begin to assemble a group of people I’ve met. I want to watch the sunset from a hill accessible behind the albergue. The issue is timing: the albergue has a 10:00 pm curfew, but the sunset is scheduled for 9:45 pm—not enough time to return without getting locked out. I address this with the hospitaliero, and she suggests leaving a window open to climb back into the albergue. I purchase a six-pack of pints for a post-walk celebration. Greg and Federico (two lads always up for doing something interesting), and I climb into the hills, watch and record a beautiful sunset descending into big mountains, and return to the albergue for a comfortable night’s sleep. All in all, a great day!
Today’s distance walked: 35.6 km | Total distance walked: 780.03 km
ShowOffRoadShow — No. 1 in the series “PortmanteauPia”
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Sleep was strained last night. I’m not cranky or underslept when I wake—just misunderstood. I decide to rise early, the albergue still dark as I have no idea how to turn the lights on in the kitchen where I set up the laptop to write. By 7:00 am the common area is full with people making last-minute adjustments to equipment. Today’s walk begins on fairly level trails leaving Ponferrada. Several moderate climbs, vineyards bordering the trail, and trees casting dappled shade over the path in front of us. Later in the afternoon Peter and Kyosuke decide to keep walking into the late afternoon. I flip an imaginary coin in my head: press on with Peter and Kyosuke to the next town or stop with the group in Villafranca del Bierzo. The mid-afternoon is heating up, so I decided to stay. A municipal albergue with plenty of bunks guarantees a night here in town, and the decision is easily made. We then walk down to the river snaking through town where we “swim”, undoubtedly violating every municipal bylaw in the books. It is fun with lots of big laughs! I return to the albergue with Greg and Magnus to complete a load of laundry, before setting to work on writing and photo editing which I focus on until 7:00 pm. While working a wonderfully friendly Korean woman approaches, asking to see my notebook. She sees the Japanese characters written by Kyosuke and asks if I know how to read Korean characters. I say that she can write in my book, which she does, taking much care in their rendering. She wants to show me the difference between the structures of Japanese and Korean characters. We fumble through a conversation, many hand gestures and laughs. It is a wonderful way to end the day.
Today’s distance walked: 29.8 km | Total distance walked: 744.43 km
“Don’t try to be sure ’cause after there’s no space.” — Graffiti written on a factory wall.
