Monday, May 13, 2024

Waking early by 4:00 provides plenty of time to charge all devices and settle into some writing for the day. Paul and I discuss the day’s walking and leave by 6:15 into a cool, dark morning. We walk for about an hour leaving the town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada behind. The sunrise is impressive. A beautiful man named Maurizio walks up to us and we immediately and naturally fall into an interesting conversation and fast pace. Before I know it, I have been walking with him for hours—two coffee breaks, and 32 kilometres later. 

The trail giveth and the trail taketh. I’ve lost: my favourite long-handle titanium spoon; deodorant; soap; and pints left in albergue refrigerators, my memory hazy upon rising so early in the morning to remember retrieving. I look over the map of our upcoming sections of walking. My initial distances calculated were based on those of the group I was walking with at the time—a form of group consensus. Walking with Maurizio, the daily distances have increased into the mid-30 kilometre range, which is more in line with the distance I achieved last year walking to North Atlantic Eastern Canada. Maurizio was a comet. He entered into my walk at the precise time when I needed some tough love. Walking with him was fun. His natural cadence of movement perfectly matched my own. He told plenty of intriguing stories. He laughed easily and fully—loudly, wholeheartedly. We stopped twice for i). coffee and zumo de naranja and then, ii). lime and orange drink. 

He graciously makes a reservation for me at the place where he and his walking friends are staying in exchange for a round of pints at the albergue—a perfect exchange! We check in, finish our laundry, eat dinner, and enjoy the comfortable beds in this incredible spot—Villafranca Montes de Oca. Everyone on this Camino seems to know this man, and he in turn talks with everyone along the way. Shower. Laundry. Files. Today was amazing! I have been thinking about how the things we know we need in our lives often arrive at the most crucial moments. Maurizio was the comet I needed to help push me through some things I have been reflecting on over this walk. He suggests I read some Keith Foskett books, as he’s already read everything I mention on the topic of walking. I make notes and copy everything I can within the spaces between his words. Today was an incredible day on the walk in Spain. I fall into bed both tired and refuelled.

Today’s distance walked: 32 km    |    Total distance walked: 288.11 km

“Just walk. Forget about everything else.” — Maurizio