Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Arrival in León at 11:00 am. An early beginning to the day begins around 4:30 am. The decision is made to start walking in the dark. Headlamps are used to find our way through the morning. Within an hour we are all separated. Within another hour I managed to lose the trail as it ended at a roadway. I walk onto it, turning right, but it bypasses the upcoming town I need to pass through. I walk into town where I ask for directions to the Camino, and am easily guided toward it by a man unloading bread from a delivery truck. For about an hour I walk alone, finding coffee leaving town. In the next small village, I spot Sander in a cafe and a further fifteen minutes later Peter and Kyosuke approach. From here we walk into León together, locate the booked hotel, and leave our packs in the room. We next visit the market, locating pints and coffee. Federico arrives soon after, joining in the conversation and beverages. The highlight of the evening is the ratatouille Peter prepares after we pick up all the required ingredients. Some downtime before we walk into the evening of León meeting new friends Seb from the UK completing the Camino on his bicycle, and Faye who—after cycling a long stretch of the way—will be continuing her Camino beyond León on foot through to the city of Santiago. I stay for a pint, laughing and tripping over everything, capturing a few shots. I don’t remember what time we returned to the flat. Today was a great day with some solitude and some evening to relax into.

Today’s distance walked: 27.2 km    |    Total distance walked: 566.13 km

“We have everything we need. The wilderness is unfolding in front of us.” — Scott Carrier, from Running After Antelope (This American Life podcast).