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

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