Start: Lourenzá
End: Abadin/Gotan
Distance: 14.02 miles (22.56 kilometers) and 3,076 feet (934.82 meters) of ascent.
Quote: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” – John Muir
Musings: Today was probably the hardest day of our remaining days on the Camino Del Norte. There were two possible routes today—one that stayed low but was 5 kilometers longer or one that was shorter but with a steep elevation gain and better views. Per usual, we chose the option with the better views. Usually, this means we add distance, but this time we were required to add elevation. If the ascent had been spread throughout our 14+ mile day, it would have been fine. But of course it was not. This is the Del Norte trail so nothing is easy! The first 5 miles were a little up and a little down ending in the lovely little town of Mondoñedo. The split in the trail starts just after Mondoñedo. Hilary and I had been walking together for most if the morning, and we caught up with Carol in Mondoñedo. There’s a wonderful little square in front of the ancient cathedral in Mindoñedo where many pilgrims ended up drinking cafe con leche this morning and debating the relative merits of the high or low paths. Once we were all caffeinated-up, we trudged off in the appropriate direction depending on our choice of trail. We were confident that after doing the Del Norte stages in the Basque Country, this hill would be a piece of cake. Cake, it was not. The path was well maintained but pretty much all of the 3,000 feet of elevation gain came in about 4 miles. So it was steep and relentless. Hilary and Carol were soon well ahead of me, but a wonderful French pilgrim, Jean-Yves, caught up with me and then slowed down to walk most of the hill with me. In truth, I think he was a little worried about me, but I was fine. Just slow.
I had not met Jean-Yves before but I’d heard about him from Hilary who told me about a French pilgrim who walked with a walking stick which he adorned with flowers. I told him that he was Camino-famous for his flower-adorned walking stick. He laughed and said he did not deserve the artistic reputation because in fact he was a pirate! So that came as a bit of a surprise—my first Camino pirate!
Jean-Yves also told me that he was a marathon runner and had run in both the NY and Boston marathons. I was impressed that he was a marathon runner but even more impressed that he’d qualified for the Boston race because I know that’s quite difficult. He told me that unfortunately he had run it the year of the bombing. He said that he was waiting near the finish line for his girlfriend to finish her race. She crossed the finish line and short while later they saw and heard some sort of a commotion nearby. They saw people running and thought there had been some sort of accident but didn’t know what exactly. They didn’t find out what had happened until they returned to their hotel room and heard the news coverage. I was relieved to know that neither of them had been injured but felt bad that something like this had happened when they were visiting the US. A surprising number of Europeans have told me that they are concerned about visiting the US or wouldn’t feel safe visiting the US due to the level of violence here—particularly gun violence. I used to wave off these fears as overblown news coverage of localized events. But it’s hard to do that anymore given the number of mass shootings happening every week in the US. So I just express my regret and say I understand.
I arrived in Abadin/Gotan just after Carol had checked us into our albergue, but Hilary had already pressed onto the next town. She’s finishing in Santiago a few days ahead of Carol and me, so she is completing longer stages now and needed to keep moving forward. It was easier not being there to say good-bye. But again, as with so many pilgrims I’ve met along the Way, I’m sure we will meet again! Likely in NYC, but somewhere for sure!
We had dinner this evening in a room filled with other pilgrims and the din of their chatter and laughter. I know our ranks will continue to grow as we get closer to Santiago and all the various Caminos converge into fewer and fewer paths. The end is almost in sight and everyone seems to be feeling it.
Until tomorrow, here are the photos from today:
Trail treasures found by Hilary.
Just chewing a little cud in the morning together.
The Caminí walks under a Galician hórreo.
Hilary.
Be
Beehive on a stick?
Colt crossing the Camino right in front of me.
Photo credit goes to Carol
As I read, I’m beginning to feel that heart tug with you...already missing the Camino as you anticipate the end. Every transition has it, one wave pulls while the last wave rolls back to the sea.
Thank you for sharing the daily adventure of it all. Safe journey, you’ve earned your Pilgrim Badge for sure! 🏅
Such an amazing of community along the Camino! I’m currently reading a fascinating Memoir titled The White Mosque, about the journey of Russian Mennonites to find a place of their own in Uzbekistan. (By Sofia Samatar) I couldn’t help thinking of you when I read this: “You can’t be a pilgrim alone. Pilgrimage is a group project, it’s paths worn down by others. Even if I’d come to Uzbekistan by myself, I’d be treading in the footsteps of my documentarists, using my notes to trace their route.”