And then there were SEVEN.
This was another great day. Lots of climbing and downhill. The trail is now full of newbies doing the final 100 km to get their Camino Compenstela. I have been meeting quite a few my early Camino friends. Somehow it is like we have know each other for years.
All the long haulers are tired and having to remind ourselves that it takes a bit of time for the new people on the trail to get the Camino spirit. They are dealing with their feet and bodies. “Buen Caminos” are not the norm nor are even greetings unless I initiate them or until I am over taken or overtake a long hauler.
The new starts on the Camino have very clean clothes, clean shoes, they smell good, and have that look of enthusiasm on their face that we had 30 some days ago. What’s not to resent, as we drag ourself out of bed one more day, throw on our pack, (which still weighs too much), put on our filthy boots, our socks that will never be clean again, and hope that we smelled the shirt we put on this morning and it was as clean as we thought it was.
Clothes sniffing is part of a pilgrim’s life. It’s easy to forget which shirt you wore the day before even though you only have two shirts, or if your underwear that was supposed to go in a sack for laundry the next possible day might have been put in with your “clean” clothes.
Sarria is a hard area to start the Camino. Galacia is an ongoing series of climbing and descent followed by more climbing and descents. To finish in five days means at least two days that are 15 to 16 miles long.
While traveling in 2015, I started saying, “What wouldCandi do?” when I got in a pickle. 8 years later and I am in even more awe. You continue to set the bar for me.