A Hard Day Hiking

 Last night I had dinner with Sarah from Lancaster,Mateuz from Poland and Ernest from England.

Sarah and Ernest are hiking the Primitivo, the first trail that was created after the tomb of St James was discovered. I am going to miss the ones that are taking the mountain path, but may see them again in Santiago.

Last night I stayed in a very nice hotel because I missed getta bed in an albergue. Hotels cost more unless you share the room, and you miss out on seeing your friends. The albergues are very social. 

This morning I had tortilla españolada  and a cup of cafe con leche before leaving. Tortilla in Spain is a big thick omelet of potatoes, a little onion, and beaten eggs. There is usually some on the counter of all the cafes. It’s very cheap and I like how it tastes so I get it every day if I can.

I had a text from my friend Rachael before I left, saying that there was logging going on in the mountains on the way today. This was troubling since it was raining pretty hard. In fact, it was pretty bad.

There was a big, long hill I was not looking forward to, and it turned out that was beside the logging operation.  So today’s hike checked all the boxes— cold, wet, steep, slippery and muddy!

A muddy walk

If it wasn’t bad enough to be in the mud, trucks were coming and going, so I had to step off the few

I was so glad to get to the other side of that mountain. There was lots more mud, and more inclines, but it was easier to handle without the trucks passing.

The guidebook said there was a cafe after the first 12 miles in Peon. It was closed for vacation. In 2 more miles there  was a tiny cafe. I sat for a half hour, then finally got up and finished the walk. I am hoping to rest tomorrow.

I took this rainbow photo earlier in the day. Hope you can see it!