The fog that we saw from above coming in fro O’Cebriero yesterday is sitting on top of Tricastella this morning. So much so that I had to turn off my headlamp because the light was being diffused an actually making it harder to see.
Ann is resting her foot today and we’re waiting on Leighton so I decided to head out with nothing in my stomach but a cup of cafe Americano.
The path out of town started with a substantial climb, in a valley so no surprise there. At about 2k out, the sun started over the hills and we’d climbed out of the fog, the view from above was incredible.
As as I continued, we descended back into the fog which made the forest both eerie and magical, something right out of a fairy tale. I separated from other Pilgrims, I had long stretches where I neither saw or heard another person. Only the wind blowing through through the trees and my feet crunching on the path and my poles tapping in time with my steps.
Normally, we have some sort of breakfast and 4-6 clicks later we’ll have our second breakfast, a more substantial one. Today, nothing until 12k, about 1/3 of the way. These light meals are also where everyone catches up both physically and socially, many of us have been walking together for a month and we have a complex web of relationships. This has been the best part of the Camino for me.
As I entered Palas de Rei, I saw Henry, the Pilgrim from Puerto Rico I met on the way down to Molinaseca. That was his first day and he had no food and only a little water so, I shared mine. He told me he’d give me a nickname, I was almost afraid to ask, he told me it was “el angel del camino de la cabra”, the angel of the goat path. I told him I didn’t deserve it but I was honored.
Cool albergue, the Atrio made with re-purposed materials, they serve coffee and breakfast but nothing else right now. Met up with Ed for dinner, he’s hurting too, feet and knees.
