While on my first Camino in 2016, I saw a man determined to finish the Camino Frances. He was injured, walking with crutches, and hobbling along. You could see the look of determination on his face. One step further. Just one step. I sincerely hope he made it.
It takes a great deal of determination, stubbornness, and perseverance to walk the Camino. I’ve had days so far, where I’ve questioned why I’m doing it. Especially on days where the temps are high or days where the rain won’t stop or the climb just keeps going. Walking gives you plenty of time to contemplate this trek. Why am I here? Why did I choose to do this? Well... I’m not exactly sure other than it gets under your skin and you just want to do it. It could be the life on the Camino. It’s a rather simple endeavor: Get up. Pack your bag. Start walking. Stop and rest. Walk some more. Get to your destination. Shower. Wash clothes (if necessary). Eat. Rest. Sleep The next day, you get up and do the same thing. If I’m feeling up to it, I’ll walk around the town I’m in, but mostly I just eat and rest. People in in the Albergues along the routes I’m on are pretty quiet and keep to themselves. Makes sense. Bunch of introverts, perhaps. Most recently, I had a day where I was about to quit. It was hot. I was tired. And I just wanted to rest. But something inside of me, told me to keep going. I’m a stubborn person by nature and I don’t take quitting something lightly. I kept going. And I’ll keep going. Notes on Days 6, 7, and 8 Day 6 - Ribadesella to Villaviciosa — 38 km, only 20 km by foot Day 6 started on a bus to cut out several km. I’m glad it did. I don’t like to walk past 30 km in a day, especially when it’s hot. The day was rather uneventful. It was a lot of road walking (small, winding back roads) and watching out for horses who were being led to pasture. The amount of pilgrims on the trail is pretty minute at this point. There’s a few, but it isn’t like a pack of humans vying for beds at the next Albergue, like you see on the Camino Frances. These shorter days are like semi-rest days. I get to town early. Get to my room. Run errands (laundry, shopping for snacks). Grab lunch and then spend the rest of the time with my feet up. There’s a bit of laziness to the Camino. Depending on the town, sometimes I check out the sights. Other times, it’s just another old Spanish town. Not much to see other than a really old cathedral. When you walk all day, sometimes you don’t want to spend all your down time trotting around a city. Hence, the lazy factor comes into play. Day 7 Villaviciosa to Pola de Siero — 28 km Hot. That’s how to describe day 7. Temps in the 80s (ºF) without much shade. There were some shaded paths, which was nice but the bulk of the walking was along roads without any shade. Sun beating down. Before I started out, I made sure to bring extra water, but it turns out it wasn’t enough. I was on my last swig of water and still needed to walk 2.5 km. I was worried, I wouldn’t make it. Then out of the blue, an old woman called out — Agua, aqui! She filled my water bottle and sent me on my way. All I could muster was a simple “muchas gracias,” before heading on my way. The Camino provided. This was also the day where I split from the Norte route and headed down the Primitivo route. It’s way less traveled, even less than the Norte route, which is quite sparse in pilgrims right now. Tomorrow is Oviedo and a much shorter day, although the same heat wave. Start early and end early. That will be the key. Day 8 - 16 km Pola de Siero to Oviedo Still a hot day but at least it was a short one. You don’t want to be outside when the sun is beating down on you. Toured the Cathedral which, due to it’s stone walls, was quite cool and comforting. It’s a beautiful cathedral, showing how much money the Catholic Church has. Oviedo in many respects is like Santiago, just a little smaller. The town is alive with some sort of festival. Locals dressed in Asturian costumes line the streets playing instruments and selling goods. It’s quite a scene. The official Primitivo starts tomorrow when I leave Oviedo. My pack is being sent ahead, to take some of the stress off my hips and back. It’ll be nice to have less weight to carry.
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About Marcy I wear many hats. First, I'm a wife to an amazing husband, Joe. Second, I'm a mom to 2 incredible kids, Caitlynn and Miles. Professionally speaking, I am a chef, dietitian, and writer working as an instructor in Hospitality Management at Montana State University in Bozeman. Photos: See InstagramMarcy's other Site |