Section IV: Cantabrian Mountains
October 15-18
Astorga to O Cebreiro, 66 miles, 393.5 total
The scenery has shifted back to rolling hills and endless greenery. Beautiful, yes, but that can only mean one thing: it’s getting hard again.
I’ve settled into my Camino rhythm and love starting before dawn, when the world is still pitch black. Those quiet hours are perfect for thinking, and watching the sunrise spill over the mountains never gets old. There’s something meditative about walking in the dark. My headlamp only reaches a few feet ahead, so I never know how long an incline or descent will last. It forces me to stay completely present, step by step, with nothing to worry about except when I’ll stop for breakfast #1 (usually around the 6 mile mark).
Crossing La Meseta cleared my head and I made a few decisions that had been lingering. One of which was to buy a return ticket, which meant parting ways with what was left of the band and continuing on my own. As hard as it was, I find that walking solo enables me to be more open to my surroundings and other people along the way.
They say the Camino provides, and it truly does. During the time I was really dragging, I kept crossing paths with Andrew who gave me some vitamins that made a world of difference. When I needed a laptop, it turned out that my current walking buddy was carrying one. And it took only a day until I fell into a new trail family: Mi (a Korean living in Spain), Eric (a Frenchman living in Mexico), and Ruben (a Spaniard). Mi has a gift of making you feel like an old friend within minutes. With this crew, I wandered through charming villages, walked under chestnut trees (and collected them for later roasting), and climbed a mountain that nearly rivaled that first epic day over the Pyrenees.
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| The Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross) is located on the highest point and peregrinos are encouraged to place a rock they brought from home as a symbol of what they are leaving behind. It was so dark out that I almost missed it. |
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| This is 7 am |
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| Chestnuts |
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| We made it up the mountain! |
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