Molinaseca, Spain May 5, 2017 Molinaseca 20.47km; 6:03hr; 53500 steps; 180m elevation gain This is the day we cross over the pass, the highest point on the Camino at 1530m. The pass is marked by a pile of stones and an iron cross. Pilgrims begin their journey carrying stones in their packs to represent their burdens and their prayers. This is where they are left behind. The tradition pre-dates Christianity as ancient Roman travelers would leave stones at the top of passes as a tribute to Mercury, who watched over commerce and travelers. A local hermit Christianized the monument by sticking an iron cross on top. But, the monument transcends religion and is truly the spiritual highlight for the Camino. At this point pilgrims have been physically tested by mountains and blisters, and wind and rain. In the first third of the Camino, we learn to deal with the physical challenges. Then we are confronted with a vast expanse, an eternity to walk across. The Meseta confronts us with the mental ...
Roncesvalles, Spain May 9, 2016 St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles 16.3 miles; 42,708 steps, 271 flights of stairs, 6:55hr For those of you keeping track, I made it to Roncesvalles. Elevation profile fom the day This is one of the more notoriously difficult days of the Camino Frances; so, friends and family have asked me to check in. For those of you who have watched the movie The Way , this is where Martin Sheen's son becomes lost in the fog and then dies in a storm. This stage is challenging, because the path crosses the Pyrenees; so you are climbing up a mountain. There are no villages where pilgrims can stop along the way; so no coffee breaks and the only food and water options are what you carry. There is a long, steep ascent to a high pass which is exposed to weather. Today the forecasts threatened rain, wind and cold. So, I started out early and pushed hard in an attempt to beat any bad weather on the exposed portion of the pass. I made good time, but at som...
Bercianos del Real Camino, Spain April 29,2017 Berciano del Camino Real Hostal Rivero 11.05km, 15700 steps, 62m gain, 2:29 hr Why would they lie? The first failure in my attempt to piece the Camino planning puzzle together was not buying advance train tickets. I assumed train tickets would be available... there are always unreserved train seats available in Switzerland. We simply hop on and hop off whenever we want, like a giant hop-on hop-off bus tour: no problem. It turns out that in Spain: big problem. Trains here sell out, and this is a popular 4-day holiday weekend. From my research we knew which train we wanted; so, we went directly to the automatic machine. When we punched in Sahagún as our destination: there was nothing available until late afternoon, but we needed to arrive earlier than the afternoon so that we could walk to our first destination! We went to the counter to ask about the earlier train that we had planned on taking- "full". We walked away dejec...
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