So as I blogged last night, the distance to my hotel in Ponferrada is over 20 miles. The first 15 km (10 mikes) are basically up to the highest point on the Camino Frances at 1515 meters and then pretty steep down and that’s what concerned me the most.
Here’s a picture of the elevation changes of Stage 24 from Brierleys book so you can see what I mean.
If you look carefully you can see an exclamation point between Alto
Altar and Acebo which highlighted my concern. Going down hill with open blisters hurts and this was a lot of serious down hill. Ponferrada where Im booked for the night is another 7 or 8 kms past Molinaseca for a total of over 20 miles.
My plan was to start out walking and go to the highest point at Alto Altar and then make a decision about calling a taxi depending on how my feet were holding up.
I wanted be on the road early because I calculated that if I did the entire 20 miles it would take at least 8 or 9 hours if not more.
My feet hurt with three different types or areas of concern. I had new blisters which I had drained the night before, old blisters which were open and painful to the touch and irritated areas that had blistering potential distributed on both feet under the big toes, in between and underneath some of the little toes and underneath and on the back of my right heal.
So I got up early washed my feet and cleaned any open sores and carefully used one or more of each of these products depending upon the location, type and area of concern.
I put my socks and boots on and off several times making adjustments and testing to see that I could walk comfortably without too much pain. Frankly, I thought I had done a pretty good job but it took me close to an hour.
I could walk fine with just a bit of pain or burning if I stepped too hard on a cobblestone or stumbled or stubbed my foot. By 8:30 or so I had had a nice breakfast of coffee, fried eggs, toast and fresh juice. I had a couple of apples and two bottles of water in my back back so I was feeling great and ready to go.
The morning walk up was glorious, really beautiful. Pictures speak a thousand words.
5 or 6 kms out I came upon a couple from NY, Tim and Wesley, that I had met on my first day leaving Sahagun.
Although younger than me, they were older than the crowd of younger peregrinos and like me they had booked their reservations in advance so we had somethings in common.
They had been married for five years and had first come to Spain on their honeymoon when they walked the first 100 km stage together. They walked another 100 km section together in years 2, 3 and 4 and were walking sections 5 and 6 together this year.
They both were still working with successful careers but were beginning to consider the next stage of their life. They were considering a sabbatical in Spain for a year or two and were planning to return to the Camino the following September on their 6th anniversary to complete stages 7 and 8. Tim told me that he had attended the service in the church in Rabanal the night before (same one that Vicki and her daughter Twyla had attended) but that it was vespers not a mass and was mostly recitations from the psalms. It was nice that he thought to let me know that I would have felt comfortable had I attended. I found myself again wanting to walk on by myself looking forward to not feeling alone so I bid them Buen Camino and moved on.
As I walked on, I thought about their multi year Camino and whether they had profited. There was a lovely symmetry to these two guys who were walking the same path in life and had been walking the same path together on the Camino for their anniversary every year. I think their Camino although not a wholly religious pilgrimage definitely had a religious and spiritual aspect. I have no doubt that their years of walking the Camino together had profited them each individually and as a married couple. I admired the way they had turned what for most people is a singular experience into an experience they shared over many years. I had no doubt they would return to Spain next September and imagined how happy they would be when they walked together up the steps of the Cathedral in Santiago. I hope they take the sabbatical in Spain and I do hope I see them again.
As I walked, I also pondered back and forth whether to call the taxi or go the whole way. Of course I could make it the whole way (if I wanted) but my feet were starting to hurt. I thought of something else my dad used to say, “sometimes it’s better to err on the side of caution” so I decided to take the taxi from Alto Altar.
I felt good about my decision as I boarded the taxi but only for about 5 minutes until we drove through Acebo and I saw pilgrims I had met sitting in cafes on the narrow street looking proud of what they had accomplished by having walked that far.
I slumped down in my seat when I thought that several of them recognized me. I suddenly wasn’t feeling so good about having in essence given up early. I began to wonder if the universe was conspiring to teach me a lesson about being a quitter when I got to the hotel in Ponferrada and my bag hadn’t arrived and my room wasn’t ready.
The hotel on the main plaza across from the city hall was really lovely and I felt better when my luggage arrived and my room was ready just as I finished enjoying a couple of canas and pinchos in the hotel bar.
I felt even better about as I sat in my second hot bath of this millenium and even better as I sat down to lunch at a beautiful restaurant on the plaza.
Now again this isn’t the typical pilgrim experience, so let’s keep this to ourselves, but look at what an amazing lunch I enjoyed at the 7 Sillas.
The receptionist at the hotel had told me that the Hospital de la Reina treated pilgrims feet for free so after lunch I headed in that direction and toured this really beautiful town. There’s a restored medieval castle, a nice Museo Ethnographico, a radio museum, beautiful plaza, basilica, picturesque streets
The nurse told me what I had was normal but that I shouldn’t have drained the blisters (really I thought? Everyone else said that’s what you are supposed to do) and shouldn’t use compeeds on open blisters. She cleaned and treated and wrapped my feet, told me to leave the dressings on for 24 hours and buy clean dressings at the pharmacy so I’d have them for the next day.
I also bought some compression socks at the pharmacy to hold the dressings in place which I just tried with my boots and they feel pretty good.
Tomorrow it’s only about 12 miles to Villafranca del Bierzo without too much up or down.
I’m going to head out by 8:00 so I can arrive in time to change the dressings and relax.
Of course I’m hoping my room has a bath tub. A hot bath is a good thing.
Buen Camino