It was a little easier getting all geared up and ready today than it was yesterday. Everything didn’t feel as new or unfamiliar. We had our routines established.
Before we started off, Brenda informed us, “Today will be an uphill day.” And it was. It wasn’t like mountain climbing but much of the day involved a slow steady climb. Much of it was on pavement or gravel, but beauty was still everywhere.
Although we saw some other pilgrims, for long stretches of the day, we walked alone. Today, we divided our group into two—those who wanted to walk more briskly and stop less often in one group and those who preferred a slower pace with more lingering.
Each day on the Camino is different. Different terrain. Different weather. Different conditions. Today we walked 15.6 miles, alongside stone walls and farmland, fields filled with cows, a fern forest, small towns and villages, and many corn fields. We walked beside small country lanes, over bridges and alongside bigger roads. For a time, we shared our path with bicycles, then the bicycles dropped away.
Many pilgrims get an earlier start that we do because those who don’t know where they’re staying at night want to arrive earlier to secure a bed, so there are surges of people in the early morning hours and most of them are moving a lot faster than we do. So, as we found our rhythm of the day, there were times it seemed we were the only people on the Way. Whenever another pilgrim passed by, we’d greet each other warmly with, “Buen Camino,” and then continue on.
Being on a pilgrimage is a wonderful thing—all you have to do is walk. And that’s what we did all day. My feet are sore and aching, but I have no blisters yet.