Day 6

The beauty in the land I see is too much accretlly die scribe.  I have brought Somers camer with me and have a chip that's will hold three thousands shots.....I will need them.  It seems strange not having Tony and Peter along any more but with out them I am actually moving faster.  The temp is still in the low 90 and I feel it.  I have been very cautious as to my water supply.  The air is so not that my mouth drys out very quickly.  I bought some gum on my last stop, but it don't help much.  Soon as the flavor is gone I spit it out.  I now carry twice as much water then when I started out.  So in taking on more weight I need to take off some weight so I discarded my rain jacket.  I really think that now I am over the Pyrenees I won't need it any longer.  I also donated Somers camping pillow.  Sorry Som I will replace it when I get home.  My hoody will be the next to go. Came to a river that was very easy accessible.  Several pilgrims were in it but I knew if I did I would never get out so I passed it by.

Got into a small village that had a large fountain with three spicket going at the same time into a troph about waist high.  I stripped to the waist and held my head under a tap.  Oh by dee hell it felt good.  Couldn't get enough of it.......neve.lasted long though.  But I did replenish my supply.  A Spanish woman was trying to tell me it was stright from the mountain and good to drink.  From her broken English and gyrations I was sure she wanted me to touch her breast.  Something to do with the water was as good as mothers milk.   By the time I left a dozen pilgrims were all over it.....the fountain.

By the time I got into Estilla I was so tired I had my head down while looking for the municipal alberque.  I jhear some one holler hay mr Utah ( no one here remembers names) it came from the window of the Alberque I needed so I checked.  Cheep only 6e but again no food.

Rested up some, took a shower, and then went to dinner.  A lady from Panama ordered for me, it was only 8e and I couldn't eat it all.  Bought some tape for my feet and came back.  Door locks at 10:00

My plan was to walk six days and then rest one day.  I thought that instead of resting a full day I would just do a short walk, but in checking my map their is no where to stay and I am faced with about six miles of no water and no trees.  Si I decided to just hang back a day and give my legs a rest.  We need to all be out by 10:00 so I will check out to some camera stuff and then check back in for the night.  By dozing this I will see new pilgrims on the WAY in that we all are playing leap frog with each other.

Lesson learned........all the signs don't point in the right direction..

To be continued.......

Day 5

It was like  dajavou all over again.......Yoge Beare New York Yankies......

Peter announced at dinner he was done.  He tried to justify more to him self then to me.  It was just as well the heat would of gave him a stroke.  He and Tony walked me to the out skirts of town then we shook hands all around, and then shook hands again and then for a third time....I will miss them both.  It wasn't hard for me to find my way.  Every 10 feet they had pLaced a stainless steel disk in the side walk all you had to do is to walk one to the other until you found the path.  The second way was just watch the pilgrim in front of you.  To get out of the valley we had to clime from 400 to 800 Kim's.  Just like the   Pyrenees I beg my body to give me 20 steps then I would rest for 15 sec.  I counted.  Then I would give it another go.  Just before the top the friends of the camino placed a couple of benches in the shade of a large tree in the memory of someone who died on the trail.....that's good news.  I was poring my extra water into my filter bottle, hold the receipicunt between my knees when the bottle spun around and dumped my water on the ground.  I was screwed, I had about half cup in the giver bottle.  I thought the trail went past a farm house but to my rescue on top where the monument is was a lady selling drinks and snakes I was saved.  I bought two cokes and to bottles of water and sucked them down.  Bought two more water for the trail and was on my way. Cutting through the next town I lost the trail.  I knew I was going west so I kept on the move.  I kept looking to my left for fellow pilgrims but spotted none.  Then I found a sign again and in doing so looked to my right and they were all coming down the hill......so I wasn't far off.  Walking in to Puente La Reina I took the first Alberque that I spotted.  That was my best luck of the day.  I bought a dinner tickets for 13e.  While waiting I was taking to a lady from Panama.  A group of 6 pilgrims came up to our table and asked, where you from, we are trying to place your accent.  I told them I was from the States, they asked what state and I said Utah.  One of them said bull shit I live in Colorado and I have never heard any thing like it.  I laughed and told them I was raised in a little farm community that had their own language.  

But om hell the dinner was five stars hands down.  Your choice of beef, chicken, or fish.  Soup table and a do it your self salad bar,and then hand dipped ice cream....

Lesson learned......if you hold coke in your mouth until it goes flat it's the same as flossing.

Day 4

We have found that we need to be where we are going by no later then 4:00 P.M. In that if we are not then all the beds will be taking.  I don't know why they call it a walk across Spain, it should be called a walk up and down Spain.  The heat was killing peter and even with that we moved as quick as possible.  We got into Pampolna at 3:30 looking good or so we thought.  Peter had been here before and thought we should stay at the Jesus and Mary which had about 128 beds.  Peter was bushed and kept saying if you see a cab hail it down.  I seen a building on the sky line that had the cross of Jesus and pointed to it.  Look it's got to be that one it has a cross on it.  Richard, Steve says your in f'n Spain , their is a cross of Jesus on every f'n building in the city.  It seems though I was right we made it to the Jesus and Mary but no sooner we had then they put up the closed or I. Should say full sign.  They gave us a phone number to call the said no problem for four pilgrims.  We get there in a short walk and find that Joe shit the rag man and his wife went in the bedbusiness.  I just started to laugh.  Somewhere along the way we picked up wieared Mike.  Strange, strange man, but instead of leaving him on his own we asked him to come to dinner with us.  Food was great.  We usually get bread and jam in the mornings before heading out.  We were adivsed that we were on our own.  Go figure.

The picture I am attaching is not scaffolding it is braces to hold the building up.  I kid thee not.

,

Lesson learned.......food is your friend, with out it you will die.

 

Day 2pics

Day 3

8/31/14

Got on the trail before the butt crack of dawn.  Started out in the rain again if full battle gear.  It made no matter I was just as wet from my gear being too hot that I was soon soaked.  In about an hour it stopped and we stowed our gear.  Peter has the habit of taking off his boots when he stops I never gave it much thought but then tried it.  He says it cools your feet down and avoids blisters he was right.  Now I do it all the time.  The trail was nothing to right home about going into Zubiri in fact if a biker went down he would not get up in a hurry.  It was like Moab poison spider times ten.

Breakfast only consisted of bread jam coffee and juice, so when we seen a little mom and pops we  stopped for a snack.  Suzanne from Kentucky came in limpIng.  She going solo and her knee looked rea bad.  Put an ice pack on it for her and left her there.  Had no idea if she could get into Zubiri but some how she did in that we saw her befor dinner.  The place was full so I left Tony and Peter and to a differ place.  Very nice, but very strick about you boots and washing your socks in the sink. Couldn't uses your ipad in the room and all that but did make friends with a good fellow from Itialy.  Seen him on the trail after.  I must look like hell in that every one keeps asking if I am ok.  In all honesty the trail got so steep going up that they cut stairs in the side.  Where were these guys when I was hunting deer.  Got a. chuckle out of the mountain bikers they had to push their bikes with snap in cleats.  But they beat me so to each his own.

Lesson for the day......water is your friend, with out it you will die.

To be continued..........

Day 2

Leaven st Jean started out to be some of the same except that it was raining very hard and did all day.the trail was wet muddy and slick and was at times very slow going.  At the top their was a warming shed at the top.  Not big about twice the size of a prison cell.  A French lady had taken her coat off and o bumped into her and got her wet.  She got all pissy and said something in French.  It must of been bad because some one else came to my defence.  So I asked her if she could speak English and she saud no. So I apologies in English and then she stormed out and I asked  what the deal was and was told, that a French speaking in my behalf asked her if I mader wet.

The rest of the day was about the the same heavy rain.

Lesson for the day bring water bottle up front where it's more easily accessed.

,'

Day one.....St Jean

K2 may have been steep but it had nothing on this morning.  It was all maximum V O 2 all the way.  Thank you L.L. ( best friend ever) for dragging my limping ass on the Saturday morning runs.

But oh my d hell the views, if I had atopped to take a picture of every thing that was off the scales in beauty I would of covered only about one mile.  At this writing I am in a dead zone so I won't be sending any thing until tomorrow the earliest.

At the time I was very happy to see this place, but I feel quite sure that with the nourishment that I took in I could of went up over the top. But still a lot of fine folks here that are just as determined as I am and they are all happy they booked a room.

The late bookers need to stay in regular ol camping tents.  I on the other hand booked several months ago so I was placed in a bunk bed room.  First come first serve for bottom bunk which I was happy for in that iam usually up during the night.  Dinner at 5:30 breakfast at 7:30 and a hiking lunch will be ready in the A.M.

Token for a 10 minute shower is included with dinner and breakfast in the price.  Hiking boots are not allowed in the room.....just as well.  One couple I met went on up over the top and just got down the other side and thought she left her phone here so they came back and then will go up over for a second time.....but they are young.  And she is definitely an "A". personality the worst I have seen.

However, they did say while a tad longer it is a little easer which we were all very glad to here.

Camino tidbits.  My pack is 25 pounds including the pack.  One lady I met is hiking on 12 pounds including her pack.  Her husband said, "hell that's nothing she walked in South America for 6 weeks with only a bum bag.

 Another tidbit.  For the last half mile I forced my self to take 20 steps before stoping to resting.  A lady and her husband are both 68.  After getting here they walked back and forth helping pilgrims up to the top by carring their packs.  Four times......