Santiago — The Roar That Came From the Toes

Where to begin?

2 a.m.? That would be the first bag rustler of the day.

4 a.m.? The second bag rustler — and the first to turn on a bed light. (Lights up the whole damn room anyway, so what’s the use?)

5 a.m.? Yeah, that’s when I threw in the towel — just too many early risers.

Out the door by 6 a.m., all cylinders firing perfectly. We moved with speed and purpose, ticking down the kilometers steadily. There was a quick first and second breakfast stop, but those felt like highly coordinated NASCAR pit stops. We arrived at the Monte do Gozo complex around 10:30 a.m. and found our way over to the pilgrim statues — and our first sight of the cathedral towers.

Lynne was filming a nice segment and just happened to catch my:

“WWHHOOOO-HHOOOOOO!!!!”

That one came from the toes!

Yeah, I think she was a little embarrassed, but I sent out my calling card!

We slowed our pace as we entered the city and made our way through the streets, working toward the Old Town and the cathedral. We arrived around 11:30, and I moved with purpose to the center of the square, solidly taking my earned position in the middle.

“YEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

(Sorry Lynne, no rocks for you to crawl under.)

It was heard by friends near and far — no question, I had arrived in Santiago again! Soon we were surrounded by friends in the square, celebrating our mutual accomplishments.

Off to the Pilgrim Office to get our Compostelas. Lynne was wondering what was taking me so long — chatting with the volunteers about our mutual Caminos. Apparently, the Norte is a must-do — hard but with beautiful scenery. The Primitivo was mentioned a few times as well, but I’m kinda done with the up/down thing for now.

We went to the Pilgrim House and made our plans for a pilgrim cook-off dinner, which they wholeheartedly embraced. OH, IT’S ON! Messages sent out.

A quick visit to my favorite pinchos place and a stop at the supermercado, and the challenge’s secret ingredients were formed:

Chicken breast fillets

A jar of pickles

Caramelized onions

Callie was given the list of supplied ingredients and sent to work commandeering the Pilgrim House kitchen. Food was served at 4:20 — and what a feast! Seasoned, cooked chicken breast fillets with spicy pasta, pasta with vegetables, and more vegetables. We turned a food challenge into a full-blown pilgrim feast, inviting all sorts of unsuspecting pilgrims who wandered in to join. Soon we had groups of strangers eating together and celebrating their arrival in Santiago.

It was particularly fun for me —

“You look hungry — please eat!”

So many new converts to the wonderful world of KAS Limón as well — not a drop of four liters remained.

It was truly the best way to end a 38-day walking trek: celebrating with total strangers. Well — they were total strangers. Not anymore. The world got a little bit smaller tonight.

We finished with the pilgrim mass in the cathedral — but not before visiting the apostle’s tomb and hugging the statue. It was amazing to see the difference between the longer-walking pilgrims and the short-distance ones. The shorter walkers grabbed the seats early; the long-haulers sat on the stone steps to the side. The short-term pilgrims sprayed the donation — the long-haulers showered it.

It was a good observation and a sign that the pilgrimage truly made a difference.

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📊 Camino Stats – Sat Oct 11, 2025

Day: 38

Location: Santiago de Compostela

Stage: O Pedrouzo → Santiago (~20 km of pure destiny)

Total walked: ~777 km — because heroes never stop at the finish line.

Remaining: 0 km. Zero. The End of the World and the Beginning of Everything.

% Complete: 100% Body, 200% Soul.

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⚡ Milestone of All Milestones

You left O Pedrouzo with dawn still dreaming.

Forests whispered your name through eucalyptus mist.

The first glimpse of Santiago from Monte do Gozo hit like lightning to the heart — spires piercing clouds, bells echoing across time.

Then, step by step, heartbeat by heartbeat, you entered the square — Praza do Obradoiro — a roar of sun, sound, and soul.

The cathedral towered before you, not as stone, but as everything you became getting here.

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🌟 Reflection – The Echo Eternal

This wasn’t a walk. It was a transformation.

You left a man. You arrived a story.

Every blister, every sunrise, every KAS and laugh and ache fused into this single, endless moment.

So raise your arms high.

Shout it for every pilgrim who ever dreamed the road:

“WWHHOOOO-HHOOOO!!! SANTIAGO, I’M HOME!!!”

The calm before Santiago!

Today started like so many others before it — early and walking.

But there was a difference. Actually, a lot of them.

There’s a shift on the Camino that only happens near the end — a tension in the air. Every step feels wired, electric. Today wasn’t just another stage. It was the last full Camino day.

I walked like my legs had found another gear — pure overdrive with a hit of nitrous. Cleared the day’s “stage” in five hours, and that was with me trying to slow down. I even stopped for breakfast — eggs, bacon, pork loin, bread, and a Colacao that actually delivered. But there was no stopping me today — the body firing on all cylinders, the mind crystal clear, the soul being pulled toward Santiago. The walk almost effortless, even the hills.

The trail no longer long and never-ending, but coming to a close very, very quickly. Energy levels off the charts. Mental clarity — scarily calm... no, like really eerily calm... There is energy in me ready to explode outward, yet it’s not blowing out pressure relief valves. Tomorrow’s reaction remains a mystery, and I must say this level of high energy yet calm is quite new. Will it explode outward in Santiago? Will it be highly emotional? Will it be like greeting an old friend? Maybe all the above. Maybe something entirely new.

I can say my pilgrim family is as interested as I am. One thing I can say — I feel the pull, like a magnet. Oh, tomorrow’s walk will probably start out routine — heading out early, grabbing food, etc. But then comes the airport, and with that a symbolic entry into the greater Santiago area. Then the hamlets that make the walk nice, but they yield to the industrial zone, which means Monte do Gozo is soon — and with that, the pilgrim statues and the first glimpse of the cathedral towers, and with that, the full-on pull toward the cathedral! I know that pull all too well, and I know there is only one cure — Praza do Obradoiro and the stone that marks the end of the walking journey.

Then...

Well, that blog entry will have to be filled in tomorrow.

Just know:

I AM READY!

BODY

MIND

SOUL

Oh and what do pilgrims do AFTER their full day's walk? Well another 5+k around town meeting many many friends, having wonderful meals with new friends, visiting closed churches, hitting the supermarket for tomorrow's early morning invasion, you know the regular stuff

🔥 Camino Stats – Fri Oct 10, 2025

Stage 39/40 – Arzúa → O Pedrouzo (19.1 km)

Day: 37

Location: O Pedrouzo (Arca do Pino)

Total walked: ~757 km

Remaining: 19.4 km to Santiago de Compostela

% complete: ~96%

Elevation: +308 m / −339 m

Pace: Relentless. Overdrive. Unstoppable.

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Summary:

Today wasn’t another walk — it was ignition.

Every step charged, every breath alive with the pulse of Santiago pulling from beyond the trees. The Camino shifted gears; this was no longer pilgrimage, it was momentum incarnate.

Breakfast became fuel for something cosmic — eggs, bacon, pork loin, bread, and Colacao that hit like divine caffeine. Villages blurred. Hills folded. The trail seemed to move out of the way for Kevin.

By late morning, O Pedrouzo appeared — the final rest before the cathedral. Pilgrims gathered like satellites drawn to the same gravity well. Ten-time pilgrims ran the albergue, veterans who understood that tonight wasn’t rest… it was countdown.

Tomorrow the bells will echo across the Praza do Obradoiro.

Feet that have carried the weight of a lifetime will strike stone again.

And Santiago will roar back:

Welcome home, Pilgrim.

It has gotten real!

Another longer day — 25+ km down. The walk was wonderfully quiet the last two days, and early this morning was no exception... Yeah, really strange given we are in the last 100 km!

We hit Melide late morning, in time for 2nd
breakfast, and headed out of town opting for the complementario route and an ice cream versus the traditional route. Quiet — oh so quiet...

And then it happened, like a light switch. We merged back in with the main route and found all the pilgrims — by the hordes. New slack packs, shiny shoes, clothes more fitting for a night out vs walking. Walking four-wide and yammering away.

Yeah, we found them — and passed many, many of them — especially in the rolling hills that are the Camino in Galicia. Almost exclusively Spanish and most doing it to put on their résumé. Rumors abound of some places requiring it as a term of employment as well.

Landing in Arzúa for the night is like entering the hive — dozens of albergues, and some, like ours, have many dorms. The dorms average 20 beds (we got the older-age dorm, so only 16 beds), but there are something on the order of 160 beds give or take here. The town is largely a pilgrim town as well, with albergue after albergue — probably second only to Sarria.

The mood for the long walkers: very, very good. We constantly see each other and are one big walking group. The mood for the short walkers is more apprehensive, shy, and uncertain. It creates interesting dynamics because they stick to themselves or their little group, while the long walkers are open to pretty much anyone.

And Santiago! It is less than 48 hours away. It will be my 5th time walking into Praza do Obradoiro. We’ll all find out what my reaction will be — it’s always a surprise even to me. Till then.

📊 Camino Stats – Thu Oct 9, 2025

• Day: 36
• Location: Arzúa
• Stage: Ponte Campaña → Arzúa (~23 km)
• Total walked: ~737 km
• Remaining (of 769 km): ~32 km
• % complete: ~96%
• Average so far: 737 ÷ 36 ≈ 20.5 km/day
• Needed average to finish by Oct 13: 32 ÷ 4 ≈ 8 km/day

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🔥 Milestone Note

• The road is alive with pilgrims — laughter, limping, determination.
• Forests of eucalyptus whisper “Santiago’s close…”
• Arzúa marks the final big town before the home stretch.

⚡ Reflection
“It has gotten real” — perfectly said. You’re not walking toward Santiago anymore; it’s pulling you in. Every step hums with that electric mix of fatigue, focus, and fire.

The shrinking numbers

Since yesterday's crossing of the 100km marker, the numbers have been ticking down very fast. Already at 62.753 and the numbers just feel like they are falling off.  The walking is now easy, after 35 days of daily beatings, the legs just going mind anymore.  Interesting observation, the feet ultimately control the data stage now.  My body has been in overdrive and instead of shortening my daily stages I am lengthening them,  the legs, they will keep going and going all day long, the feet...  Well, they don't take beatings well so they are usually deciding factor - When they start getting grumpy, the walking needs to stop...  Luckily they are holding up well or they have succumbed to the adage "The beatings will continue until moral improves 🤣"

Unlike yesterday, today's numbers ticked down fast and the arrival at the end of the day resulted in repeat stay of 10 years ago.  A wonderful little place with a lot of hand built furniture crafted from the owner.  Communal meal at 7, same menu as 10 years ago, same two soups, same chicken, salad, the only thing that might be different is they might have changed up the dessert.

And the gentleman from my last post...  He passed us today and expressed his deepest gratitude for yesterday's dinner and talk. 

There has not been a lot of the deeper epiphany moments, most of those happened many Camino's ago and are getting reaffimed again.  Example: I was at the same restaurant and table as 10 years ago. Hanging a nice lunch with TEAM TEXAS when they came to the same conclusions that I had 10 years ago - Almost verbatim.  To prove it, I pulled up that very post and let then read it:

https://www.daddymonster.com/2015/10/sarria.html

The striking similarities were eerily too close yet comforting that the growth was shared by so many.  For me, this is a tune-up of past growth.

Anyways, the call to Santiago becons once again and i will answer that call on Saturday.  Till then, I am moving steadily along. 

📊 Camino Stats – Wed Oct 8, 2025

Day: 35

Location: Ponte Campaña

Stage: Gonzar → Ponte Campaña (~21.5 km)

Total walked: ~714 km

Remaining (of 769 km): ~55 km

% complete: ~92%

Average so far: 714 ÷ 35 ≈ 20.4 km/day

Needed average to finish by Oct 13: 55 ÷ 5 ≈ 11 km/day

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✨ Milestone Note

Rolling Galician farmland, scattered hamlets, and soft forest paths.

Passed through peaceful villages like Leboreiro and Furelos, with ancient bridges and stone churches marking time’s slow passage.

Nearing Melide, the air already feels like Santiago’s outskirts — the rhythm gentler, steps steadier.

🌟 Reflection

The trail softened, but your spirit stayed strong. Each quiet kilometer now feels like gratitude made visible — every step a whisper: almost there.

This is the day that never ends

Yes, it seemed to go on and on, my friends.

I started walking it very early this morning,

and walking it seemed to take forever just because...

I honestly don't know what about today's stage seemed to take so long. We had a shortened stage because we stayed outside of the Sarria area yesterday, but it still seemed to take a full day's walk and then some to get to Portomarín! THEN—then I have to weigh down my whole damn day’s walk. We did another 7.5 km to Gonzar. We arrived late by our standards, 3:30. Still had energy in the tank but was so glad to be done walking for the day. 8:45 was enough; the day was heating up and the fun was running out.

We landed at a nice albergue — utilitarian on the exterior but nice inside — quickly did all our chores and set about to chill. Later at dinner time the Camino Spirit came alive. Lynne and I sat at a larger table and ultimately invited two other pilgrims seated alone. We quickly started chatting and discovered one Irish pilgrim has authored information on the Camino we have both thoroughly enjoyed in the past. It was an amazing time swapping information.

The other pilgrim has a very deep and emotional story which I will only cover quickly. He found himself in a relationship that changed his life — he truly found love and life as a result. They married, and years later his husband walked the Camino Francés. For Christmas he made him a special Camino memory book; his husband told him that he only got two gifts in life — his love and now that book. He lost his husband the following year after promising to walk the Camino together.

He carries their wedding rings around his neck and a tiny vial of his late husband's ashes in a pouch around his neck, fulfilling his promise. He had a second copy of the book printed and now he walks each day tearing off a page from the book, leaving it under a stone along the way. You could tell that his recounting of the story was very hard on him and was bringing up pain, but we let him shed his tears and have hugs in support. Honestly, it was probably the first time he felt so comfortable sharing at such a deep level. I can only say that I was glad to be there for him to share with. I feel like our unique table occupants were supposed to be there together tonight to experience all we shared.

Oh, and from those conversations I now learned that beer is now called a barley and hops fermented smoothie! So much healthier sounding!

Anyway, lots to mentally unpack, and it is bedtime.

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📊 Camino Stats – Tue Oct 7, 2025

Day: 34

Location: Gonzar

Stage: Barbadelo → Gonzar (~27 km, with lunch in Portomarín)

Total walked: ~693 km

Remaining (of 769 km): ~76 km

% complete: ~90%

Average so far: 693 ÷ 34 ≈ 20.4 km/day

Needed average to finish by Oct 13: 76 ÷ 6 ≈ 12.7 km/day

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✨ Milestone Note

Long, steady day through farmlands and rolling countryside.

Crossed the bridge into Portomarín for lunch — a major milestone, marking the last big river before Santiago.

Afternoon: climb out of the valley, reaching Gonzar, a small, peaceful stop on the ridge.

🌟 Reflection

The day stretched long, but the spirit lifted higher. Conversations, reunions, and quiet strength carried you — proof that the heart finds its stride just when the body tires.

The Beginning of The End

The Beginning of the End

Where to begin — WOW! What a day!

Started out of my albergue rather late (given my current Camino trends). I didn’t leave until probably 7:00 a.m. this morning. 

I connected quickly with Team Texas! and we continued our walk together from Samos down to the split in the path where a decision had to be made.

Okay, I’m going to interrupt this blog right here and now for a current event. I’m sitting outside next to a pool on a 75°F day. The pool is cold — cold enough for feet to sting at first, but after a few minutes it actually feels great. There’s a very brave soul who decided to take a full-body immersion dip in this ice bath. A short snippet of that will go on Facebook later…

So yeah, back to the blog. We reached the point where we had to decide between two paths going forward. The first was the well-marked route that turns abruptly and rejoins yesterday’s path. The other was the old path — not so well signed, mostly following the highway almost all the way into Sarria but saving nearly 4 km.

Yeah, we couldn’t decide which one to take. It was early enough that the highway would have had little traffic. We weren’t keen on coughing up an extra hour of walking, but logic and desire were at odds. We left it to a coin toss. If it landed money-side up, we’d take the highway; if the pretty landscape side landed up, we’d go scenic.

Wouldn’t you know it — the damn thing came up scenic side up. I may have muttered a quick expression of displeasure at the coin toss, but we all agreed to stick with its decision — which turned out to be the right choice. The route wound through several hamlets, rejoined the main Camino, and we were in Sarria by 11:00 a.m.

By the time we worked our way through town, we’d burned some extra time and decided to crash at a bar until the restaurants opened at noon.

At noon my favorite Italian restaurant in Sarria opened, and I went in for a good old pilgrim feast. While sitting there, a few events involving other pilgrims unfolded — which sparked conversation — which led me to bring up my blog entry from ten years ago. The similarities were striking.

We all agreed that the spirit of the Camino — the generosity, the companionship of strangers, the simple act of being kind for no reason other than shared humanity — was alive and well. It was a deep conversation, made more powerful after my companions read my old entry. It reminded me exactly why I do the Camino.

After a few hours in town, we finally headed out the last 4 km to our albergue for the night — a very well-appointed yet somehow wacky facility. Well-appointed in that it has many sleeping rooms (each with eight beds), large grounds, a pool, and a dining area — all the amenities. But when it comes to the pilgrim side, there are minimal power ports in the rooms, the bathrooms need some TLC, and the staff could stand to learn the difference between new pilgrims and long-haulers.

Gripes aside, it’s still a wonderful place to stay.

I know I said just a few days ago that Camino families were breaking apart, but I think just as quickly they’re now struggling to reconnect — because the reality has clicked in everyone’s mind: we’ve entered the final stretch.

People I talked with today agreed with my view of the Camino:

Stage 1 breaks your body, forcing you to rebuild it stronger.

Stage 2 toys with your mind, making it sharper and more resilient.

Stage 3 pulls at your spirit and tests your resolve.

Then you enter this last stage — the home stretch — the final run into Santiago. By this point, the Camino stops toying with long-haulers and instead prepares you for that last, meaningful arrival.

From here on, there are literally two Caminos happening simultaneously.

There are the long-haulers — mostly the crowd coming from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. We’re the ones entering the home-stretch, mentally preparing ourselves for the imminent arrival in Santiago in just a few days.

Then there’s the green crowd — the fresh injection of new pilgrims doing a 5- to 6-day walk. Their Camino is no less valid than ours. Everyone walks their own Camino. For some, that’s the only way they can do it.

But the fresh wave can feel at odds with the trail. They don’t feel the embrace of the homestretch; they feel the challenge of the rolling hills and the shock of suddenly adapting to Camino life.

It’s an interesting contrast — but I want to stress again: it doesn’t make their journey wrong, nor does it make mine any more right.

With that in a severely depleted phone battery, I am going to call it a day. The excitement builds as the kilometers dwindle. 

Till my next post.

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📊 Camino Stats – Mon Oct 6, 2025

Day: 33

Location: Barbadelo

Stage: Samos → Barbadelo (~19 km total via scenic route through woods and hamlets, not the highway)

Total walked: ~666 km

Remaining (of 769 km): ~103 km

% complete: ~86 %

Average so far: 666 ÷ 33 ≈ 20.2 km/day

Needed average to finish by Oct 13: 103 ÷ 7 ≈ 14.7 km/day

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✨ Milestone Note

A lush, winding route from Samos to Sarria, full of forest shade, stone bridges, and quiet farm tracks.

A long, two-hour lunch in Sarria reconnecting with old Camino friends — laughter and stories carrying down the trail.

Finished in Barbadelo, surrounded by rolling green hills and stone walls, marking the start of the final 100 km stretch.

Reflection

The day was less about kilometers and more about connection — with nature, with friends, and with the rhythm of Galicia itself.

It was Easy?

Today...

Today was good. Easy and MOSTLY DOWNHILL!!! Yeah, I got to let gravity assist almost all day!!! I started out and the weather, well, it was full-on Galician weather fit for the mountaintop… Cold, foggy, and windy. I bundled up, turned on the headlamp and headed out for a later start than normal so I could have natural light during the descent into Triacastela. In town I found a wonderful bacon, eggs, toast, and Colacao breakfast — a wonderful energy boost for the 2nd half of the day which started as a narrow river valley and opened into a beautiful valley with hamlets scattered around. Reading the map wrong I was getting frustrated at the apparent lack of progress when I rounded a corner and BAM! There was the monastery roof and it was only 10 minutes away. When the guidebook says it is hard to distinguish the monastery from the town, they are not kidding. That place at one time housed 500 monks! I did the tour — it is beautiful inside and not lavish like some cathedrals I’m not a fan of (COUGH Burgos COUGH) but simple and worthy of a place of worship, yet beautiful enough for monks to be able to call it home.

Today...

Today was a very welcome respite from climbs, long boring straights, & urban slogs. In a strange sense from here out it is like the hardships change and the trail prepares you for your arrival in Santiago!

Tomorrow I blow through Sarria onto a little hamlet past it and past the hordes of new arrivals.

📊 Camino Stats – Sun Oct 5, 2025

Day: 32

Location: Samos

Stage: Fonfría → Samos (~19.3 km, descent through Triacastela via the Samos variant)

Total walked: ~647 km

Remaining (of 769 km): ~122 km

% complete: ~84%

Average so far: 20.2 km/day

Needed average to finish by Oct 13: 122 ÷ 8 ≈ 15.3 km/day

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✨ Milestone Note

Long descent from the Galician ridge through Triacastela’s forests and hamlets.

Turned onto the Samos route, a peaceful valley walk following the river.

Arrival beneath the immense Monasterio de San Xulián de Samos, one of the oldest monastic centers in the Western world.