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.