THE ENERGY!!!

So I got 2 days to catch up on here .

Yesterday morning we got out early and had a good hour walking in the dark dark before predawn slowly started to light the sky and awaken the world around us. Sunrise happened almost 8:45am and means some good walking time. Someone asked why I loved walking in the dark so much - Because I walk under the stars with no light pollution, I walk with no crowds, I walk in the calm silence, AND I get to witness the world around me slowly waken from it's evening slumber. It is cool to see your shadow suddenly appear and watch how it shortens as the day progresses.

The day was largely uneventful minus the constant yet barely noticeable climb. We arrived in Rabanal and I ultimately got the pleasure of sleeping in the the tin can "double room" - it's basically a drop-in camping type module for the bathroom on my door and a bedroom in the other door. It made very quiet yet cold night for me. Only to realize there was a heater in the bathroom I could have utilized versus having to utilize 50 lb of blankets that they already had on the bed 🤣.

We were able to go to the church for the 7:00 singing of vespers from the monks who sang everything in Latin. Most of them spoke three languages very fluently, which is extremely impressive. I myself was blessed to have conversations with two of them which was the perfect precursor to today's walk.

Today, today I was awake, dressed and out of my room by 5:30. I scooched over to the main albergue I grabbed a quick breakfast we had packed the night before, did final prep and we were out the door for shortly after 6:00 this morning.

The climb is noted as getting much steeper past Rabanal however, you would not have known by watching me climb.  The next 8 km, I swear to God I had the turbocharges on as I was climbing the hill with ease almost as if I was being pulled.

My goal this morning : CRUZ DE FERRO

I wanted to be at the Rock pile for sunrise parade as lock, fate or whatever had it, not only was I there but I was actually on the pile saying my prayer as I left my burden stone behind.

Prayer at Cruz de Ferro :

I stood there in the bright pre-sunrise morning, on the mound at the cross. Holding my stone in hand I read my prayer that I had been working on for a while

"Here I stand before this cross, carrying the stone that holds my pain, my anger, and the weight of old wounds.

As I place this stone at the foot of the cross, I release these burdens from my heart.

May the earth take them, and may they trouble me no more.

I walk forward lighter, freer, and open to peace.

Let this stone remain as a sign of what I have left behind,

and let my steps from here be guided by hope, strength, and love."

I am not afraid to admit that my voice broke a few times as I embraced the power of the moment. When the prayer was complete I placed my stone on the pile at the foot of the cross. I then looked up, saw a site that warmed my heart, the cross, having been in Shadow during a sunrise moment, was lit and an intense fiery red, orange for the duration of my prayer.

When I look down, I noticed one gentleman enjoyed my prayer so much that he had put his hands in prayer formation, closed his eyes and embraced my prayer. While another lady close to me admitted she started crying during me reciting my prayer. Cruz de Ferro has a raw energy about it that is amplified by the fact that it takes most pilgrims for full weeks of walking to reach the site. By the time you reach it, you are fully into your spiritual journey and significance is not lost on you. Having been in high energy mode all morning to get there, I enjoyed plenty of time at the summit before progressing along the path taking my time at the old Manjarin site.

The descent down the back side was not gentle on the feet by any stretch in the imagination and the trail conditions in several locations had degraded leaving a trail of sore feet behind for all the pilgrims coming down. Despite the challenges I remained full of energy oftentimes boiling over all day. When Team Texas arrived in town, I gave each of them a hug, lifting them cleanly off their feet with their backpacks on and not really feeling the weight. Tonight, a group of us will be gathering at a nearby restaurant and having a wonderful Pilgrim gathering!

Yesterday and today have been absolutely full of physical energy and the mind has been exploding with epiphanies. So much of what I have been silently meditating upon the past 4 weeks has all erupted in the mind with clarity and the body has erupted with energy.

SANTIAGO - I'M COMING BACK

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📊 Camino Stats – Wed Oct 1, 2025

Day: 28

Location: Molinaseca

Stage: Rabanal → Molinaseca (~26 km, via Foncebadón, Cruz de Ferro, El Acebo, Riego de Ambrós)

Total walked: ~514 km

Remaining (per Wise Pilgrim): ~212 km

% complete: ~71%

Avg so far: ~18 km/day

Needed avg to finish by Oct 13: ~19 km/day

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✨ Cruz de Ferro Day

🪨✝️ At Cruz de Ferro, stone laid, burdens left behind, spirit lifted.

⚡ A surge of energy unlike any other stage so far — climbing, summiting, descending with strength that felt beyond yourself.

⛰️ Rocky descent mastered, carried by that same energy all the way to Molinaseca.

🌉 Arrival across the medieval bridge into one of the Camino’s most beautiful villages, glowing with the sense of pilgrimage fulfilled in the heart, even as Santiago still waits ahead.

---

🌟 Reflection

Day 28 will always stand apart — not just kilometers walked, but a transformation felt. This was your spiritual summit of the Camino

Astorga

First things, we started late!  We usually aim to be walking 6:30, 7am at the latest.  We didn't wake up until 6:30!  We didn't get on the trail until almost 8am and that felt so very late. 

The "trail" they this section is mostly rock road, unfit for foot or vehicle yet we trudge thru loyaly listening to our feet and legs screaming.  But we did cross the old Roman in Hospital

Leaving town it was pretty clear on someone's opinion of the trail split choice. 

Go straight and take the official trail by the highway and you'll be sad. Take a right and take the scenic route and you'll be happy.  We took the scenic route and we were happy.

Futher down the trail I was hoping that the donativo ran by David was still in operation - IT WAS! 

It was open and run by volunteer friends and it was just as good as 10 years ago! 

After that it was a 1.5km walk to the Cruz

And our first peek at the mountains that hold Cruz de ferro

And the thirsty Pilgrim

 

Another 5k or so and we finally entered the city proper, meet some friends and found our lodging with nice big fluffy TOWELS!  Towels, I miss you almost as much as I miss my family!

A quick lunch, some laundry, and a visit to the Gaudi Palace

And calling it a night early so we can hit the trail early and get onto the actual climb early (I am beginning to see a trend there).

📊 Camino Stats – Mon Sept 29, 2025

Day: 26

Location: Astorga

Stage: Villavante → Astorga (~21 km)

Total walked: ~467 km

Remaining (per Wise Pilgrim): ~259 km

% complete: ~64%

Avg so far: ~18 km/day

Needed avg to finish by Oct 13: ~21 km/day

👉 Under 260 km left. You’re officially in the final third of the Camino.

Back on the trail

I think the late night...  No wait, early morning partiers, yeah that sounds better.  Anyways, I think they had a wonderful time this morning.  See, they stayed up partying until someone around 4am, which is fine.  PILGRIMS rise and shine at 6am....  5:30am (nature calls when it calls).  Yeah, they didn't get much sleep afterwards 🤣, hey what can I say?  FAFO

We walked thru a still very much asleep city until we got to the bus/taxi area, it was very full of people who had just finished a night of partying and we're taking taxis back home. I said before the Spanish love to party and I'll say it again - THEY LOVE TO PARTY!!!

So we got to Virgin del Camino and started down the alternate route...  You know, the BEAUTIFUL your, not straight and thru an industrial/commercial slog?...  I mean, well, the last 14km are almost perfectly straight but at least they are thru fields and have canals and the like vs car dealerships, manufacturing commercial, etc...  Yeah, NO PILGRIMS!!!!  Where did they all go?  Did they stay in LEON, go home, do the road route, ???  Don't know but only a handful of pilgrims - NICE - Seriously, our first not sold out albergue this trip. 

Our town is pretty small with a boring water tower unlike the one in the picture above

So yeah, very uneventful day, lots of walking alone along the scenic route. 

📊 Camino Stats – Sun Sept 28, 2025

Day: 25

Stage: León (bus skip to Virgen del Camino) → Villavante (~29 km including the skip start)

Cumulative walked: ~475 km

Remaining: ~295 km

% complete: ~62%

Avg so far (25 days total): ~19.0 km/day

Adjusted avg (24 walking days): ~19.8 km/day

Needed avg to finish by Oct 12: ~19.6 km/day ✅

LEON ZERO DAY!

Not much to say.

Slept in late, this first time in.....   Well, a long time and certainly the first time on Camino. A quick breakfast at a local shop then some quick exploring to plan for tomorrow mornings return to the Camino...  WHAT A SMART MOVE IT IS! They are planning a huge party for tomorrow, parades, concerts, vendor tents, etc.  They party because they love to party...  They party so much that they have the special 18 wheelers that transform into giant stages complete with lighting, video screens, speaker systems, the whole nine yards. This big rig just pulls into town. Drops off the trailer few minutes later. The whole thing is expanded, powered on, and ready for the town to rock it out.  Boy do they party, 3:30am I got up for a bathroom run and it sounded like midday outside - Amazing!  

I swear, they must be following my Camino and planning parties for all the major, and even some of the minor towns. No matter where, I seem to be heading into a weekend somebody's having a party somewhere and it's usually close by.  (Mic static "Hurry up and get those stages up, he is almost in Burgos...  Get one setup next weekend in Leon just to be safe".  Molinaseca had daytime fireworks last time I came into town, they probably will have a stage setup for a party.

Anyways, later in the morning I started walking the Camino path thru town exploring the side alleys and the wonderful architecture of this city. 

 Found my way to the Basilica de San Isodoro and did the museum visit

Everywhere you look in Leon is wonderful architecture and so many small details for you to enjoy. 

Anyways, the afternoon was filled running around getting a few items ticked off our combined lists, including a 3km round trip walk to Decathlon for Charlton to restock a few things.  No tapas bar crawl today, light eating and early bed 

Check out the pictures and videos on the Facebook post, several parades they the city today and a big one planned for tomorrow morning.

📊 Camino Intermission – Sat Sept 27, 2025

Day: 24

Stage walked: ❌ Zero Camino mileage (rest day in León)

But: ~12 km roaming the city (cathedral, tapas alleys, parades, etc.)

Cumulative Camino walked (since SJPdP): ~446 km

Remaining to Santiago (~770 km): ~324 km

% complete: ~58%

Avg so far (counting 24 days): ~18.6 km/day

Adjusted avg (counting 23 walking days): ~19.4 km/day

Needed avg to finish by Oct 12: ~19.4 km/day ✅

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🎭 Intermission Continues

León Cathedral glow 🌈

Tapas + Barrio Húmedo crawl 🍷

Arroz con leche, Basque cheesecake, churros con chocolate ✅

Parades, pendones, drums & bagpipes 🥁

A proper recharge before the mountains.

---

🚩 Curtain lifts again:

Tomorrow, Sun Sept 28 → walking resumes. Bus skip to Virgen del Camino, then west toward Astorga.

LEON!

There's a lot to go over so let's get started.

Lynne, Hwa, and I started the day of with breakfast at our hostel. After that we walked like only people that have been on the trail of over 3 weeks can walk... FAST!  For reference, people usually walk rate around 4 km an hour. We held a much higher Pace holding five and a half km an hour steady for the full 13 km to the next town. 

But during that walk, we came across and 80-year-old Italian gentleman who I would have sworn wasn't today 60!  In very broken languages we were able to discover that he was on his 30th Camino!

I FIGURED IT OUT, THE CAMINO IS THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH!!!

Later, we had quick and enjoyable breakfast and the three of us were back on the trail for the remaining 6 km to the next town which signified at the end of our mutual walking day.  On the way or of town we passed by a Camino institution - unfortunately not open yet for the day, Bar Elvis.  A place that openly supports graffiti both inside and out with a most unique proprietor.

Hwa is staying the night in Mancella de las Mulas, Lynne and I - following the advice of not only many guidebooks but pretty much everybody else, took transportation into Leon bypassing tomorrow's long slog into the city.

!!! CAMINO INTERMISSION !!!

https://youtu.be/s7vp9dnl0vg?si=iDPfcGkKPAaXhDA-

Leon is worth way more time than I'm going to give it, but I am taking one zero day tomorrow and maximizing every minute I have today. We were blessed with an Albergue literally just off the main cathedral square. A wonderfully modern Albergue with pod style beds in small security controlled rooms with climate control.  Linen sheets, comforter, TOWELS...  Seriously, this Albergue is going to spoil us now.

Charlton and I went on a short tapas bar crawl 

Seriously fun and good eats.  For those who don't know, you order a drink - You get a tapa!  You get up and scoot over to the next bar, rinse and repeat.

Later, for evening nibbles, Lynne joined us as we sought out the more rewarding tapas (not interested in bar mix, more Spanish tortillas, or a thin slice of sausage on a slab of bread - Bring on the good stuff.  For our final food item, the chocolate explosion.

During the late afternooni went into the Leon Cathedral and once again was welcomed by a Cathedral that was NOT there to worship the bishops and Cardinals like the Burgos cathedral.

The Leon Cathedral is beautiful, very airy and open.  It has not been expanded upon unnecessary time after time, it remains as built in a more pure state - actually, later modifications have been undone to restore the cathedral closer to it's original state. 

BURGOS : While architecturally beautiful is bit a house of worship, it is a museum and temple to the men who ruled the area. 

LEON : IS a house of worship and still active.

📊 Camino Intermission – Fri Sept 26, 2025

Day: 23

Stage walked: El Burgo Ranero → Mansilla de las Mulas (~19 km)

Then: Bus into León (not counted in walking total)

Cumulative walked: ~446 km

Remaining to Santiago (~770 km): ~324 km

% complete: ~58%

Avg so far: ~19.4 km/day

Needed avg to finish by Oct 13: ~19.4 km/day ✅

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🎭 Intermission Time

Tomorrow, Sat Sept 27th = rest day in León.

No kilometers. No pack. Just:

León Cathedral stained glass glow 🌈

Tapas in Barrio Húmedo & Romántico 🍷

Sweet treats (churros, ice cream) 🍫

Recharge body + mind before the mountains.

---

🚩 The Play So Far

Act I: Body → aches, blisters, hills, broken in.

Act II: Mind → Meseta grind, halfway milestone, León reset.

Act III: Soul (coming soon) → Cruz de Ferro, Galicia’s green hills, Santiago.

El Burgo Ranero

Today...

It was short

Simple

Easy...  Well except the Camino path hasn't been maintained in years, but still easy.

Interesting, we got to walk thru a water pumping project construction zone. 

We left late, stopped for a really good breakfast, and still arrived in town early... Of course as far a days go this is a short one but we didn't want to go from short to damn long - There is no happy medium. 

Tomorrow we walk to Mansilla de las Mulas and take transportation to Leon where we have a zero day planned for Saturday.

And now, a continuation of yesterday's ramblings:

So here’s the thing, everybody loves to paint the Camino like it’s this magical postcard world, right? You get the Instagram shots with the perfect stone bridge, vineyards in the background, scallop shells dangling from packs, pilgrims smiling like they’ve just unlocked enlightenment. Movies do it too — everyone walking together, laughing, sipping wine, life transformed. And yeah, there is some of that. But most of it? That’s the highlight reel. That’s not the day-to-day.

The reality is blisters that feel like hot knives, feet that don’t want to take another step, sun that beats down on you in the Meseta until you start counting every telephone pole just to know you’re moving forward. You walk into a town and the last bed is gone. Boom. Now you’re walking another 5 km when your legs are already screaming. Showers that are basically dribbles, snorers that could rattle the roof off, laundry that never dries. And the routine — wake up, walk, shower, laundry, food, reset the pack, sleep. Over and over and over.

And the surprises? Not always good ones. Like when you confirm an albergue, feel good knowing you’ve got a bed, only to roll into town and find the hospitalero closed up yesterday for winter. No note, no warning, just gone. And now you’re dragging yourself, or worse, your kids, to the next town whether you’ve got the legs for it or not.

But — and here’s the important part — the Camino does have magic. It just isn’t free. That KAS Limón I keep talking about? It’s not magical soda. It’s the fact that you’ve earned it after walking 25 km in the heat. That pilgrim blessing in the chapel? It hits harder because your body’s worn out and somehow you’re still standing there in the moment. Running into Charlton again after days apart, or catching Hwa on the road like no time passed — that’s not luck, that’s the Camino giving you what you didn’t know you needed.

So why do I love it? Why, with all the slog and sweat and blisters, is it still under my skin like some itch I can’t stop scratching? Because life is simple out here. My entire world fits in a pack. I don’t need to juggle twenty things. It’s wake, walk, eat, sleep. That’s it. And it feels right.

Because the grind makes everything sweeter. The bed is softer, the shower hotter, the little meal in the little town feels like a feast.

Because every single day resets. No matter how bad yesterday was — and trust me, there are bad days — you wake up, lace up, and start over.

Because the people and the history and the random “Camino provides” moments are like nothing else.

And because of the freedom. Back home it’s alarms and appointments and rushing around. Out here, you can pivot on a dime, change your plans mid-step, and it’s all okay. You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, even if it wasn’t in the plan an hour ago.

So no, it’s not the romantic postcard version that keeps pulling me back. It’s the dirt and the sweat and the grind. It’s the stripped-down life that somehow feels more real than anything back home.

And yeah, it sounds horrible when I lay it out like that — blisters, snorers, long hot stretches with no shade. Doesn’t sound like anybody’s dream vacation. But here’s the truth: it’s one of the most freeing and addictive things you can do in your life. And that’s why I keep coming back.

📊 Camino Stats – Thu Sept 25, 2025

Day: 22

Location: El Burgo Ranero

Distance today: ~19.5 km (Sahagún → El Burgo Ranero)

Cumulative walked: ~427 km

Remaining to Santiago (~770 km): ~343 km

% complete: ~55%

Avg so far: ~19.4 km/day

Needed avg to finish by Oct 13: ~19.6 km/day ✅

All these Halfway Points!

So there's no less than three halfway points:

• There is the halfway point mileage-wise on the trail that we passed unceremoniously yesterday leaving the next-to-last town. The exact point is pretty hard to pin down as the trail is an organic system and constantly undergoing little changes. So what may be the halfway point mileage-wise today may not be that tomorrow.

• There is today's geographical halfway point which is much less likely to change over time as it is the halfway point between Roncesvalles and Santiago de Compostela.

• And finally, there is the symbolic halfway point which is Sahagún and that's probably the most celebrated of the three as you can get a halfway certificate which goes back many, many years when people too sick to continue could at least turn around here.

Which actually turned into a real-life example. One pilgrim barely managed to get to the albergue. Her left leg was not functioning. An ambulance picked her up and brought her to the León hospital for care.

So yeah, it doesn't matter which one of the three you want to go by, we've passed them all.

Yesterday's walk was probably the straightest walk of the entire Camino. Today we had the pleasure of some very gently rolling hills and several little hamlets to dart in and out of. There is a bit of a slog on the approach to Sahagún, but it is also where you pass the geographical halfway point on the city's outskirts.

Tonight's lodging is a monastery. A little sparse but very clean and with surprisingly modern facilities.

So I'm going to take a minute to talk about one of the dynamics that makes walking the Camino special. My sister Lynne and I decided to walk up to the monastery to get our halfway certificate. Standing in line, who did I see in front of me but my good friend Charlton Slack from Wales. I know anyone following my blog knows that Charlton and I are meeting in Santiago on the 13th but are not necessarily walking together. For the past week, our paths had taken us apart and just like that our paths were back together again. So there's a saying: the Camino provides. That was one example of it.

Another dynamic about the Camino that makes it so special is the absolute spontaneity you are allowed. Charlton and I did the museum tour, decided to attend the 6:30 pilgrim blessing and while we waited, hung out in one of the local bars and had a pilgrim's favorite beverage — KAS Limón. As the time got closer, we moved on to the chapel and attended the blessing. In your day-to-day lives, things are too structured, too rigid. Out here, you can pivot on a dime, completely change your plans and just roll with it because wherever you are is where you are and you need to be no other place other than in your hostel by door close.

Earlier in the day was another example of an interesting dynamic. I had brought our clothes to a laundromat for drying and I saw my Chinese American friend Hwa walking down the road. We were able to catch up and have a great chat before each of us had to go our separate ways. I told him about the pilgrim blessing and he was able to attend as well.

So there's been a lot of discussion amongst many people on and off the trail about the Camino and what it is. I found this:

🚶‍♂️ What Walking the Camino Is

A pilgrimage first — spiritual, cultural, historic.

A long-distance trek — ~800 km on the Francés, stage by stage.

Self-carried — everything in your backpack: clothes, gear, meds, but no tent (you sleep in albergues, hostels, inns).

Between hiking & backpacking — heavier than a day hike, lighter than wilderness backpacking (since food/bed is found each day).

A lifestyle on foot — wake up, pack, walk 20–25 km, eat, sleep, repeat.

🥾 Best way to define it:

“Walking the Camino is long-distance, self-supported trekking with a cultural and spiritual core — a pilgrimage where your pack holds your life, but roofs and meals come each night from the trail.”

And to make a good comparison where the Camino sits in the walking ranking system:

🥾 Physical Demands of Walking the Camino (ranked)

1. Day hike → lightest, small pack, out & back.

2. Multi-day hut trek → moderate pack, food + some gear, roof provided.

3. Camino → 🚩 right here. Daily 20–30 km with a ~7–10 kg pack, repetitive stress on feet/legs/back. Lighter than wild backpacking, harder than casual hiking.

4. Full backpacking → tents, stoves, food for days, heavier loads.

5. Expedition trekking → high altitude, extreme loads, survival gear.

👉 Camino = middle tier: endurance challenge, not survival.

I hope that helps people get an idea what the Camino is, what it is not. One thing I do want to add is everything about the Camino always shows the highlights and never shows the day-in and day-out grind of walking to get someplace. A hot afternoon slog through the harvested fields with a long steep hill and not a cloud in sight. A telephone pole with a cross on top surrounded by a pile of rocks — it takes over a day of climbing to get there. The beautiful little village and a valley on the Meseta — that's after a four-hour slog with barely any corners.

So I guess one of the questions that comes up is, if it's so hard, why do it? And the answer is we do it because it is hard, but the rewards are greater. We do it because it is life simplified to its core needs without any of the noise. Get up in the morning, hopefully there's some breakfast. If not, maybe there's a place in town. If there's no place in town then you wait till the next town and rinse and repeat.

Some days are a short walk. Some days are a long walk. Some days you get to town and you get the last bed. Some days you get to town and find out you have to walk to the next town to get a bed. Some days, as in the case of a family we keep bumping into, you get to a town where you have verified your reservation only to find that the guy closed up shop the day before for the winter even after verifying your reservation — and now you have to walk with your tired kids on an extra-long journey to the next town.

When you finally find lodging for the night, the first thing you want to do is usually shower. After showering, usually your next priority is to take care of your laundry. Then you reset your pack for the next day before seeking out food. Sometimes there's a little bit of extra time in the day to go visit a particular site in town, some days you're spending your time reaching out to family back at home. Some days you are just so wrapped up with other pilgrims in the moment right then and there that time just flies. If you're like me, you try and squeeze in a little bit of time to get your daily diary done and then it is usually an early bedtime to start all over the next day.

Sounds horrible, doesn’t it? It's not! It is one of the most freeing and liberating things you can do in your adult life. And quite frankly, it's addicting.

And with that I'm calling it a night.