Camino Pilgrim

I very bravely ran out the door at 6am to escape the heat for as long as possible. By the evening it was +39 degrees, but I had already finished walking at midday, since all courage was replaced with concern about heat.

The first big event was Pamplona, which has suburbs that have more than 10km of walking on concrete. Really reminded me of the Portugese Camino with its constant hard surface. Thankfully, I am in Spain, where I spend most of the time on gravel and dirt. Its hard to imagine being happy about gravel roads, but here they are the best option around.

Once Pamplona was behind me, the walk uphill to Alto de Perdon started. 300 meters up and then down felt like a medium-sized challenge now. Especially when you take 15-30 minutes before each harder part to rest and let your feet breathe a little. I even needed to change socks in the middle of hiking because of the heat building up.

Like Don Quihote, I fought my way to the windmills, enjoyed the scenic view and then rushed downhill to the village I am staying in. Managed to finish hiking at just 31 degrees outside. Today my legs are getting some well needed rest and my journey can continue with a smile on my face tomorrow.

I am making some Camino friends along the way, but since everyone is doing drastically different daily distances, then groups fall apart faster than they form. First signs of injuries are also visible on pilgrims from not taking care of their legs and feet or letting the sun burn them alive. One Korean girl had first degree burns from the sun on her arms.