“You have to adapt, improvise, overcome” -Gunnery Sgt. Tom Highway (Clint Eastwood) – movie Heartbreak Ridge 1986
Ok, so here’s the situation: These ascents are kicking my butt. I have to find a different way to skin this cat because sheer force of will and physical capacity were battling to a draw. The solution was sitting in the front lobby of the hotel in Caldes de Reyes.
As I was walking through the lobby on my way to a late breakfast on my rest day, I saw all of these bags/packs stacked next to the front desk. In passing I said to Migel, the desk clerk,”Tour group last night?” to which he replied “No, these are bags being transferred to the next town.” . If I had been a German Shepard, my ears would have stood straight up. “Really?” I said, “How much?” to which replied “5 Euro”. I thanked him and a plan began to form. I’ll ship the main pack ahead and go point to point with my 15L daypack.
It answered a question that had been in the back of my mind since day 2. Of course there were plenty of pilgrims in full kit but there were just as many going with just a daypack and I had wondered how they were managing. Now, I knew.
So, what were my have to haves? Well, as I am sure most of you realize by now, I run hot so my hydration pack and spare water bottle were a given. From there, meds in case my pack was lost, my multi-tool and duct tape strips for field repairs and my blister treatment. The two last things I threw in the bag were a fuel rod power stick in case the phone started to lose juice and my rain shell. So, in one fell swoop I dropped 20lbs lol.
The next challenge was the hydration pack if it leaked (which it ultimately did) all my stuff would get soaked. Solution? The plastic hotel laundry bag which apparently is ubiquitous throughout the world lol. My wife, Kay, laughed when I told her this as bagging items for transport has always been an object for discussion me not wanting to bag much of anything, she, just about everything. I do pay attention sometimes lol.
Pictures with commentary below. This was IMHO the prettiest portion of the trek.
So, as I am crossing this bridge and moving north and I do not see any path marks. As I have become want to do I will say “Desculpme” (excuse me) to a local, point at the two roads with my trekking poles (I must have looked like a bulky, malevolent, scarecrow) and say “Camino?” and , they point my on the correct path. In this instance there is a Y which I am approaching and a man and a woman nearby. The woman was closer so I looked at her and asked my normal question pointing my poles. “Si!” They answered in unison…each pointing up a different road. Not exactly a helpful answer lol. I went the direction the lady gave me and as I passed I started to hear the two of them arguing behind me lol. Ended up they were both right. The exact path was the one the lady pointed out but then it turned right after one block and joined the road the man pointed to.
The above photos are just examples of some views I had of and on the trail.
Next is a typical waypoint marker. This one shows I’m still 40 kilometers (25 milesish) from Santiago.
This next set of shots shows the Church cemetery with the above ground crypts. I have yet to get a straight answer as to why but I suspect it’s because the ground is too rocky for what we would consider a normal burial.
Finally this last set of shots are as I walked into Padron. The final on is of the poet laureate of Galacia. Have no clue, really don’t care. I was hot and tired and the spot was shady.
Next : Over but not done. Day 7, Santiago.
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