Or: “Just because you have climbed the highest mountain doesn’t mean there wont be more mountains to climb….Ooops”
I drank 5 Liters of water today, 5L of water without having to stop to take care of any basic human needs. To those who might not still be on the uptake, I 5L of water was taken in and passed out of me as sweat. Now, those who know me know I have a tendency to sweat profusely. Always have, just the way I’m wired I guess. But dear friends 5L just totally blew away any previous records by far. Anyway while, as you know, I had one mountain to across the first day, I had two, smaller ones to cross this day which in total were equal to the first day! If there is one thing that I have definitely learned from this total experience is that I really don’t like going uphill lol. Add onto that temps in the mid 70s and I have learned that is a perfect formula for me to go through 1.5 hydration bladders plus 1.5 L at breakfast/lunch and dive into my 750ml back up to finish my trip in. My fellow hikers on the trail are very considerate in that late in the day when I was literally hiking from shady spot to shady spot (maybe 50 yards at a time) before I stopped to catch my breath and take a swig of water they kept asking if I was alright. The Camino is not an easy thing for old big guys. Myself, a German guy and a new friend, Mike from Memphis, all about the same height/age/weight, struggled though I was hands down the worst in dealing with the heat. Mike, and his wife Melanie, rode herd on me the last 5 or 6 kilometers or so. Though I think Melanie, who is just a little thing with a very bubbly personality , was probably shepherding us both of us big guys as we went down the trail. They said we were hiking together, but I know I slowed them down some, no way I didn’t. Thanks guys, I did appreciate it. The good news is the pictures, in my humble opinion, pretty much made it worth the effort. Enjoy, more commentary below.
A suspension bridge being reconstructed while traffic still actively using it.
These are some shots coming down the first mountain.
The following is the bridge I crossed going into the town of Arcade
And here a shot of the Roman road. Looks like the Roman highway department is a little lax with their maintenance lol.
This next shot is on the second mountain looking back at Arcade.
Then a shot of a chapel built in the early 17th century. The woman in the pink hat is Melanie. Apologies for the candid shot Melanie.
Finally a mediocre shot of the Bascillica in Pontevedra. I should have taken one from the front, but the gate was closed.
That’s all for now. More tomorrow on the section from Pontevedra to Caldes de Reyes. ( cawl deh ray)
Lou Hikes? 