The crossing

Yesterday I decided to stop short of the summit and guarantee myself a bed in the albergue.  It had just started raining and avoiding the storm began to seem wise.  Indeed, it rained all night and staying put proved to be the correct decision. 

 

A group of us cooked up a plan to leave at 5:15am to put us at the summit as the sun came up.  O’Cebreiro is a small town at the summit and a perfect place for breakfast. When the early morning came, only Aimee woke up and rallied to join me.  It turned out to be a grand adventure!

 

It was totally dark as we left and realized that Aimee had left her walking poles.  Luckily, we found a back door to the albergue and were able to fetch the sticks.  As we climbed the steep grade, the sky, clear as a bell, slowly came to life.  The camera just can’t capture the stunning beauty of the sky above.  

 

We arrived in O’Cebreiro with just enough dawn light to enjoy some of the quaint buildings.  The local pub was open and we enjoyed a coffee and breakfast as the sun came up.  Perfect timing.

 

Once again, I was a bit nervous about the decent, but it proved to be delightful.  We enjoyed the valley views, cows and small villages that dot the path down the mountain.  With great conversation, the time just flew by.  

 

I noticed lots of new faces on the trail today as many pilgrims started their shorter versions on the Camino.  Soon, I will reach Sarria and that is where even more folks join the march towards Santiago.

 

The surprise of the day was the local laundromat.  They have machines that actually wash and even dry your clothes!  For the first time in a month, all of my clothes are clean again.  This makes for a happy pilgrim!  

 

32,215 steps

  15.67 miles

 

Location:  Triacastela @ 42.755492, -7.243184