Today was a GRUELING day and it wasn’t the uphill climbs
that did us in! Because we knew we would be walking about 19 miles today, we
had a very early breakfast and left our pilgrim hotel at 6:30 am. Sunrise
wasn’t until @ 8:00 am so we left town with headlamps on, picking our way
slowly up the rocky mountain path. By sunrise, we were at the first mountain
village, Foncebadón, and shortly thereafter were at La Cruz de Ferro (the Iron Cross) at 4,940 feet (although this was only
a 1,130- foot climb from Rabanal). The Iron Cross has become an important symbol
of the Camino. Pilgrims stop here to leave a stone, possibly say a prayer, and
reconnect with the purpose of their journey.
From the Iron Cross we descended a bit before climbing to
the highest point on the Camino at 4970 feet. From there the route was straight
down, @ 3,000 feet over 6.5 miles. It was very slow going as we had to pick our
way around rocks and sometimes, even climb over boulders! I was sure one of us
was going to trip and fall or sprain an ankle, but luckily we all made it down
safely, although by the time we got to our hotel in Ponferrada our feet were VERY tired.
Rich lanced the blood blister on the ball of his
foot, but his feet are still very tender. Needless to say, he didn’t walk again
today and probably won’t be walking for the next few days. It’s just as well as
those rocks and boulders on the downhill trek would have done him in!
It's hard to believe we only have 9 more stages, 9 more days and 130 more miles to
Santiago. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we will
keep you in ours. Vaya con Dios.Buen Camino
Sunrise in Foncebadon
Taking a quick break before heading further up the mountain
Adding my stone at the Iron Cross
A sample of our rocky path
The Knights Templar castle in Ponferrada
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