Shadows of Pilgrims

 Hiking Day 19    April 26

Llanes to Ribadesella

Miles    21.0

Total Miles    258.8

Ascent    1093’

Descent    1097’

We have at least 20 miles to cover today but breakfast is not to be served until 9 am. How can that be possible when we have so far to walk today and we have to start early? Seems like a poor booking decision by Mac’s Adventure. We are able to arrange for a “picnic breakfast” bag. We eat part of it in our room before we leave to start hiking, the rest is not really breakfast food so we skip those items. Then out the door into sunny skies once again. 

Before I continue today’s adventure, let me mention a few other hikers we have met along the way. These are the “pilgrims” we meet each day. While few in number compared to our Camino Frances three years ago, they are an important part of any Camino, The social part. The following are examples of the  pilgrims we meet while hiking or at our various stops. Some we see only once, others on and off for a few days. Some we may see again in Santiago in late May. Everyone hikes at different speeds and you never know when a “see you later” is really a goodbye. These are the real “Shadows of Pilgrims”.

We hiked with George few times over 2 or 3 days. George is likely in his early 40’s, a happy, outgoing fellow from Serbia who speaks excellent English. He has a pottery business and also makes hand crafted wooden canoes. The photos he showed us of his canoes are gorgeous. Yesterday he decided to hike further than us and we parted ways knowing it is unlikely we shall see him again. Before he departed he said he would tell his friends that he hiked with two dinosaurs. We asked that he tell them we were Velociraptors, not T-Rex.

We also met a hiker from Belgium. When we inquired where he had started he mentioned a city in France that we did not know. He told us he had hiked 1550 kilometers so far (963 miles!) and hoped to hike another 300 miles to Santiago. We asked if he planned to take the Camino Primitivo like we were, and he responded that he wished he could but he was too old. I looked at him and said “you are younger than us”. We exchanged ages and he was surprised to learn he was 3 years younger than Scot and I. 

We see Pete and Andrew, both hiking together and from Michigan, every day. But in two more days they will continue on the Camino del Norte and we start the Camino Primitivo. We hope to see them again in Santiago.

Amanda is a young woman from Australia, taking a break from teaching disabled teens and young adults. We see her on and off at random encounters. She is a bit mysterious and prefers to hike alone but likes to join us for coffee breaks.

We spent our first week hiking at times with Elaine and Chris, a fast hiking couple from North Carolina. We also enjoyed talking with them over a couple of long dinners. They hiked for a week and then traveled on to other adventures. I suspect that in the future they may do more of this Camino or perhaps another Camino. 

These are just a few of the pilgrims we have met. They are the people that truly enrich our Camino experience. 

Back to today…

Once out the hotel door, Scot and I decide to immediately take another alternative route, again following close to the coast. Aware that we are adding miles to an already long day, we stop frequently to take photos but keep a fast hiking pace. Again the views are incredible!

The day was long….21.0 miles long. We did try to check into the wrong motel which added on extra mile to the total and caused us to hike in the beginnings of a rain storm for a few minutes before reaching the correct hotel.

We hope that this will be the biggest mileage day of our entire Camino, but we know it will likely not be the toughest. The Primitivo has bigger climbs, higher mountains, more rain, and more mud. And it patiently awaits our arrival!