I continued the journey with Nacho and his friend, Lee – a DJ in his free time. The day started with loud laughter in the bathroom while we were brushing our teeth and cracking jokes about the previous night. Both are fast walkers – way too fast for me – so they quickly got ahead. Mornings in the hills are always a visual treat, though chilly. I didn’t want to complain because I knew the heat would hit soon enough. Nacho and Lee were so full of energy that they ended up running downhill. That later proved to be a mistake, as at our first pit stop, Nacho started complaining about knee pain. Since giving advice in those situations doesn’t help much, I simply offered him my magical cream that makes all pain disappear. Of course, he refused it and decided to end his hike for the day. We said our goodbyes and agreed to meet again in Finisterre on Monday – assuming I manage to walk 120 km in under a day.
The trail today was merciful – flat, with no suffering or extra sweating. A pure treat for any hiker. My legs were fast again. I chose my own route, following the road, because I didn’t want my feet to suffer from all the gravel, especially with 65 km coming up tomorrow, followed by nearly 40 km to Santiago on Friday. And on Friday morning, I’m getting a visitor in Santiago for a few days.
While walking, I had way too much time to think. The thought crossed my mind: what if I merge the last two stages into one – make it a 100 km push? Of course, smart Tina chimed in quickly and asked me if I’d completely lost it. She explained that if I go for those 100 km tomorrow, I’ll never manage the 120 km challenge. I’ll burn out physically and mentally, and the original plan will go down the drain for good. And since I liked the idea of 120 km more, I listened to her. During a beer stop, I told Saudi where my brain had gone today, and he simply said, “If the Berliner doesn’t kill you for that stupidity, I definitely will on Friday when I get there.” 😂😂
When I had 10 km left to the albergue and was happily enjoying the walk, Nacho texted me to say he’d changed his mind and called a taxi to take him to the same albergue I was heading to. Lee, like me, chose to walk the rest. The day was hot, but luckily there was plenty of shade on the path. Since I don’t want to arrive late tomorrow due to the long distance, I’ve decided to leave at 5 a.m. I even called the albergue again today to let them know I’ll be arriving late and to please not give away my bed or my shower. They reassured me not to worry. Because no cafés will be open at 5 a.m., I went to the store to buy two bottles of Coke. I just hope the Berliner doesn’t throw them out again. I suspect he’s been doing that because he’s worried about my health.
