27 September 2017 Walking Day 15: 20.5 kilometers 27,277 steps Today is Wednesday (I am pretty sure, that is), and it was another very beautiful sunny day on the meseta and the Camino de Santigo. I left Frómista with Tom and Julie (from Australia) at just about 8:00 AM. It was a brisk (10 C, 50 F) morning, but no wind, and the sun was just rising in back of us as we headed westward […]
26 September 2017 Walking Day 14: 25 kilometers 35,705 Steps Today was another warm day on the meseta in Spain. We left Castrojeriz early, and just about 2 kilometers from the town we had to climb up a 12% grade hill over a kilometer in length. Here we can see the path going up the hill in the distance. The sign in the picture on the lower right warns of the 12% grade, and the […]
25 September 2017 Walking Day 13: 20.5 kilometers 28,356 steps Wow! Another good day of walking on the Camino de Santiago on the meseta in my new shoes. My feet feel better than they have in a number of days. When my feet were at their worst, hurting with every step, my mood had become somewhat dark, and I was thinking that I may have to give up this pilgrimage and return home to let […]
24 September 2017 Walking Day 12: 21.0 kilometers 29,375 steps After what became a rest day for my feet yesterday, I am thankful that our first day onto the meseta (the plains) was to be fairly short, 21 kilometers (13.5 miles). I am walking on my new North Face hiking shoes. So far they are far more comfortable than walking in my Keen H2 sandals. The significance of today’s stage is entering the meseta, where […]
Non-Walking Day: 26 Kilometers 0 steps In yesterday’s comments, I expressed concern about my feet. I am very concerned about my feet – they hurt when I walk. I spent more time than is recommended breaking in my hiking boots. Walking up hills, down hills, on the flat, everything. I had no problems with my feet throughout the breakin period. On the first day of the Camino from Saint Jean Pied de Port over the […]
Walking day 11: 24.5 kilometers 33,150 steps After a day of mostly walking near or by the N-120 major highway, today was a welcome break from that highway. The first half of the day was close to the N-120, but across fields and out of earshot of the actual highway. The second half was in a forest, an while the N-120 is close, we could not hear or see it at all. Then we arrived […]
Walking Day 10: 23 kilometers 30,524 steps The sun was out early today. We made our way out of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, over the bridge built by Santo Domingo and into the last of the vineards of La Rioja. Just after the town of Grañon We shall cross over into Castilla y León, the largest of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions (roughly akin to our states). We have walked through Navarra (capital is Pamplona) […]
Walking Day 9: 22 kilometers 31,220 steps I think today is Wednesday, and I think it is September 20, but I have lost track. The days sort of run together, and the date and day are not so important. Sundays are a little more noticeable because more things in the towns are closed. However, when we arrive in most towns, they are very quiet because between 1:30 and 4:30 or 5:00 most businesses are closed […]
Walking Day 8: 30 kilometers 40,605 steps Today was a very nice day. There was no threat of rain, and there were a few intermediate towns allowing us places to rest, get food, or explore a bit. (But we seldom feel as if we have time to explore intermediate towns on days where the overall distance is great.) Time is a bit short today so I’ll keep my comments brief. Tomorrow is a shorter day […]
Walking Day 7: 28 kilometers 42,400 steps Today, like yesterday, we crossed three rivers, which again means going down into the river valley, crossing the river (on a bridge), and then going uphill out of the river valley. The up and down hill walking is taxing, and today the the distance was the longest to date on the Camino Frances at 28 kilometers. We have left the autonomous region of Navarra (capital Pamplona) and entered […]
Walking day 6: 21 kilometers 27,377 steps Again, the rain eluded us today. The morning was very cool, brisk, and I wore my gloves. Because I am using hiking poles, my hands are exposed all the time with only very few opportunities when we stop to put them in a pocket out of the wind. So the lightweight gloves are nice. The sun was out early, and the sky was mostly blue. Very shortly after […]
Walking Day 5: 22 kilometers 30,542 steps We were expecting rain as we left in the cold 5 degree (41 Fahrenheit) morning from the old town on Puente la Reina on our way to Estella. We are happy for the third day in a row that the rain eluded us. Last year on this very stage, while walking with my friends Philippe and Marie-Pierre from Paris, 45-minutes from Estella the skies opened and it rained […]
James the Intrepid Pilgrim 