25km down, 780 to go. Start of day 2.

May 20, 2016

Garry: Up at 0600. On the road at 0700. 25km down, 780 to go.


Stopped at breakfast 3.2km in. Burguete. 776.8km to go. Waiting for mom in WC.

In Burgette

Church in Burgette

The Mercado is open @0800. Not shopping yet.

Church in Espinal

WC stop in Espinal. Today is actually 22.3km (13.9 miles) 15.5km to go. Mom has sore knee/muscle going very slow down steps or sttep grades. We dropped 500 meters during last 8km yesterday on a rough trail. Worst part of trail.

The way out of Espinal

Easy stream crossing

Tougher stream crossing

That's a lot of wood

End of Day 2: The pilgrim adviser in St. Jean led us astray. Told mom the mountain route was the way and exactly the same as the valley route despite the fact I had an elevation chart showing one went 1000 meters up then 500 fast brutal meters down. The decent injured mom at least to the extent that she creeps down steps and hills.

Today was supposed to be easy, 13.9 miles mostly level. It wasn't bad but there were 3-4 challenging hills. The descents were very steep. Mom had a very rough time. It was supposed to take us 5-6 hours but it took us over 7. Then an hour for me to find an alberque that still had beds. We are enjoying alone time now with mom resting and I am quaffing cervezas.

Everywhere you go they serve vino. Have to catch up on cerveza. Estrella Galicia.

Tomorrow should be easier than today. 13.1 miles flat to Pamplona. We are going to take an extra day in Pamplona to tour, rest, wash clothes, etc. We are going to go through our stuff and throw some things away like the deck of cards, book and other junk we might have packed. Mom doesn't think she really needs 7 shirts and might mail 5 home with some other stuff. Most of the junk mom brought is in my pack and I wouldn't mind lightening it but no big deal.

We are in Zubiri tonight as scheduled. We planned on 31 days hiking with 4 rest days but could take a few (5-7) and still get home in time. It takes about 4 days to harden to the trails but a rest and some ice should help her.

Gerandain

The way

The way

Peregrine mass at monastery last night

Staying at another alberque. Paid premium as most were full. Each have bed, no bunks for 18 euros each

Besides being the area of the Basques, known to the early pilgrims as wild and crazy and dangerous, Hemingway frequented this area staying in Burgette and describing it in 'The Sun Also Rises'. Tomorrow in Pamplona there are not going to be any bulls running down the street but lots of Hemingway stuff if one were interested, not.

This is our alberque for tonight. Pretty upscale. In this part of the trip, showers & WCs are coed like the rooms but private with closed doors. I hear it's not so private in Galicia near the end of the journey. I waited till most were asleep before I used the WC as a courtesy to the others pilgrims. Mom had me cover my shoes but ended up taking them downstairs to the boot drop point for the good of everyone, myself included. 5' 10" seems to be ample distance away in the open air but not so good with a cot two feet off the floor

We went the Farmicia. They gave mom some miracle gel for her leg. Doesn't matter if bone, muscle or connective tissue it will work especially with rest. It didn't do much for my high ankle pain. That is from my training run last weekend. Hurts but doesn't affect my walking at all. What does hurt is the backpack strap directly over my implanted bionic energy pack