Mansilla de las Mulas

Today started out with a beautiful sunrise, a perfect cafe breakfast stop, where I had the best French toast and Alan was gushing over his eggs with bacon. Then...as we kept walking we saw the sky get scary dark ahead. The forecast had called for afternoon thunderstorms, so we figured we would be done with our 16 miles by then. The storm had other plans. It literally “stormed” in on us quickly. Flashes of lightning were ahead and the thunder was rumbling. We threw on our pack covers, rain jackets, and rain skirt things just before the skies opened up.

It’s not a good feeling to be walking along a flat plain (almost the tallest thing around) with trekking poles with lightning striking around you. We were being pelted with rain and hail then saw a small covered area where other hikers had taken shelter. I literally ran there with Alan right behind. We were so thankful to be under something. We found out later that our friends had to duck down in a ditch trying to get lower. 😳

A man in a car stopped and offered to take a few of us into town, so Paku (who was soaked and freezing without a coat) and two others did that. A very kind Italian man gave a warm fleece to a soaking wet and shivering Korean young man. The rest of us waited out the worst, and then we hiked 3 miles SO fast to get to the next town. We stopped in a cafe and had some coffee and hot chocolate to warm up then speed walked another 3 1/2 miles into Mansilla de las Mulas to our albergue.

Our clothes are washed and dried, our shoes are stuffed with newspaper, and now it’s time to eat. Tomorrow - Leon 🙂Read more