Day 12 Belorado to Atapuerca Village

Belorado to Tosantos to Villafeanca Montes de Oca to St Juan de Ortega to Ages to Atapuerca Village. 19 miles. Today was a great day - I slept great, the weather was cool but sunny and the walking paths and towns were pretty. The route was very challenging in spots - we crossed the Oca Mountains - but we went through a lot of forest. The Ocas were challenging not so much because of overall height, but because it was a series of steep ups and downs. You crest one ascent and see 4 more ahead of you.

Places were open,, we had a lot of miles, and one 11 mile stretch between towns, so I ate all the food today, starting with an actual and plentiful breakfast cooked by my hostel owner. We are learning that you need to eat big and often when you do these kind of cumulative miles. So if a town was open, we ate. Luckily, it was really good food on the way.

Walked with an Australian man who was a great photographer - he saw things in ways I wouldn’t like how a church bell made a cool shadow on a wall or looking at a bridge from a crouch shows the arches better. Still not carrying a DSLR and 4 lenses though.

Felt really strong the whole 19 miles. My hostel was rather rustic, the village is itty bitty snd it was raining all evening, so pretty much just showered, laundered, ate a crappy bar pizza, and crashed. But I had curtains on my bunk so it was fun to just close yourself off from the other 12 people right next to you.Read more