Day 15: Belorado to San Juan de Ortega

Mileage: 16 miles
Elevation gain: 1,709 feet
Elevation loss: 879 feet
Weather: cool and cloudy. Perfect for a lot of uphill!
Total mileage: 166.5

We awoke to a mostly empty dormitory - Angela said the others arose at 5, although I didn’t hear them. Some impressive snoring, though! Then we found that none of the nearby cafes or bakeries were open, so we had to walk a while to get our coffees, etc. We did find sustenance eventually, of course, including some much-needed smoothies.

So much uphill today! It was a tough one, and I was very happy to finally see the tiny village of San Juan. We’re on upper bunks (I guess you have to get up at 5 for a lower bunk!) in a monastery-turned town albergue with many other people tonight. Hope to get some good sleep because tomorrow will also be long.Read more