Day 38: Liñares to Triacastela

Mileage: 12 miles
Elevation gain: 915 feet
Elevation loss: 2,771 feet
Weather: 50s and in morning; sunny and maybe 70s in afternoon
Total mileage: 445.75 miles
2025 mileage: 49.25 miles

Another day of beautiful mountain scenery. Lots of downhill - my knees were happy to finish the day.

I couldn’t believe how chilly it was this morning! The only jacket I brought is my rain jacket but it did a nice job of keeping me warm. I didn’t take it off until 12:30!

This stage was the one I had to quit in 2023. I remembered clearly today how very difficult the ascents were that day (and where I stopped to use the bathroom!). I’ve actually been kind of emotional today, thinking about how sick I was and how sad I was to have to stop walking. My hotel tonight is across the street from the bus stop where I caught the bus to Sarria. I don’t think I cried that day (too busy pooping, I guess) but I did today. I’m so very grateful to have the opportunity to come back and pick this back up.

Lunch was better than usual today. The salads here are generally not that great but the bar where I stopped had one with dates, dried figs, apples, cashews, etc. I was very happy to eat it! Dessert was delicious, too. I’ll put it in the pics.

The old architecture here is really interesting - like those pallozas in O Cebreiro but with slate roofs instead of thatch. Lots of jaunty rooflines and rounded corners. The stonework is amazing to me. I don’t suppose you could build something like that now.

The bad news: I did indeed get attacked by bed bugs. Not sure which night, since the bites don’t make themselves known for 24-48 hours. Those bites on my ankles were just the harbinger of things to come - the rest blew up at about 2am. I counted 93 bites this morning. They’re on my face, fingers, feet and everywhere in between. I tend to react pretty strongly to bug bites and these have turned into welts, some 3” across. It isn’t pretty. I had brought a small amount of hydrocortisone cream and used that last night. I also have a natural healing stick (beeswax, coconut oil, lavender oil, etc.) that has been helpful. I went to the pharmacy here today and bought more hydrocortisone cream and tea tree oil. Then I went and washed and dried every single thing I’m carrying and wearing, including the backpack. Please cross your fingers for no more bites and no more bugs. It’s not ideal (and I look a fright!) but it is ever so much better than being too sick to continue walking!

Tomorrow is a relatively easy day into Sarria, where I will celebrate not being super sick in an ugly hotel like I was two years ago. Even better - my friend Angela will meet me there to walk the rest of the way with me!Читать далее