Day 13- Burgos to Hontanas

We traveled from Burgos to Hontanas today…our longest day so far at 31 kms or 19.25 miles. We have entered the Meseta which is a long and relatively flat plateau.

The Meseta is about 180 km long and is reported to be dull and boring . As you will see from the pictures it is a rolling hill landscape of basically grain fields so far. I can see why people may say it is boring but there are still portions that create great contrasts and good pictures!

We left early this morning and it was a bit chilly so we started in long pants and jacketed . By early afternoon the sun warmed us up but the winds kept us from over heating.

We met several new friends today and also some that we haven’t seen in quite awhile. In fact 1 gentlemen we haven’t seen since day 2 appeared today and it was great to catch up and hear about his journey!

On the physical front, not so good. My knee held up for the first 7 miles but after that it became a bit of an issue. As it was clear that the weight of a pack was aggravating things, at 15 kms CJ switched packs with me and as his is lighter that did help. We also began a more regimented system of rest periods . So I was able to make it the day 19 miles but there were periods where that was in jeopardy.

Our new strategy is two fold. First , there is a service that will transfer your pack to your next location so that you only need to travel with what you need for that day so I will send my pack forward and will carry very little. If that helps the knee than we are good to go.

If that doesn’t work then I will leave the trail and go forward to the next large city and rest the knee while CJ continues to walk the Camino and we will connect when he reaches that city. We will than try to continue together from there. If that doesn’t work then I may be faced with the decision to suspend my Camino and travel home.

I will tell you that these plans and decisions are excruciatingly hard to work thru. Despite the knee , my experience has been and continues to be one of the most profound experiences in my life. To not walk into Santiago with CJ at my side is just to hard for me to accept so will do everything in my power to not have to leave the Camino without having finished. We have a long way to go and I am hopeful that I can modify my routine to allow my knee to propel me to the finish line! Some pain is ok, long term damage I will avoid…in the end I am hopeful that the Camino will provide!Read more