Camino Norte, Day 23 => Gijon

Hard day with 18 miles over a steep mountain to Gijon with 2750’ ascent / 2700’ descent. Not as bad as we feared if you look at the ascent profile but definitely 20-40% grades for many sections of the mountain climb.

Perfect fall day. Crispy 48F at dawn followed by a mostly sunny day up to 62F. The pictures can’t relate the experience of the smell of wood smoke from the country farmhouses we passed over the mountain. We found a tiny chapel at the base before the ascent. Needed that. And it just added to the surreal experience. It was for sure Type 2 fun today, but so worth it.

Tomorrow - Recovery day. And we’ll do laundry for the first time in almost a month! Wearing the same three things over and over and trying to wash in a sink doesn’t leave your clothes smelling fresh and clean after a while. 😩

Gijon is a relatively big city. We found a really nice Indian restaurant. We really like “mountain food” (hearty stews,
White bean soups, etc) but sometimes we just want a change from the same local cuisine.Læs mere