Entering inner earth or so it felt like it

Once I went down the steep path to the woods it was relatively flat and smooth (for a bit)

Then became a path of large boulders up an incline

They were very slippery due to morning rain and you had to rely on your trekking poles to not fall

Man who set up shop in the woods offering fruit, water, etc for donation . He was so happy

Memorial to man who recently passed but loved walking the Camino with his dog

Day 27 - Rocky roads

May 2 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 54 °F

"Be grateful for the journey of life, with all its twist and turns, detours, and diversions. We often learn much from the rocky road than from the smooth path." —-unknown

Today I went from Pontesampaio to Pontevedra. A little rain in the beginning but it cleared and didn’t rain again until I reached my hostel.

The path today was mainly in the woods. At one point the path entering the woods was a steep decline, as if you were journeying to inner earth. I don’t believe the photo adequately captured it.

And the walk on the woods was no ‘walk in the park’ so to speak. There were long stretches of paths that were made of boulders and the recent rain made walking on them very slippery and treacherous. Then there was the mud; lots of mud. Thank goodness for trekking poles; they saved me more than once from falling or twisting an ankle. Add to that the numerous cyclists who didn’t announce themselves and would whiz by. Portions of the path were very crowed with large groups of 15+ people. When I encounter them, I hang back and let them get far enough ahead that I can enjoy my solitude again.

While on the wooded path I ran into Alex from Denmark who Arlene and I had met at an Aubergue very early on the Lisbon to Porto portion. He is veering off to go on the Spiritual path at Pontevedra, so maybe he will run into Arlene and family

In the middle of the woods a gentleman had set up shop offering fresh fruit, water, snacks, and a place to rest for a donation. He was a happy bloke who spoke very little English, but his smile was contagious

Once I arrived Pontevedra, as I was walking to the area for my hostel, I thought I heard someone yelling my name and then felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Sarah and Nick from the UK who I had shared an Aubergue 2 nights ago (Breaking Bread). Nick is the Scott who identifies as a Britt because he has been there so long. I ended up having an early dinner with them and, as usual, the conversation was lively. We finally took a selfie since we forgot to the other nite

The hostel tonight is quite large with a mix of people. Tomorrow I head to A Portelo - Barro. The place where I will rest my head has been described as a ‘true pilgrim’ experience which means bare bones. However, the host is cooking a pilgrim meal for a donation. Looking forward to checking it out.Read more