The Last Climb

Molinaseca to Samos

We stayed up late on our layover in Molinaseca. Had dinner like spaniards at nine o'clock, three bottles of wine. 😜 We were celebrating being alive after that hell of a trail coming down from Foncededon. Ha.

I didn't walk into Ponferrada last time, so this was a new stretch for me. We are definitely leaving the meseta now and can see the mountains. It's beautiful and makes me think of Washington.

Going into Ponferrada was a short walking day. Planned that way so we could tour the castle and recover a little bit. A late afternoon thunderstorm cooled the day off.

The days are becoming a blur. Even when you try to pay attention and be in the moment, your thoughts go a thousand different directions while we are walking. And then when we think back over the day, or over the day before, we can't remember where we were!

From Ponferrada, we walked to Villafranca, a lovely village with a river flowing through the center. We'd spent a couple rest days there last time in an albergue just across the street from the river. We popped in on our way out of town to show the others the huge boulder it was built around. Discovered they'd framed the postcards I'd given them. Sweet!

From Villafranca on to Las Herrerias, then up to O'Cebreiro and down into a very small town that smells like a barnyard. Just before we reached O'Cebreiro, we officially entered the region of Galecia. I think it's my favorite as it reminds me of home.

Today we walked to Samos - tomorrow Sarria. The last 100 km before Santiago. That's the town I had to stop walking from last Camino, I'm looking forward to seeing new vistas.

We've met some great people since Burgos and though we're not walking with them, we keep running into them on the trail or various towns. Some of them will be in Santiago the same days as we are so we'll be able to celebrate our arrival together. Six days to go!Read more