The DESCENTS — Are You Kidding Me?

After visiting Cruz de Ferro, we knew we would have two major descents. Most people going on the Camino are very aware of the Pyrenees' descent from Orrison to Roncesvalles. It is a very steep descent. But few talk about the descent from Foncebadón to Molinaseca. It is a little over 8Km to climb up to Cruz de Ferro. This is also the highest elevation on the Camino! From there we had 22 km downhill. But each descent took between 2.5 - 3 hours each. After the first descent which was crazy, dangerous, and exhausting, we stopped, rested, and had lunch. Then the second half of the downhill was treacherous. Boulders to climb over, shale rock to navigate, harsh passages with very little pathway. I heard the day we descended several people fell. While I have thought about it many times on my Camino, it is the first time I screamed as loud as I could, “I can’t do this!!”
But I did do it!
I was too concerned about my safety to snap a few pictures of the wicked terrain. By the end of the day, we hiked over 30 km, I was physically and mentally exhausted.
But I made it!
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