Crispy and Cruising

There was no better day to get an early start than today. Thus far, it has been overcast and cool most mornings with an occasional change over to sun later in the day.  However, today we met the full wrath of Spain's summer sun.  It was not pretty.

After a 6:00 a.m start with fresh legs that found us covering 13 km before our breakfast break, the wilting began.  Today's walk, however, began with lots of urban fun and a. It's backdrop.

The first three hours of our day were a change in scenery.  Once we left the outskirts of Longrono, we found ourselves in a park with a lake, walking on a recreation path. We spent a few minutes watching a family of swans with new babies, paused at a pilgrim stop for a passport stamp and some fruit, and then we headed up, up. up on dirt trails through vineyards and fruit trees.  We picked small unidentified fruit (yellow, looking like cherries, but tasting like nectarines) and snacked on them along the way.

At a highpoint, running alongside the highway, we found a wall of crosses made from sticks and bark  inserted into the fence.  Nolan added one of his own, and we continued on to the pilgrim town of Navarette.  As usual, it was a ridiculously steep climb into the town, followed by a set of steep stairs to the cobblestone street above.  We plopped ourselves down at the first available table at the first visible cafe and took stock. We were all still walking and very hungry.  We cleared the bakery of all available croissants and donuts and enjoyed a few minutes in the shade.  Brianna and Nolan set off ahead, while  Foster performed some minor blister surgery on his pinky toe.  After a morning of weighing whether a lanced blister would be more painful than an unlanced one, he took to the scissors, moleskin and duct tape with a vengeance.  After the initial pain, it seems to have been a good choice.  I just made sure to keep my distance for the next couple of hours so he could limp along and do all of his complaining to the wind.

The sun suffering began in this next stretch of our walk.  We hobbled through parched vineyards just clicking off the distance until we would find our lunch town, Ventosa.  The Camino does not actually pass through Ventosa - just past it - so there was very little motivation to dig too far into the town when there was a bar at the bottom of the hill, directly in front of the path, with shaded tables and WiFi.  It took us less than a second to decide to sit down there.  

We'd had a hint at the suffering that lay ahead for the afternoon, and none of us were too motivated to get started again. We all have different aches and pains that plague us from day to day.  Whether it's blisters, bones, muscles, throbbing feet, or sore shoulders and backs from our packs, there is always some kind of pain to overcome. I keep telling the kids that as long as it's something different everyday, that's a good sign. They love it when I tell them that pilgrims are supposed to suffer - it's just part of the deal - then I offer to let them flog themselves instead. This usually results in eye-rolling and guaranteed silence for a little while. 

We eventually pried ourselves from our cool chairs and told ourselves that it would be a short 11 km to our final destination for the day, Najera.  There were a few landmarks to look for along the way, that would divide the distance up into manageable chunks and keep us focused on small goals.  This is when the guidebook failed us at the worst possible time.  We were intent on finding a bee hive shaped stone hut that was supposed to be 2.6 km into the next stretch. We walked and walked and walked, and no stone hut appeared. We walked for over an hour - spread out - everyone in his/her own grumpy little hiking world.  The vineyards shimmered in the heat.  There was no shade to be found anywhere.  I started thinking that someone had kicked over the stone hut, because there was no way we had not walked 2.6 km in an hour and fifteen minutes. Then it appeared, and I didn't know whether to be happy or frustrated.  I found Brianna inside - flushed and grumpy.  The boys (well ahead) were no where to be found.  We enjoyed the shade and the messages on the rocks, and we cast wary eyes on the hideous mattresses leaning up against the wall.  By this point, our feet had started the late-afternoon throb, and we were in the mindset that says stopping may be more difficult than just continuing, because stopping might mean that we never get started again. 

We passed a tempting little stream, but we were afraid to take off our shoes for fear that our feet would never fit back in once they were freed. It was a mind-numbing battle with the heat to finally make it to the outskirts of Najera.  And, then, it was another couple of kilometers to find our way to the hostel.

Tonight it's a basic hostel with about 98 beds in the room.  It promises to be another loud night of snoring and snuffling. The heat and the hike did us all in, and we hobbled to our bunks and fell asleep. Once the kids gradually woke up, one by one, and discovered that there is no WiFi here, the real crabbiness set in.  It promises to be an earlier night than usual, since no one will be connected to their social circles back home. It's the perfect night for a forced disconnect given the state of our legs and our attitudes.  Tomorrow is another day.  I anticipate there may be mutiny when it comes time to wake up.  My only savior may be that WiFi thing.  The earlier we get on the trail, the earlier we will reach our first stop, which holds the potential for that connection.  The heat of the day and the aching muscles pale in comparison to the pain and suffering caused by a night without the Internet. Pilgrims indeed.