Day VI: Tui -> Mos; 13.2mi.

🛏:

Here is something wild: it is day six and we passed the 100km until Santiago milestone today. The last time I passed a sign like this was after weeks of walking.

This time around, I haven’t even walked each day of the week, I just did my first load of laundry (that part wasn’t by choice .. I should be on my second load by now), the blister on my left foot hasn’t toughened up yet and I just finished re-familiarizing myself with kilometers.

It’s strange. But another difference is that last time I passed this sign I panicked, despite the longer trip, I wasn’t ready to go home; home didn’t feel like home those days and my social anxiety was through the roof. I felt safer here.

Today, I find myself eager for the remainder of my time here, but also acceptant of the fact that this trip will come to an end and it will be okay.

Life has thrown some giant curveballs my way lately and I’ve tried to dodge and dive and scramble to catch as many as I could, but it got messy and confusing and muddled. I stood there and juggled with everything I had caught for awhile before realizing I can’t actually juggle (or snap, or whistle, while we’re at it) and life doesn’t have to look like this.

I made some decisions and walked away from some things and I will be returning to a life I am proud of, at peace with and excited for. And because of that and so many other things, home isn’t something on the horizon that I’m dreading this time. Not to mention, I’m excited to see that weird dog of mine, get a glimpse of home in the autumn and piece together the mountain adventures I’ll conjure up this winter (I really miss those things, 🏔).

I digress, I’m still here and I’m loving every moment. The people, the food, the sights (I do miss the coast and am already brainstorming ways to get back to it during my final days abroad, stay tuned, ✌🏽).

This morning, we woke up at the same time we always do and it was dark and I was extra groggy thanks to that sneaky little time change we encountered yesterday.

We enjoyed breakfast at our albergue — I only ate an RX Bar I found buried in my pack because my stomach is still trying to catch up with the past several days, but I enjoyed everyone’s company — before beginning the day.

Today was rainy. The first real rain day of the trip and it didn’t hold back. Throw in the * shortcut we took through a multiple mile long industrial park.

*This wasn’t a shortcut, it is the actual camino but a more scenic detour has been built around it. We chose the shorter industrial route because of the wet weather.

Despite the lack of glamour we kept a good pace and made it back to more scenic roads, and then our albergue by 2pm (the earliest we’ve arrived at our home for the night).

We checked into our simple but cheap (6€) albergue without issue before walking across the street to a cafe. There, the sun came out and my friend and I split a pitcher of sangria and a piece of cheese cake, looked at our maps for tomorrow and it felt kind of like a normal-person vacation for a minute (besides the planning the multiple miles we’ll walk tomorrow, our odor, the ache in my back and hip, the raw spots on my back from my pack and the oozing blister on my left foot, of course. But as my grandpa used to say, “it comes with the territory.”)

I’m thankful for this journey.

🎒:

I snapped this crappy photo with the light of my headlamp while I cleaned up my room the other morning. Last camino, all I took was a thin sleeping bag liner, assuming it would be enough. It served its purpose in providing a layer between me and some nasty mattresses, but there were three nights where I was incredibly cold and those three nights were enough to make me opt to add the bulk & weight of a sleeping bag this time around. To this point, there hasn’t really been a night I’ve needed it for warmth purposes and the night pictured is the only night sheets weren’t provided at our lodging. Oh well.

I got this particular sleeping bag from a man from Seattle two days before the end of my last camino. He gifted it to me because he no longer wanted to carry it, and I figured two days of carrying it was worth a free sleeping bag.

Also pictured is my lacrosse ball. I use it nightly to roll out sore muscles (particular my notorious hip and back). And with the aid of it and my electrolytes, my legs are still working.

🎶:

This album was another staple for me last time around. I think Alison Krauss is my spirit animal and the rain made for a perfect day to distract myself with old favorites.

“People who love me ask me: when are you coming home? And I answer, quite frankly, when they stop building roads.”