Oct 3
I woke up about 7:20 and saw that it was still pitch black outside. I slowly got myself up, dressed and packed and when I looked outside again at 8 o’clock it was still very dark. And then noticed that it was foggy outside, and that was keeping the sun, which was now starting to rise, from showing through.
I started my walk at 8:30 and had about 2.5 km to intercept the Camino. Once on the trail, it took me another kilometer before I started encountering any pilgrims. I was beginning to wonder if I was way behind or way ahead of the pack. And then suddenly around the bend I could see lots and lots of pilgrims.
At the 5 km mark, I found a little roadside snack bar and stopped in for a coffee and breakfast. I was soon joined by a woman named Suzanne from Massachusetts and we began chatting. As we were comparing people we met along the trail, I learned that Cristi, the woman with a severe sunburn from my second day, was still moving forward and had stayed in an alberge with Suzanne just a couple nights prior. I was so happy to hear that, as she was so miserable after that second day. I feared she might have given up.
The next couple of kilometers followed a two-lane highway that was lightly traveled with a wide pedestrian walkway. The road traveled through forest that looked more native than any had seen so far, with a mixture of oak, pine and a few eucalyptus with an undercover of ferns.
The trail eventually veered away from the road. About half of today’s distance was on a packed dirt/gravel mix that was far more comfortable than cobblestone.
There are so many people on the trail now that we’re at the last starting point. I chatted with dozens of folks today – most American – and added people from Montana, Michigan, Florida and Indiana to my bingo card. I had a friendly chat with the three Hoosiers about next week’s top ten matchup when Indiana comes to Autzen Stadium.
My leg felt okay for about the first 20 kilometers today. Unfortunately, I went 26 and the last few were a trial. The option of hopping on a bus and skipping a few stages looms large in my mind. We’ll see how I feel in the morning.
I’m staying in my first true Municipal Alberge tonight. It’s run by the city of Mos. There are 34 beds, but it’s broken down into smaller rooms. I’m in a room with one single bed and a bunk bed. I wasn’t early enough to grab the single, but I do have the lower bunk.
This Alberge is a veritable united nations. So far, I’ve only encountered one other English speaker. My roommate, Michelangelo, is from Spain and speaks about as much English as I do Spanish.
