Hard Day and the Cruz de Ferro

Wynette: Today, Sunday, May 5, we started out in Rabanal at elevation 1150 meters, went up to the Cruz de Ferro at 1505 meters, went down again to 1400 meters then back up to 1500 meters then straight back down again to 1100 meters. The final descent was extremely rocky and rutty and steep. We were tired when we got to Acebo. Only about 11 miles but it felt like one of our hardest days.

It was great to see the Cruz de Ferro. In The Way this is where they left the rocks and read a prayer. It was moving to be there though maybe not as dramatic as the movie. It feels like an important milestone and I got a little teary-eyed. The Cruz is the highest point on the Camino. People bring something to leave. We left some stones we brought from home. In Following the Milky Way, by Elyn Aviva, I read that in pre-Christian times in order to placate the gods travelers put a rock in the pile at this mountain alto. Pilgrims continued the tradition and I assume at some point added the wooden pole with the iron cross.

Today we finished crossing the mountain range we started up yesterday. We passed snowcapped peaks a few miles away. Looked down on deep green valleys. Saw lots of heather blooming and several small herds of contented cows. Heard a cuckoo cuckooing his (her?) heart out.

Now we are tucked into a cozy casa rural for the night. (They have muesli for breakfast!) Tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy so we are going to sleep as late as we want since we don’t have to get up early to beat the heat.

PS. Before we left, we read Elyn Aviva’s book about her pilgrimage here 30 years ago. Interesting to read about what the camino was like then. It was not nearly as well-marked and much harder to find food and a bed and a warm shower at the end of the day. Last night we slept on comfortable new mattresses, she often slept on cold cement floors. I’ve been rereading her book as we go (via Kindle), staying just ahead of where we are hiking. She says a lot about the history of places we go through as well.