Day 14
Temps in this area of Spain were forecasted to hit 102F / about 39C in the afternoon today. I knew I wanted to be out of the sun by noon. So, I did the math – 8 hours of projected walk time had me up and out by 4 AM. I was so grateful for the room to myself. I was about to pack and repack at my leisure last night and, this morning, flip the room light on at 4 without waking anyone else up.
The morning air was cool and crisp. Still no moonlight so the stars took over the morning sky. I stopped several times to look up and breathe in the beauty. The Milky Way runs above the Camino trail and used to be what pilgrims would use as a guide. And, this morning – there was a meteor shower!
About 4 km on or so, a pilgrim with a bright headlamp passed me just prior to us arriving at this massive gothic church ruin. Once a hub of church life activity, it’s now the home of a few feral cats. And yes, I did leave them treats.
After looking at the map and timing for the day – my hope was to arrive at the Alto de Mostelares by sunrise. This hill seems to be a gratuitous blip in the terrain – ascending 100 meters up at a 12% pitch – then down at 18% on the other side. But, the timing was perfect.
The entire day on the Meseta was mostly dry, flat, shadeless fields followed by more dry, flat shadeless fields. On and on they went.
Leaving early meant nothing was open on a Saturday morning for hours. My first coffee stop happened after 5 hours of walking. In this heat my appetite isn’t great. I did manage a croissant.
From that point it was only another 8 k…of dry, flat, shadeless fields. At one field the farmer had set up sprinklers and I enjoyed getting misted.
In older villages in Spain the churches were given a place of prominence. The steeple at Bonilla was visible for a couple km off and was a welcome indicator to the end of the stage.
When I got there I was shocked to see the storks’ nest occupied! Apparently they’ve made it into their summer villa.
I walked into town just prior to noon. Was able to get a bottom bunk in the albergue. And the host offered washing machine service for 3€. I hung everything on the line afterwards and it was dry to the point of being crispy within the hour.
We’ve been cheering fellow pilgrims on as they walk in – just glad everyone is safely out of the heat. There’s an outdoor pool here – perfect for chilling off aching feet.
Pilgrim’s dinner tonight.
More later..,
If you’d like more information about my walk for charity:water, please follow this link. Thank you!
https://www.charitywater.org/marilyn-peterson/marilyn-s-camino-for-water