Why is it that I can have the best night of sleep ever, the day before then toss and turn the following night? I just don’t get it. I was pooped when my 6 o’clock alarm went off. Dang it, can I reset and go back to sleep? Unfortunately for me, that’s not an option. So get dressed, pack up, eat some fruit and yogurt, the only good part of the morning and find espresso. Fast!

Once outside, I did feel better. The birds were singing as loud as ever and within ten minutes, I was ordering a double Cortado. Thank goodness for Spain and their Barista’s. No questions asked and caffeine in my veins. This will make up for the lackluster sleep.

We already started to see the usual suspects. The Canadians and his Jansport Pack. Our friends from Florida, Matt & Norman. And the rest of the gang. Even our Israelis friends passed by. We’ll catch up with them later.

We downed our coffee, and off we went with the masses. The trail is littered with new bodies, new pilgrims and sparkling new shoes! You can spot them out quite easily. They smell really good to start with and they have looks of complete confidence, until they miss their first turn! It was fun walking with some new blood.

The route today was a hefty uphill climb with a plateau at the top that seemed to roll on for miles. The day was cool, refreshing and a tiny threat of rain. All the newbies, who had packs on, maybe 25% were carrying their worldly possessions, had pack overs donned. The rest of us, come what may! No need to worry about minor inconveniences like a little precipitation.

We caught up with Mark & Jay pretty quickly. Mark is still walking really slow as his ankle hasn’t healed. But he’s still walking. Jay has slowed down tremendously, keeping Mark company. We all talked for a bit, then I bolted off. I was talking with a new family from Iowa. They were walking the 100 miles to Santiago with their daughter who just finished college. What a great bonding experience for the three of them! We talked for awhile, then I slowed and waited for my other half.

Once we made it to our first town outside of Sarria, we stopped and grabbed, you guessed it, more coffee. I scored a couple of bananas and two almond cookies to go along with it. We talked with another young couple from Pamplona. They were doing a short section before going back home to work. I think that’s the biggest reason you see Pilgrims jumping on towards the end point. Time restrictions. Especially the younger ones. They all have jobs, families and are not retired like us older folks.

George and I pointed the new pilgrims in the right direction as they started down the road going the wrong way! Oh, how I remember those first days on the trail. We followed right afterwards, but never saw them again. Fast, young and fresh legs. The terrain was mostly cow paths. There’s so much cattle in Galicia and evidently along with the cows, dogs know their way around. We’ve seen several dogs this morning going for morning strolls without their owners. None of the dogs looked lost and they all seemed to be eating well, yet they just liked walking. Maybe they are Pilgrim Dogs?

The big highlight of the day was hitting the 100 KM marker. It’s what everyone was talking about. We passed through the village, which really wasn’t a village at all, but just a cafe in Mirallos. They had their pilgrim stamp outside. We got our passport stamped and started looking for the infamous marker. Around the bend, down the hill, then up the hill. We finally saw it. The Holy Grail. Only 100 kilometers to go!

There was an Asian family, Mom, Dad and the three really young kids. We offered to take their picture which was like herding cats. The twins were probably three years old and the older sister maybe 5. The kids weren’t sure who they should stand next to, or if they should pick whatever part needed picking! Finally, I took the picture. Actually 3-4 pictures so they might get one that will be worthy of a Christmas Card.

George and I got down on our knees, which is a feat in itself. But never as hard as getting back up with a backpack on! Picture taken, and we walked on. Now we can chalk that obligatory pic off our list and keep trucking towards Santiago.

The rest of the day was mostly downhill. I was getting hungry and we stopped at Mercadoiro for lunch. George had a Burger and Fries and I had my Goat Cheese Salad. Ends up that Spain is obligated to offer non-alcoholic beer whenever they serve beer. One of the Pilgrims from Brazil told me about this. I ordered a Tostado Beer without alcohol. It wasn’t too bad. The flavor was descent but I must admit, I like the real stuff better.

We sat with our Israelis friends and got caught up on the latest news that four of the hostages were released! I guess released isn’t the right wording because they were actually rescued. Thank goodness. And I know that was a huge praise from them. As we were eating, a stray cow went walking down the trail we just came off. About five minutes later, an entire herd came running by. Only in Spain do cows walk on the same trail that us Pilgrims do.

Oh and then there was the Shepards. Husband and wife were attempting to move their sheep from one pasture to the other. The ground was really uneven and the Man Shepard lost his stepping and down he went. Three gals and George went over to help him up. Poor guy smacked his face and bloodied up his nose. They brought a chair over, sat him down as the wife Shepard kept on doing what she was doing. Either this happens regularly or she just needed to get her sheep moving to the next pasture. By the time we were done, the sheep, and the Shepards were where they were supposed to be, the cows were inside their pens and George and I had quite an entertaining lunch!

Our last 3-4 miles was easy peasy, sort of. As we headed down, I slipped on some loose gravel and bam, I went down. Dang it Kelly! You were doing so good for almost 400 miles! Nothing broke, twisted or got too out of whack, just a minor flesh wound. I pulled out my First Aid Kit which has had little impact this trip, besides the meds for George’s flu and stomach bug. It’s like insurance. You have to buy it or bring it, but you hope you never need it. All wrapped up and off to finish the race.

Our final steps to town literally were steps to town. We crossed the bridge over Ponte Nova, and there was a pretty steep staircase leading up to who knows where. George says, that can’t be the way? After all this and now we have to climb stairs? Oh, but wait. Once we check into our Apartment, we’ll do it all over again. Only four more days and this will all be, a distant memory. And then, I betcha, we’ll be missing this! Well, maybe not the stairs!

We arrived in town, checked into our super fancy Apartment and crashed. It wasn’t that it was a difficult day, but I think it’s the culmination of a month of non-stop pilgrimage. I am so grateful for the incredible places that we’ve stayed at, every night of the week. When I first planned this walk, I wasn’t too keen about booking a room each and every night of this journey. But now that it’s coming to an end, I can say I am so thankful that I did. It is a gift that we always have a bed to lay our weary bodies atop. Thank you Lord for providing your perfect guidance and for blessing me in more ways than I could’ve ever imagined. I can always rely on your wisdom and direction. You are perfect in every way.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17