Camino Day 31: Foncebadon to Ponferrada

Date: May 1st, 2022

Distance: 27km/16.8 miles

Time: 9 1/2 hours (6:30am-4:00pm)

Today was our earliest start yet. Alarms went off at 6am, and we were off in the dark at 6:30am so that we could be at Cruz de Ferro for sunrise. Pink pre-sunrise streaks lit up the sky as we climbed up to Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross), the highest point on the Camino.

Cruz de Ferro is a special and touching place, as pilgrims leave behind small stones or sacred knickkacks they have carried from home. Its a symbolic place to leave behind your burdens. I left a small stone that I had collected last summer at the beach on Beaver Island, Michigan. Pretty cool to know that there’s now a stone from my Aunt and Uncle’s Beaver Island home on this Camino peak, surrounded by millions of other stones carried by pilgrims from all over the world.

We were quiet and pensive as we laid our stones and burdens to rest. Some of my friends left photos of family members who had passed. Playing small- in my career, relationships- was something that came to mind that I was ready to leave behind. I’m grateful that the Camino is helping me to dream big and be unapologetic about what I want out of this life. And how to have fun doing it.

We found a grassy picnic area right next to cross. I sat cross legged on top of a picnic table and watched the golden orange sun rise over the hill. It was spectacular. As I closed my eyes, I could hear Tash yelling, For fuck sake! I’m such a fucking idiot! As she tried to set up a time lapse on her camera. Leave it to the Australian to create a peaceful sunrise soundstrack. It made me laugh, and it somehow made the moment even more perfect. (Haha, love you Tash!)

In terms of scenery, this day takes the Camino cake. It was absolutely gorgeous. Luscious green, rolling hills. Flowers- heather, lavender, poppies, and more- bursting into bloom. Each peak breathtaking. After the long, flat maseta, these hills were welcomed. Today actually felt like a hike… rocky uphills and downhills. It was technical and required concentration.

That’s me in the photo below! I got to do one of my favorite things today, which was sprinting down the mountainside. Picking up speed. Trusting yourself. Trusting your footing. Making fast decisions. Recorrecting when you roll on a loose rock. Exhilarating.

Frances and I ran all the way down the last hill to a beautiful little breakfast spot, where we had coffee, empanadas, and tarta de Santiago. The others joined, and we popped and bandaged our blisters at the table.

My blisters were killing me after breakfast. I added another sock layer and focused on my footing on this rocky terrain. It felt a lot like a Colorado summer hike! After 19km, we arrived to Molinaseca, where we were delighted with the Roman bridge and river. We kicked off our shoes, soaked our feet in the river, and splashed our faces. The lot of us sat out there in the grass, enjoying the sun.

Frances and I grabbed a Radler from the bar and had a lovely chat with an older couple who shared their table and story with us. They were celebrating their anniversary after meeting on the Camino 6 years ago. They now had a house here, which we ended up passing in the afternoon- we waved and said hello as they sat on their balcony.

It was hard to leave that glorious stop, but we had 7km to go before arriving to Ponferrada. It was a hot walk in the sun, but it went quickly.

After settling into our albergue, Chris and I went around the corner to a bar where we shared 2 bottles of white wine while playing Rummy. We met Tash and Jacey for a late dinner where we all laughed and drank more wine. We even danced for a little bit before barely making it back for albergue curfew and crawling into our bunk beds.

That’s what I call a phenomenal day.