Camino Day 38: San Xulian to A Calle de Ferreiros

Day: May 8th, 2022

Distance: 34km/21.1 miles

Distance: 7 1/2 hours (8:00am-3:30pm)

After a cafe con leche and a round of hugs to all my homies, who I would greet in Santiago (Chris and I were going ahead), I was ready to head off alone and get this day underway. This would be my longest Camino day at 34km and over 20 miles.

I was speeding, music loud, feeling those pangs of sadness about it all ending. I was trying to wrap my mind around how much I would miss the company of my squad and life on the Camino in general.

After a first quick coffee stop, I intentially slowed down (just a little bit) and tried to take it all in- the path, the dogs laying lazily outside, the grass, the goats, the flowers, the breezy moments walking under the shade of big trees.

At 11:30am, I had several good cries under my belt, and I had gone half the distance for the day. I had done 17km in 3 1/2 hours, which was by far my best time. (Not that the time matters, but secretly it did… Chris and I both entertained a friendly competitive side, and I’ll be damned if he beat me there.)

So I stopped, and as I was finishing my coffee and delicious tostadas with cheese, Chris cruised past, and that was all the motivation I needed to get my butt in gear and catch up.

Eventually I caught up to him, and much as it goes on the Camino, you forget about the walking as you get caught up in conversations about life, relationships, food, you name it.

We arrived at 3:30pm, after an afternoon juice & cheese stop, which we could both agree was incredible timing. It was our last night in an albergue. (Thank god, because this group of people smelled ripe.) Tomorrow we’d be walking into Santiago.

It ended how we ended many Camino nights- enjoying ourselves way too much, drinking too much, playing farkle, and staying up late in conversations with random friends and Irish men, the afternoon blurring into evening and then night.

We’d have hangovers tomorrow and a very big beer bill to pay, but that was a problem for future Casey and Chris. 😉