Total ascent today = 1969 feet
Cumulative distance = 391.6 miles
We did it! We made it to the top! And...IN SUNSHINE! Lots of great pictures.
The morning started with breakfast overlooking a cow pasture and stream.
Well nourished on toast, juice and coffee (yeah, that's what we get most mornings - occasionally yogurt is also provided), we hefted the packs onto our backs and set out. We weren't a hundred yards down the road when we came to our first dilemma.
Must we go down before we go up? Does the road meet on the other side of town? We decided to take the plunge. Right choice.
We walked through Las Herrerias, and right there in the middle of town - my caballo. But David said no. So we trudged on.
We eventually came out on a country road and headed uphill.
Soon there was another decision to make. The Camino dropped way down off the paved road onto a dirt track. After consulting the GPS, it looked like the dirt track was a more direct route through the villages and to O Cebreiro. So down we went. A little way in, we came across a refreshment stand.
And then we began to climb in earnest.
The views got better.
And sooner than we expected, we reached the first of two interim villages on today's hike. La Faba is at 2,953 feet.
O Cebreiro was just 4.7 km away?! That wasn't correct. It's at least another 6 km away, at least by our trail.
But first we had to get by the trail guard...
And go up.
The wildflowers were still fresh at this altitude,
as was Dave.
The views were spectacular. Soon we were headed for La Laguna and an early lunch.
As we ate lunch, two horses with "pilgrim" riders were led through the village on their way to the top. We finished and headed back up. Shortly outside the village, the cars went one way and we went another. They went up and we went...down?
Only a little way. We were parallel but lower than the road for a while.
The views became more and more breathtaking. We were so happy that it was a sunny day for a change.
Just before O Cebreiro, we walked out of the state of Castilla y Leon and into Galicia. Galicia has Celtic roots. The first tienda we entered was playing Galician music that could be mistaken for something out of Ireland. They have their own language which is only spoken by a few, but understood by the majority. The signs carry the Galician spelling of place names.
And "my" horse was returning from an earlier trip uphill carrying "pilgrims."
It's hard to believe, but somehow the Galicians manage to farm these hills. We waited as a farmer brought his tractor out of a hillside field onto the track.
This wall led us into O Cebreiro. And of course, a monument and stone cross.
And a great view.
Just around the corner was the village proper.
Our accommodations was a simple hostel without Internet, but the beds had plenty of warm blankets for the cold night.
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