Pilgrims and Prophets

Camino Primitivo, The End: Good Riddance. The subtitle of the song is better in this context.

Don’t get your hackles up…this is not a disparaging post about the way(s) to Santiago… Another Turning Point Finishing a walk to Santiago is exhilarating. The anticipation in arriving. The joy in the Praza de Obradoiro. The celebration with friends made along the way. And then… You wake up the day after, then the second day after; all your friends are gone, you have no goal or simple purpose…

Camino Primitivo, Day 13 - Arriving in Santiago (and hanging out there) is an experience that never grows old for me!

Day 13: O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela, 25.61 km, 15.88 miles First Breakfast in O Pedrouzo, coffee is the main objective. The pic in the middle is representative of the long, lonesome walk to Second Breakfast in Amenal. There’s a three-fold objective at the Hotel Restaurante Amenal, 1 – More coffee (and another croissant), 2 – watch the sun rising over the eastern horizon, 3 – watch the…

Camino Primitivo, Day 12 - on that familiar homestretch into Santiago de Compostela!

Day 12: Boente to O Pedrouzo, 29.4 km, 18.22 miles It has been said that familiarity breeds contempt – disrespect or disdain follows extensive knowledge, experience, or extended association with a person or thing. That could be true of these last two days into Santiago; especially if you spend too much time on the Camino social media pages: hordes of pilgrims, tour-a-grinos, no beds available,…

Camino Primitivo, Day 11 - My last day on the Primitivo, merging with the Camino Francés in Melide and beyond.

Day 11: Ferreira to Boente, 27.36 km, 16.96 miles My final Primitivo sunrise. Today is my last day on the Primitivo, the route merges with the Camino Francés in Melide. So, now would be a good time to share my thoughts from the Camino Primitivo (Oviedo to Melide). The Primitivo is challenging. From Grado (Day 2) to O Cádavo Baleira (Day 9), it is a perpetual series of ups and down. If you…

Camino Primitivo, Day 10 - Tenth consecutive day of awesomeness!

Day 10: Lugo to Ferreira, 28.4 km, 17.61 miles I had read that the weather on the Primitivo was sketchy at times, so I stuffed my minimal 30-liter Deuter backpack accordingly – rain jacket, poncho, fleece gloves, fleece hat, fleece muffler, puffer jacket (I don’t like to be cold), and plenty of other clothes in case of long exposure to rain. So far, I’d been lucky with the weather, just a few…

Camino Primitivo, Day 9: Normal = beautiful sunrise, lots of steps, lots of hills (normal for the Primitivo), beautiful vistas, good people, and a good ending to the day.

Day 9: O Cádavo Baleira to Lugo, 34.11 km, 21.15 miles A walk to Santiago de Compostela is anything but normal, but today’s walk was pretty normal as far as the Camino goes – beautiful sunrise, lots of steps, lots of hills (normal for the Primitivo), beautiful vistas, good people, and a good ending to the day. Yup, another sunrise… “The repetition in Nature may not be a recurrence; it may be a…

Camino Primitivo, Day 8 - An amazing walk on the "Leg Wrecker"!

Day 8: A Fonsagrada to O Cádavo Baleira, 28.24 km, 17.51 miles Thanks again, Wise Pilgrim, for the elevation graphics. Before we jump into the day, a few words about Camino guidance and advice… Elevation Profiles (feel free to skip this paragraph) Elevation profiles for any of the ways to Santiago are general bits of information and far from an exact representation of how steep the ascent or…

Day 7: Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada, 29.36 km, 18.2 miles In the greatest show in television history, Patriot on Amazon Prime, the hero tells a little girl how he does hard things; he goes halfway and one more step. At that point it’s easier to finish than go back. That’s a pretty good pilgrim philosophy… By the end of today’s walk, I’ll be halfway to Santiago! And another milestone, I’ll…

Day 6: A Mesa to Grandas de Salime, 19.86 km, 12.31 miles Thanks again, Wise Pilgrim, for the graphic… Because a walk to Santiago de Compostela is a very unique and personal experience, I’d rather not give advice. I believe us pilgrims get more out of the journey when we go straight at it without the opinions and advice of others. My only exceptions – when asked a specific question or if the…

A perfect day in the mountains!!

Day 5: Colinas de Arriba to A Mesa, 28.72 km, 17.8 miles Don’t fret, there were no medical emergencies today, just a walk along a mountain route called Los Hospitales (translated to English, the hospitals). Back in the day, the kings established “hospitals” to care for weary pilgrims…medical care probably limited to a warm fire, a place to rest, and some broth – similar to my own medical plan.…

This walk from Tineo to Colinas de Arriba, stunning - at the top of each hill and around every corner...

Day 4: Tineo to Colinas de Arriba, 23.37 km, 14.49 miles 1000 Words (Picture > Words) Just a few words before I turn it over to my photo gallery. While having first coffee this morning, I remembered the artisan bakery across the street (an Albergue La Plaza benefit). I wandered over and bought to donuts for pilgrim fuel. They were indeed artisan. I saw my Australian friend, James, (a younger,…

Up, down. Repeat. Include some mud at critical junctures. A great hike!!

Day 3: Salas to Tineo, 23.63 km, 14.65 miles Guidebook Information If you are pondering a walk to Santiago de Compostela via the Camino Primitivo, don’t do it if: Your ascending muscle groups don’t like going uphill, and/or Your creaky knees don’t like going downhill, and/or Your shoes don’t like mud… These challenges are apparent just 3 days in. Rise & Shine, Part II Thanks, Wise Pilgrim…

Day 2: Grado to Salas, 25.81 km, 16 miles Two things became apparent this morning as I prepared for Day 2 on the Camino Primitivo. The sun takes its time rising in October, it’s not light enough to walk until 8:30 am. Just to be clear, I’m not afraid to walk in the dark, but I prefer scenery over darkness. Plus, it’s been well-documented that I am not a morning person, so the longer I can stay…