Day 18: Hermanillos de la Calzada to Mansilla de las Mulas (James)

Day 18:  Hermanillos de la Calzada to Mansilla de las Mulas
15.2 Miles
Total: 281.3 Miles

The flashes of lightning and the subsequent booms of thunder are very close together now.  The storm must be right above us.  I'm glad we decided to just stay in Mansilla de las Mulas even though we arrived early in the day.  We could easily be out there in the thick of it.  

Our guidebook described today's walk as a path with "no asphalt roads, no sendas, no bridges, no signposts, no towns, no villages, no farmyards, and no houses.". The book also emphasized "no water" on this 15-mile stretch that largely follows along ancient Roman roads, built 2000 years ago.  We were still traveling the "meseta," the tabletop flat landscape featuring miles and miles of wheat and oat fields and virtually nothing else.  It has it's own unique beauty, but despite it's relatively even terrain, it has a reputation of being a hellish stage for pilgrims, especially when it gets hot.  

We got lucky this year. Temperatures have been mild and on the very day where water does become an issue, we awoke to a storm brewing outside at 4:30 in the morning.  The asphalt was still wet as we took our first shaky steps up the road.  We could see in every direction lighting crashing and we could hear the low rumble of thunder.  It was to be our constant companion throughout the 15-mile hike.  It was as if we were walking in the eye of the storm, always threatening, but never quite touching.  Because of this, we never really took a break.  15 miles of just one foot in front of the other until we had arrived.  

We grabbed a bed, ditched our packs and shoes, and headed back out into the streets for a quick market run before siesta shut down the city.  Everyone grabbed a little something to make a cheap lunch using the kitchen facilities we often find at the albergues.  That is where we are now.  Auna is quite proud of her grilled cheese, Bree made a stir-fry of some much needed vegetables, and Deija is enjoying some "papas fritas," or at least trying to.

More and more pilgrims are arriving now.  We can hear them before we see them.  Shoes squeaking, ponchos swishing as they fish out their "credenciales" or their pilgrims passport, a little booklet that where we collect stamps everyday to prove we are indeed actually walking this thing.  The same storm that entertained us by turning the skies into a artistic fury of colors and flashes of light, was the same storm making misery for them.  We have dealt with a few storms of our own these last few days so I think we were deserving of the break.

We are excited for the days to come.  We will pass through the large city of Leon tomorrow morning and we will then begin to encounter some hills and mountains again.  

Until then....

Buen Camino

James