Miles today: 15.0
Miles Total: 57.6
Last night, the guy who got the bed across from me came in really drunk at around 9:30-10pm. He sat down and tried to pick his things up but he kept missing. He offered me his chips and I said No, no thanks.. He couldn't walk straight to his backpack without losing his balance and he kept muttering "too much".. Although I can laugh about it now, I was very uncomfortable at the time. I can't stand being around that kind of stuff. My heart was beating so fast and pounding in my ears. I finally got the courage to ask March if he wanted to switch bunks and he said sure. (Thank you so much March!) I slept pretty good. Haha, I wonder how far that guy walked today with that hang-over...
Anyway, we all got up at 6am, as usual, and out of the hostel and walking before 7pm. It was pretty chilly in the morning, but the sun came out quickly and it turned into a very hot day. We decided to turn this 15-mile day into five 5ks with breaks in between. On the outskirts of Pamplona was Cizur Menor, where we had out first stop. I ate some of my Belvita crackers and the others had some of their sandwiches. Then we were on our way.
Today was a better day for me because the soreness in my shoulders and legs is going away and I got a little tan! Haha. The hills today were nothing compared to the last few days. We stopped to eat lunch halfway up the hill in Zariquiegui. (I didn't even want to try to pronounce that) I sat in the sun in front an old church building and ate my sandwich. We could hear doves cooing up in the windows and it sounded funny. Speaking of funny.. Sahra, Mimi, and I went around to the out house to use the restroom and when Sahra went in, she lifted the seat and pretty much jumped out the door yelling EWW!!! Mimi and I asked what was in there and she said, I quote, "Toilet paper and crap was piled to the top so if you sat down to use it, you would probably touch the pile." That is the nastiest thing ever. I was laughing but I also had my disgusted face on. Us three had to go into the hostel there and buy an item just to use the bathroom. I got one of those sugary muffins again, which I was fine paying for. Mimi and Sahra bought strawberry popsicles. Then we started the next 5k.
At the top of the hill, there was an iron representation of medieval pilgrims with their heads bent to the west wind. From the top I could see the mountains we walked over and the mountains we were headed too. It's crazy to see it all in one big picture. Just by turning a full circle, you can see miles and miles of Spain. We started heading down the steep part of the mountain to Uterga. We met a pretty white horse there that would try to bite people. I ate another sandwich there. We stopped a couple more times along the way to refill water bottles and to take off our packs and stretch.
When we crossed a bridge into Puente La Reina and we walked about 10 minutes to our hostel which is also a nice one with a kitchen, clothes lines, and a backyard area. Luckily it was close to a super market. After I showered and they napped, we walked to the market and I bought some bread, meat, cheese, gummies, and apples. I also got some pasta with shredded cheese for dinner tomorrow night. The whole buying and preparing my own food thing is hard. It's hard to figure out what will last and what is cheapest. I was really homesick today and I just wanted my mom to come and make me a sandwich. I miss my parents so much right now and it's hard to do everything without them. It's a hard lesson.
I washed some clothes and hung them to dry. I journaled about life. I spent most of today walking alone and just thinking about everything, all the people who mean the world to me and myself and who I am and what I want to achieve. I was down in the dumps in the evening, but I cheered up when March and Sahra asked me to pump up the volleyball and pass it around out back. It was so much fun. A guy named Thomas who was from Italy asked to join in so we were all just passing it and trying out trick passes and sets and I hit a couple solid hits. I was sweaty after so I took a second shower and sat in bed. I read a little of March's guide book and organized my things for tomorrow. We are gonna leave a half hour earlier tomorrow to see if we can beat the heat. Let's hope we do.
Lanie
Special thanks for the day go to:
Grandma Kyser, Ron and Sherry Newcomer, Dave and Rachel Schiffer
Thanks to our mile sponsors as well!
Doug Harmon, Eldon and Jimmie, James Oasha, Mark and Darbie Elmblade, and Auna Godinez
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