Miles today: 23.0
Miles total: 291.3
Wow, what a long day... 23 miles is a lot and I'm really impressed at how we pushed through and finished strong.
This morning I was shaken awake by Sahra at 5am to get up and beat the heat of this about-to-be longest day we've walked. As we were packing up, we all noticed that most everyone was already gone. (What?! Before 5?!) I was surprised, but I guess some people want an EXTRA early jump start to their day.
It was pretty much pitch black when we started walking, with the moon as our giant flashlight. It was so beautifully big up in the sky with a few stars scattered around it. Mimi and Emily had their head lamps on so that we could clearly see where we were stepping. The air was crisp and cold, but I really didn't mind anymore. At around 6:45-7am, the sun came up and was on one side of the sky and the moon was still on the other side. It was kind of cool to see both by just turning your head. I also wanted my family at home to find the moon and look at it too so we would both be looking at it at the same time. That would be so cool!
That first morning walk was 13km to a little cafe where I bought myself a hot chocolate (as always) and snacked on my apricots. It was about a 15 minute break and we were off again.
The sun was blazing hot by early afternoon. I am seriously the darkest I've ever been in my whole life and I'm very proud. With the layers of sunscreen I put on, I manage to skip the burning process and go straight to tanning. It's pretty awesome. :)
For hours, we walked in the sun with no shade. It was very hard. The heat just drains all of your energy. I was so tired and I felt like a zombie pilgrim walking on the trail. I was also not drinking enough water so my stomach felt uneasy, but at one of the stops in the shade, I filled up and drank the whole thing. At one point, we slowly limped up a gravel hill to a bridge that went across the high way. And on that bridge, we could see all of León. It was such a pretty view and it was huge! (It's just a little bit smaller than Portland if you want to know how big it was) I personally like when I can see where our destination is in the distance because I know where we are going and when we're within the town, it means we're close to the hostel. Haha.
We got to the hostel at 2:30, and it was one of the bigger ones near the plaza area. I picked a top bunk above Emily (so I don't have to worry about moving around since I know her haha). I showered, washed some clothes, journaled for a bit, and then napped for a good hour an a half. March, Sahra, and Emily did too. We woke up and it was almost 6pm so we all went out together to find a place to have dinner. Before eating, we went to Catedral de Santa María de León, a ginormous cathedral with beautiful stain glass windows inside. Apparently when March went the last time, it was free to come in and look around inside, but now you have to pay. I got to step inside and take a few pictures, but I didn't pay to take the audio tour. Emily and Mimi did though and they said it was really cool. March asked Emily what she learned and she said, "A bishop is buried in there." That is all.
We found a restaurant with a hamburger+fries+drink special for 5.95€. It sounded good to all of us so we ordered cinco! It was a satisfying burger. Embarrassing story to follow: When I had finished my burger, I wanted some more mayo for my fries. I tried to squeeze the bottle but sauce wouldn't come out. It was clogged or something. I took off the lid and stabbed a fork inside, put it back on, and tried again. I immediately found out that I had super strength and squeezed the lid off the bottle and all of the sauce fell out and completely drowned my fries. I then decided that I was full and didn't want them anyway, haha.
We sat in there for while, sending some quick messages to friends and family before going to get Yoogo (a frozen yogurt place). I got a vanilla grande with oreos, kiwi, and dark chocolate sauce on top. Yummy!
We returned to the hostel a little before 9pm, all packed up and ready to go to bed. Tomorrow should feel fast after today. Let's hope so!
Goodnight,
Lanie
Special thanks for the day go to:
Terri and Richard Roberts, Paul and Ruth Westlund, and Bree Fuqua.
Thanks to our mile sponsors as well:
Larry Jones, Melissa McDaniel, Jan Hariland, Marisa Cambreros, Carynn Bratton, Jeff and Holly Tomlin, Scott Touchette, Jerry Cheshire - Springfield High Graduate. Class of '59, Jim, and Laura Collins.
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