Miles today: 15.1
Miles total: 356.4
Today we walked through the Montes de Leon, and it was one of the most beautiful walks I've ever taken. You don't realize how noisy our daily lives are and how loud we get used to talking just so we can be heard. But being up in the mountains today it was so peaceful. At one point I caught up wIth Mimi who stopped to look at the view. I started talking to her and it instantly felt wrong. My voice was so loud and out of place. I even brought my voice down to a whisper, but it still felt like I was disturbing everything around me. So I just stopped talking and enjoyed the view.
At least until we came across a house with kittens and a dog outside. I instantly forgot where I was and I couldn't contain myself. There were two kittens out while others hid under some rocks. One was super playful and I got to play with it for a little while with a stick I had. The poor dog would get so excited and would want to play with them so bad. But he was just too big and they would end up getting scared and hissing. As we were leaving the kitten came running down the path beside the house to the road. It ran up to me and rubbed against my leg. I begged March to let me keep it. He said no. Then we started walking and the kitten started following me! I yelled March's name and showed him. I am currently sitting at the hostel with no kitten to call my own if you were wondering how the story ends.
We made it to the highest point of the trail today. It's marked by what they call the iron cross. There is a mound with a cross on top and it is surrounded by rocks and pictures that people have left. We all left a rock of our own that had our names written on it. It was really cool to see all the different things left behind.
I met some of the nicest people today! I have been having some trouble with my leg and it hasn't been getting any better. So when we came to a steep downhill March carried my bag for me to take away some of the pressure. While walking I came across an Irish couple, Berry and Sarah. They noticed I didn't have my bag so Sarah offered me some of her water. Then offered me her bandana or hat to block the sun from my head. Sarah walked with me the whole way to the next city. She would be ahead of me, but then would stop and continue talking while I caught up. And Berry would get to the bottom of a decline and stop and wait for both of us. I learned some Irish words along the way too. Like how to say hi and bye, how to say it when talking to a group or just one person, and how to respond to it. When translated hi means "God be with you" and your response translates to "God and Mary be with you." In her words "You basically have to out bless me." They were a really fascinating couple. At one point in their lives they both quit their jobs, and traveled for 15 months! They went to India, China, (South) Africa, etc. Since both of them are teachers they don't work during the summer so a few summers ago they went to Belize. It was so cool hearing about all the things they got to experience while in different countries. We finally arrived at the town and we still didn't see the rest of the group. Berry offered me money to buy a coke but I said no thanks. About a minute after we saw March and the others sitting down in the distance. I thanked the couple for their help and they went on their way. (We actually ended up staying at the same hostel as them!)
I walked over and sat down next to everyone and I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was a lady I saw earlier that had checked on me to see if I was ok. She started talking to March and Sahra in Spanish and offered me some anti-flammatory cream. She got it out, handed it to me and then gave me some ibuprofen. I just kept saying gracias over and over. I felt so bad that she only spoke Spanish because I wanted so bad to show how thankful I was but I didn't know how . She gave me a pinch on the cheek and headed on her way. I ended up seeing her at the hostel where she made a point to come over and tell me (While having a lady next to me translate.) that they were giving free massages and I should go sign up. One of the sweetest ladies I have met on this trip!
All along the Camino today different people would pass by me and ask if I was alright. Then I would see them later in the day and they would check up on me to see if I was feeling better. It was so encouraging to have so many people concerned and taking time to make sure I was ok. Even though I was hurting, overall it was a really good day. I met so many nice people, ones that I probably wouldn't have if I had been up walking with the others in my group. The walk was beautiful, and the weather wasn't too bad either. The "goods" in today definitely outweighed the "bads."
Hasta luego!
Emily
Special thanks for the day go to:
Bree Fuqua, Uncle Brad Anderson, Joseph and Toni Connole
Many thanks for our mile sponsors as well:
Mabel, Edie Granger, Mark and Susan Dahl, Paul and Ruth Westlund,
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