Camino 2014: Day 32 Negreia to Olveiroa (Mimi)

Camino 2014: Day 32 Negreira to Oliveira (Mimi)

Miles today: 20.6

Miles total: 521.4

This morning started off strange! Someone new woke me up and I was so confused at to who it could be. I turned and looked at my watch and then at the stranger.  Then she started talking and I realized it was Lanie.  She relayed the message from March which said something like "No one is up yet, it will be quieter if we one at a time, bring our belongings into the hall to pack up." It wasn't quiet and there were plenty of people also up and preparing for the next day. And so we walked.

Today was a rancid day.  It smelled like Fisterra's toilet. I don't remember a moment when I smelled fresh air.  Every corner I turned, there was cow poop, horse poop, sheep poop or a field full of smelly animals.  One very clear moment, a perfect example, of this experience happened to me as I walked today.

According to my calculations, the weather was about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (28ish degrees Celsius), the wind was blowing a good three or four miles per hour to the south, and there was not a creature in sight except me, March, who was a good 60 meters ahead of me, and the farmer dude in the truck.  Now as I turned the corner off the main road, I trained into a wall of manure.  The smell hit me so hard I had to step back. My eyes instantly watered and I knew, this was my test of strength.  'How much manure can Mimi take in one sitting?'   

This Farmer Dude was driving one of the huge metallic trucks you would put methane, or gas in for transport, however, on the back of this truck was a hole that was shooting out...yup... Manure.  It looked like the manure was being spread out in the field for new crops, being dispensed in the same fashion as grass seeds; flying in every which direction.  But this, this was traumatizing. Never have I almost cried from the smell of manure.  I could taste it in my mouth, feel it on my skin and most definitely smell it.  If I return with PTSD, it will not be from the men in spandex, or the homesickness. No, it will be from this experience. It lasted a good 20 minutes over a 2km (1.2 miles).

I can say on a positive note, that I have seen a truck poop. Legitimate manure came out of the backside of a truck. Smelled like poop and looked like poop.  I can't say I tasted it, touched it, or felt it, but from what I experienced, it was enough for me to say, the truck pooped.

 

We walked near 33km today to sleep in a hostel next to a barn.  The hostel looked very nice, but smelled awful. I am grateful now for clean Oregon air, clean water, and warm showers.

Other than that experience, we walked, got lost three times, and found our way back again. Most of all, our day was spent in full anticipation of the next day to Fisterre.  Often referred to as the 'End of the World,' we will be walking our last day tomorrow.

I am so excited! Thanks for following us on this trip! One more day!

Special thanks for the day go to:

Paul and Ruth Westlund, Patrick March, Kevin Overton, Linda Carlock