Thursday, May 9, 2024
Boy, 26 km never felt so long. Today was a really tough day. We are all so sore. A while ago, on the descent from Cruz de Ferro into Molinaseca I smashed my foot in a rock channel, and I think I damaged some ligaments. Most mornings it’s swollen, and today it was really sore. I told Betty that it’s sore, but I don’t want to tell her how sore it really is. I don’t think I really want to admit it to myself. But it’s pretty sore.
River walked a bunch more today -- riding on her “horse.” She’s awesome. It is a bit frustrating because she can only keep our pace for a short time, and then she needs to ride again, but she often will ask for just a minute more or five minutes more, and she will keep extending for as long as she can. Sometimes I just want to throw her on my shoulders so we can go a bit faster.
The hike in the morning was really beautiful. There was a thick fog over the river, and everything felt a bit mysterious and magical. But soon the sun came up, and into Palas de Rei felt like a crawl. Everyone was grumpy. I think we are just sore and tired.
After we got in (we got our own room again!) Betty and I went out for a salad and a chat. She would really love to keep hiking to Fisterra, the end of the world, where the Camino meets the sea. People say that before the bones of James were found in Santiago people would make pilgrimage all the way to the sea. Betty is from the coast in Mexico, and she feels a special connection to the sea. I’m just not sure if my body will hold up for another 4-5 days of 20 miles, and the kids are feeling petty ready to go home.
So we decided to counsel with the kids. We told them that we are so proud of what they have done, and if they want to go home after we reach Santiago, we will celebrate and go home. But if they want, we can walk a few extra days and go to the sea. Alicia struggled the most with the decision -- because she loves Betty and really wanted to support her -- but in the end, we decided it would be best for us to finish up in Santiago.
This whole conversation was a bit weird for me because Betty struggled for so long with the Camino. Just days before we came to Europe she was really hesitant about everything, and it wasn’t until about day 4 of the Camino that she started to change her opinion of things. Now she’s telling me she wants to come back with me to hike some sections and to make it to the sea. It’s remarkable.
Ian lost his inhaler tonight. I don’t have much hope of getting a new one if we can’t find this one. We’ll pray to find it and hope it turns up in the morning.
