FULL SPEED AHEAD
DAY 1: 30 km Irun to San Sebastian
I arrive in Irun by train Wednesday evening and am greeted at a Camino pilgrim hostel by a sweet older woman with white hair. She is like an angel! I pick up a pilgrim's passport here which will get stamped along the way usually at hostels and/or churches. The passport is presented at the end of the hike as proof of completion of the pilgrimage.
I enthusiastically anticipate what the Camino has in store for me and learn the protocol that we are expected to get up before the crack of dawn, eat some cold bread with hot coffee, and be out the door by 7am. A dark and drizzly morning marks the beginning of my first day and I am glad to see the smiling face of the hostel angel point me in the right direction.
Walking along, I run into Raymond, a Frenchman, who is looking for the next turn along the trail. This is his third Camino walk and I learn from him that it’s really important to pay attention to the trail markings along the way. I’m glad I met him as without his advice I would probably be walking blissfully along whatever trail that looks interesting in the moment, but that wouldn’t necessarily get me across Spain. With his expertise, I pay attention to where Raymond is going and follow him up and over a mountain where we finally stop for breakfast after 14 kilometers.
After breakfast we hike through beautiful woods on a very rocky path and I’m so happy to have Lori’s walking stick as It’s really invaluable on the steep ascents and descents. Along the way, I see lots of strong black horses grazing with a big bell around their necks so their owners to hear them as they graze freely. The trail is littered with pine needles and chestnuts. I’m getting hungry again and keep can't help thinking about roasted chestnuts. For lunch we stop in Pasajes de San Juan and I have a small mushroom pie and two cafe con leche.
After lunch we’re joined by three more Frenchmen. Now there are four Frenchman for me to keep up with! They are all fast walkers. We take a short ferry across a harbor and then cross up and over another mountain where the path is now smooth. The trail is actually pretty well marked. This being a holy year, more pilgrims are anticipated.
We stop for a drink at a cool place that has yurts for pilgrims. The hosts offer us Kafir to drink and a great salad: all homegrown and organic. We are just 4 km from San Sebastian. More up and down and we get to an amazing view over the Golfo de Vizcaya. I stop to take a picture and realize I left my blackberry which is my camera, charging where we stopped for a drink! Sooooo I walk an extra 8 km up and back, and now it’s raining even more, but I get back and take that picture!! It's 5 pm when I get to San Sebastian and its' another hour walk to the hostel on the far end of town. Today I walked 30 km and up and over two mountains!!!! So much for easing into this. I'm ready for a hot shower and some dinner...
DAY 2: 15 km to Orio
Today is an extremely challenging but rewarding day.
My hiking buddy today is Michel from Paris. He speaks fluent Spanish and a little English, so we can get a bit of a conversation going. He is 59 and retired from Renault. His plans include travelling for the next 15 years and then becoming a business mentor. Next spring, he plans to bicycle through Portugal. Every year he plans big walking or bicycling trips in addition to the regular walking he does outside of Paris. I'm really thankful for Michel because the trail is so challenging and exhilarating. We spur each other on and we have someone to share the experience with!
We leave San Sebastian at 8:30 and immediately hike up a steep mountain. After a bit we come to a fork in the road and we decide to veer off the main Camino and take the alternativo route: a small path that runs next to the ocean. We have no idea what we are in for.
The first thing we notice is the sound of the ocean crashing against the cliffs. It is a wonderful sound that stays with us most of the day. The entire path is very narrow and at first very wet - like a rain forest without the rain. It is overcast today, but thankfully not actually raining. We walk through brambles. The treat and the payoff is: wild berries! The path is extremely steep and uneven. I think about goat energy and how easily they climb steep mountains. My walking stick is so important today - for balance, for pulling myself up and to keep from sliding down. And all this with 18-20 lbs on my back! It is one-step-at-a-time of complete focus for 7 hours. We progress through baby pine trees to big old pines. The reward is an amazingly magical trail with the ocean constantly at our side. It is almost with regret we leave the beauty of the woods and the sound of the ocean.
We have another hour of pavement walking which is the most challenging part of the day after the beauty of woods and by this time, I’m tired and hungry and long for a coffee. The hour of descending into Orio is actually hard on the body, especially the knees. We make it to a small fishing village where we finally have lunch and the much anticipated coffee at 3:30 pm. After such a satisfying meal, we decide to call it a day and hike back up to a charming hostel with playful kittens, munching sheep, and a serene view over patchwork mountains and a hot shower!
We meet Julen is at the hostel. He is preparing a meal, and in typical Camino style, he makes enough to share with everyone. It is a lovely family style meal typical of this Basque region: potato tortilla, tomato and onion salad, bread and red wine. Julen is a student studying product engineering and is in his last year at university. He is from this area and is proud of it. He has decided to use part of his semester break to walk this section of the Camino back to school instead of taking the train as he usually does.
Later Rachel shows up and she hiked 42 km today - all the way from Irun!! Albeit not the winding route we took. We were all amazed. Rachel quit her job at a hospital to walk to Santiago de la Compostela and reflect on what she would like to do next. The evening is filled with the typical questions pilgrims ask each other: “Where did you start?” and “Why are you walking the Camino?”
Finding companionship and small life gifts along the way is invaluable!