A Reconsideration

We are now in Lorca, a small town at the top of a hill that consists of a single street of houses. We walked 13 kilometers today in an effort to recuperate our ailments. While we survived the much shorter trek ¿we were originally going to go another 9 km to Estella? .. those are supposed to be parenthesis, but this keyboard is messed up... we are still in rough shape. Dan discovered that his Chacos did not aggravate his blisters so walking was a little better, but now he is feeling sick to his stomach. I still have shin splints in my left leg, but there is now a bruise which makes me wonder if they are actually shin splints.

So, here is our new idea. Tomorrow we are going to walk the 9 km to Estella because it is a bigger town that might have some sort of public transportation. We are going to catch a bus toward Burgos and then hopefully stay in Burgos for a couple of days to see the cathedral and relax a bit. Then we will cross the flatlands to Leon via train or bus where we will resume walking. This shorter trek will still take us by all the places we wanted to see, and will give us about 3.5 weeks of walking which is still fairly substantial.

To our future selves who may be looking back upon this and thinking that we messed up and wussed out: We are walking through a desert, sweating more water than we can consume. We are walking an average of 14 miles a day for about 8 hours each day. The trails are rocky and have steep climbs and descents. There is very little shade. We cannot sleep well at night. The daily routine of making sure our most needs are met is exhausting. We do NOT need to walk every single foot to feel like we have accomplished something.

Something Spanish Grandpa said to us yesterday really struck me today. He was surprised that we were going all the way to Santiago at our age and wondered what kinds of sins we had committed. He said it as a joke, but really... we are people who like nature, who like experiences. We are not overly religious and lack the type of motivation that a devout Catholic would have to atone for their sins. I can see where they would find that atonement, as every step brings you more pain, isolates you from your home and surrounds you with people who will help carry you toward your goal. We have met people from all over the world; Spain, France, Germany, Denmark, Korea, Canada, Finland, Sweeden, Holland, Slovenia, Brasil, Italy... it is amazing to be a part of such a community. Amazingly enough we do not know anybodys name. Instead we refer to them by nicknames we have given them such as Hurt Foot, Pirate Pilgrim, Boa Lady, Purple Lady, Overfriendly Spaniard, Crazy Foot lady... it is really cool to see the same people every day and form a bond. Honestly, for me that was the hardest part of deciding to skip a few days of hiking... we are going to lose our travel buddies. But, it is what is best for us as a couple... especially now that Dan is not feeling well.

I will keep you all updated as often as possible. Do not worry parents, we are in a country with a socialist healthcare system so if we ever need anything it will be super affordable, and we are doing all we can to stay healthy and not push ourselves too hard.