Day 10: Zariquiegui - Maneru (4/10/14)

There is something about the muted colors of a Spanish morning

that can make you forget -

or not care -

that you're climbing up yet one more mountain.

In fact, 

the mornings trek up to Alto del Pardon -

literally the Height of Forgiveness, 

the point at which a pilgrims sins would be forgiven if they made it that far 

and, for whatever reason, 

couldn't make it the rest of the way to Santiago -

was a solitary endeavor 

and, surprisingly, pleasant.

Even the realization that whatever goes up must come down

didn't phase me.

It tickled me to see that a pilgrim had taken time for some fun on the walk down!

And the morning sun finally gave me the long legs I've always wanted!

(Although even while taking this picture, 

I could hear my grandmothers retort whenever I'd complain about having short legs -

"They reach the ground, don't they?"

Yes, Nanny, they do... and they're getting me all over Spain...

I'd just like to be a little taller so I could weigh more!

One of those 'I'm not overweight, I'm under tall' moments!)

It was such a good morning that I was willing to take a 7K detour to see the Ermitage in Eunate.

 The church is a hermitage dedicated to the Virgin Mary 

and has been referenced in various documents since 1487.

Due to its octagonal plan, the first theory was that Eunate was a Templar church. 

Another theory is that Eunate functioned as a hospital for pilgrims 

since archaeological excavations found evidence of many burials and typical St James' shells.

 Although the hours posted indicated that the building 'should' be open, 

it was locked up tight...

disappointing (read - enraging) the small group of pilgrims 

who had walked the extra distance

to see this historically significant building.

After a quick look at the exterior, we all got on the road again as the heat of the day was building.

Puente la Reina was the next stop.

 When I arrived however, as beautiful as it was, 

there was something about the 'vibe' of the town that just didn't feel right.

It didn't feel as if I was meant to stay there - 

and I'd learned to trust those feelings.

A quick consult with another pilgrims guidebook during a drink break 

showed that the next town with an albergue was 'only' another 7K away. 

Graphs in the guidebook indicated that the terrain was fairly level
so, even though it was midafternoon already, 

I set off.

That decision was how I learned an important Camino lesson -

guidebooks lie.

The distance was nearly all uphill;
the path was very poorly marked;
there was literally no shade for over 5 miles;
the sun was blazing hot and, even with 50 SPF,
I could feel my skin sizzle and burn as I walked.

My 1L of water was quickly depleted and, for the first time,
sunstroke seemed like a definite possibility.

When I got to the only tree I'd seen for miles, I sat in the shade and wept.
The only consolation I could find was that I was damn sure I'd be in a bed within the hour -
either a hospital bed or a bed in a hostel.
It couldn't be too much longer now.

After I got tired of my own pity party,
I got up
and, sure enough,
within 45 minutes,
I was standing in front of the only albergue in town.

The beds were in a grotto room - and it was nearly 20 degrees cooler inside than out.

Had I not been losing so much body heat from my sunburn, 

it would have been lovely.

As it was, I had to put on a long sleeve shirt and wrap up in a blanket to stop the shivering!

A lovely German woman (who spoke no English) took one look at me 

and gave me lotion for my sunburn 

and, at dinner that night, 

a doctor from Australia, who had been walking with his daughter for 2 weeks 

but was returning home soon,

gave me his abbreviated guidebook 

"so you don't put yourself in that position again".

Lessons from the day:

*As cliche as it sounds -
the Camino
(or the Universe or God, however you define
the loving, creative force at work in the world)
DOES provide.

*While you have to capitalize on the days when everything feels good,

don't overdo it!

*I want/need far more reassurance that I'm on the right path
than the Universe usually provides.

Not bad lessons to learn -
but, like some of the most important lessons are,
painful