Day 27, Wednesday, September 18th, 2019: Rabanal del Camino to Riego de Ambrós
Slept in a little since breakfast was not until 7 am. Had bacon and eggs and cafe con leche and off we went into the cool morning to climb a mountain. Yup. Two, actually! And, yes, it pretty much sucked.
Even after 26 days of walking with one day of a break, the wear and tear on the body of climbing over 1800 feet on goat paths and incredibly rocky trails, followed by miles of steep downhill on similar terrain is very painful.
Today, God was reminding us that even when we get used to what He has prepared us for, things will change, today’s “Camino Lesson.” Life sometimes seems to “knock us down a peg” when we become overconfident. It’s okay as it keeps us humble and cognizant that we cannot always anticipate His plan for us.
So we enjoyed the mountain views when we could stop a few moments and look up!
One such place was at the top of the first mountain, Puerta Irago, and it is the Cruz de Ferro. It stands at 4,934 ft above sea level and is a simple iron cross atop a large post that has become a symbol of the Way of St James and of the Peregrino. Many thousands have stopped here atop this mountain to place a stone or other memento and to say a prayer.
Terri has carried her stone, which she painted blue and wrote all of the children’s names and their spouse’s names as well, since the beginning of the Camino. She said she left the stone there to give all her worries for our children and their spouses to God. She realizes she needs to focus on the positive aspects of her children’s lives and stop worrying so much. God’s got this.
As we prepared to leave the first mountain to walk downhill to walk up another mountain (?!?), we met a man from Scotland who had brought along a stuffed bear. This bear was a product of all his Rotarian travels and had been made a Paul Harris Fellow for having raised over a half a million pounds for the good works of Rotary. Being a former Rotarian and a Paul Harris Fellow myself, I immediately recognized the medal around the bear’s neck and enjoyed the man’s stories about this bear and his ties to Rotary. What a treat!
So off we went on a rigorous hike down about 600 feet so we could walk up another 700 feet. Once we crested that mountain, the highest point of elevation on The Camino, we began 5 miles of knee-jarring, foot-twisting very steep downhill trekking. May I just say this about that: Hated It!
We arrived Riego de Ambros around 1:30pm and checked in to our room, showered, and put our feet up for a bit. All in all, glad to have this difficult day behind us.
Tough going!
Terri waiting to walk up and place her stone
The stone and burden of worry to be offered to God at this special place
So proud of this woman! This journey has been amazing!
Quiet prayer
Two new friends and fellow Rotarians on the Camino!
Spectacular views with a painful price today.
