| Daily Information |
Distance: 22.6 Kms
Elevation G/L meters: 287:(304)
Cumulative Information
Planned Distance: 199.1 Kms
Actual Distance: 209.5 Kms
Actual/Planned Distance: 105.2%
Gronze Description of Stage
A pleasant stage with interesting scenery and few elevation changes. We'll continue along comfortable dirt or asphalt tracks between green meadows and groves of native trees, always close to the N-634 national highway, which we'll cross twice. We're in the Lugo region of A Terra Chá, with undulating terrain and livestock farming as its main activity.
The Gronze description above nicely describes today’s stage very well. A short easy day at 22.6 kms with minimal elevation gains/losses. Perfect blue skies…shorts and t-shirt weather all the way.
Today’s Strava link
We arrived in Vilalba around 2:00 and Paulo, Roger (Switzerland) and I decided “let’s have lunch now”. The first plate is pulpo (octopus) a Galician specialty which is delicious!
A few new pilgrim walker meetings
- Sarah from Vancouver Canada who is completing the Camino Norte after walking two previous stages
- Sixteen from Paris France who has started Irun. No I did not misspell sixteen!
However the absolute highlight of the day was meeting Deb and Hob from the United States. An absolutely delightful couple in their early 70s. They were elementary school teachers for many years…I am sure beloved teachers.
We met them on the trail shortly after leaving Abadín and I walked with both until the ~ 9.5km break where we entered a cafe with pilgrim walkers everywhere. Time absolutely flew by for me.! We had a wonderful chat in the cafe and later in the outdoor garden at the Parador.
Both are the most pleasant positive people you would ever hope to meet and the stories… I did my best to share a few adventures but holy smokes it was fascinating to hear their adventures.
Without a word of a lie I have met walker royalty today…no doubt in my mind that both Hob and Deb would simply say “no, no ,no we are just ordinary folks who like to walk and bicycle”
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| Paulo, Hob, Deb, moi |
A few and a small snapshot of their adventures
- This is their 40th Camino Route!!!
- They rode tandem bicycles around the world over a 3 year period
- Hob has reached the 50,000 mile (80,000) km milestone walking various trails around the world
- I mentioned in an earlier blogpost that Ron (Zenquake) Dobra from the US had completed the hiking Triple Crown. I met Ron on the PEI Island Walk in 2023.
- Appalachian Trail (AT) 3,530 kms
- Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) 4,270 kms
- Continental Divide Trail (CDT) 4,870 kms
Deb has completed the AT 3x, PCT 2x believe she was the 3rd woman to walk the PCT
HOB has the distinction of being one of the very few double Triple Crown Hikers - AT 1987, 1990, 2014 PCT 1976, 1978, 1979, 2018 CDT 2015, 2022
They even have their own Camino Stamp and both of us have this special stamp in our Credential.
To our great enjoyment Deb and Hob are also at the Parador and we just spent a most pleasurable hour listening and sharing stories. One story Hob related was walking solo in Arizona sleeping under the stars.
Middle of the night he woke up with a terrible foot pain. He had been bitten by a rabid red fox…almost losing a toe. Incredible story of somehow getting off the trail to seek medical help and mystifying series of shots later. He is actively walking, biking and running.
An absolute treat and a most fortunate meeting for both Paulo and me. We will long remember such an inspiring unpretentious couple.
As mentioned we are the Parador…Paulo recreated for himself the 2014 Leon Parador bath. Dinner and breakfast await tomorrow.
The sun is shining and we have a long 31km day tomorrow. Both of us are walking well at stage. The pull of Santiago de Compostela is there!
Some pictures to wrap up this amazing day!
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| Paulo. Quon (Belgium), Me |
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