Sunday 29 March 2020

Camino Primitivo Alternate Route (March 29, 2020) - Day 3 Salas to Tineo

Well today was just one of those special Camino walking days...absolutely soaked to the bone. Everything was wet as it poured for about 4 out of my 5 hours walking...20 kms outside and a few more inside.

On days like this it one just has to slosh it out (note use of slosh it out and not grit it out) ...go for 29 ft. turn around...go 29 ft and simply repeat again and again. By my mathematical estimation (at one point in my life I was a 70% Actuary...then married an Actuary...2 daughters became Actuaries and  one of them married an Actuary) I walked 2,300 times back and forth. Now is that stubborn, stupid, ridiculous, pathetic or simply crazy...I don't know...it just had to be done.

Today I walked 21.4 kms totalling 72.6 kms over the 3 days on my special Camino Primitivo which means I am now 3.8 kms past Tineo...and once again sleeping outside.

A few pictures and a video from the day...the iPhone was basically in a puddle in the pocket of my Arcteryx rain jacket (more of this later).

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1TjvfffXFGx3oVVSxcAfoBj1ho5w8wOnC
My favourite pilgrims are back!
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=12Fm_IuVkifnqk6tOAeBz-0BqHyGF31kY
Cinnamon bun treat from my daughter!
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=11IX1hXq-yasyTnQnvoWUBzxAy0Jqa5UW
Absolutely soaked!!!
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1ID8bR5uXM9shfELp_kXhsovMHBHr9vXq
A tough walking day!


Having walked 105 days and an estimated 3,000 kms over my 6 Camino routes I have had some pretty rough rain days. Two specific days that stand out for me were recorded in previous blog posts...today ranks in the top 3 rainy days for sure!


Day 87 (May 20) - Negreira to Olveiroa

Not much to be said today...absolutely soaked as we walked 34 kms over 6.5 hours. The day was split into sections...the first 3 hours it rained/poured continuously...the next 3 hours it rained lightly on and off with the sun making a brief appearance...the final 30 minutes it just poured!

Everything we own is wet...trying our best to dry out at the Casa Loncho in Olveiroa...last night booked a room for the three of us for 20€ each. At this point this was a golden decision!

Day 57 (Nov 4) Navarrenx to Urhad Mixe

Only one way to describe today...absolutely BRUTAL walking...30 kms in 7.5 hours of which 5+ hours were in rain. A good portion of the day was spent in a hard driving rain...the type where you feel like every part of you is going to...and eventually does get wet.

The camera was out away early and then placed in the pocket of my weatherproof GORETEX jacket. Yeah sure! At the time of this writing the camera is not working as the pockets of my coat were PUDDLES...not impressed and a hard lesson to learn. So far I have confirmed that the photo card is still OK...plugged in battery and we will see.

Now about my fancy Arteryx Goretex super duper infallible jacket...it is LEAKING! This has been frustrating me to no end up until a month or so ago when a posting on the Camino Forum mentioned that these jackets need to be washed and dried occasionally and treated with special water proofing products. How is one supposed to know this? One buys a waterproof jacket and assumes (at least in my case) that all is good...forever!

Well a number of weeks back I bought Granger's products to reseal my Arteryx jacket in preparation for my Camino Primitivo. When the trip was canceled I thought I had lots of time...until this morning! Oh well live and learn...or in my case learn and then forget.

Today there was absolutely no one out and about however there was one baffling incident. A blue van (did not catch licence plate!) parked just outside the end of the walking path on the street for a good 15 minutes with the engine idling and driver inside. It was raining steadily so I did not get a good look at the driver.

For a while I thought it might be someone from a local TV/Radio station coming to interview me...and I would become famous. No this did not happen he/she never left the van and simply don't know why they were there. What's so special about someone walking back and forth in pouring rain on a deck? Don't they know that's what it takes to complete a Camino in these troubled times?

On to tomorrow and Pola de Allende which is 23 kms away. Hope for sunny skies, beautiful mountain views and meeting pilgrims!

5 comments:

  1. That looks like a delicious treat!! Your fellow pilgrims are cute and its even cute-r when they bring you a treat!!

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    Replies
    1. Agreed...my favourite pilgrims ever...sorry Paulo, Marc, Cyrille, Georges

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  2. Lise...do you think you could courier me a cinnamon bun?

    ReplyDelete