Journal: Century Resident Continues Hike Across Spain

July 3, 2010

We are continuing to follow the journals of Century resident Terri Sanders as she hikes 500 miles across Spain this summer.

As Terri hikes from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, she is filing dispatches from her journal and send pictures when possible for NorthEscambia.com as she hikes the Camino de Santiago — the Way of St. James — to the Atlantic Ocean.

To read the complete series from day one, click here.

Make sure you join NorthEscambia.com the new few days as we catch up on Terri’s journey and complete the series.

(Scroll down to read entries from three different days.)

June 15 2010

Start: Terradillos de Templarios

Destination: El Burgoe del Ranero

We had the usual nonexistent breakfast. Lou left just ahead of me. I was having trouble with my stomach. I put my pack on and started out the door when the proprietor stopped me and said, “You need to pay for the breakfast”. We had thought it was included in the room. I paid for our breakfasts and caught up with Lou.

It was brisk and cold this morning and I finally had to stop and put my jacket on. Even though the sky was blue with a few clouds, the wind was biting cold.

When we stopped for our noon break, up walked John, who we had met back in St.Jean Pied A Port. Our trail today was on earthen tracks through remote bush country. The cold wind kept us from stopping for any snacks. John and Lou hiked most of the afternoon together while I tried to zone out and just keep moving.

Today was another long day and I was tired by the time we got to the alburque. I am not sure what is going on with my body but for the past three days, as soon as we stop for the day, I have to immediately change clothes, get under a stack of blankets and Lou’s sleeping bag to get warm. It usually takes 2-3 hours for me to finally get warm enough to stop shivering. The last two nights there has been no heat in the hostels so I have bypassed taking a shower. The water is plenty hot but getting dried off, dressed and back to the bed before getting cold again is no easy feat and I just can’t bring myself to do it.

On the Appalachian Trail the longest I went without a shower was 11 days. If it does not warm up pretty soon I may break that record.

There was no one at the hostel when we got here, but a nearby restaurant owner said we just check ourselves in. We laid claim to a bunk. There are only 8 bunks beds here, a small kitchen, a couple showers and toilets. It is by donation to sleep here. There was a wood burning stove in the main room. It did not take me long to find matches, kindling and fire wood to get a fire going. Everyone else was hesitant to start a fire. I said, “What is the worse anyone could do if they ever showed up; put the fire out?”.

Miles 16.7

June 16 2010

Start: El Burgo Ranero

Destination: Mansilla de las Mulas

It was gray and overcast this morning when I stepped outside. Just enough wet to warrant climbing inside my pack cover, put my hat on and walk face down into the rain. By late morning the rain let up and it just stayed overcast. Today’s hike is 15 miles of no asphalt roads, no towns. No villages, no farmland, no houses, no water fountains and no shade trees. On the positive note, it is the most perfect stretch of Roman Road left in Spain. Only the weeds and wild flowers have changed in the last two millennium since this path was laid. We follow the footsteps of Emperor Augustus himself but he would have traveled with an entourage of servants, not available to us humble pilgrims.

We stopped twice for a quick break, after a few minutes we would get cold and start moving again to get warm. All in all it was a rather dull boring day. Things got better when we got to the hostel though. I paid close attention to how I was feeling this afternoon. I stayed in back of the guys and did not push myself. When we got to the hostile I changed clothes and was actually able to eat a snack and finally get a shower. Every hostile has a hiker box just like the one that would become my treasure. There was a brand new poncho, which I left, and a brand new ultra lite sleeping bag which I took.

Later I went digging in the bottom of the basket again and found a roll up bag that had 4 zipper compartments in it. The first compartment held scissors, needle thread, toe nail clippers and fingernail file. The next compartment had toothpaste, comb and suncreen. I took the comb and combed my hair for the first time since I left America. The last compartment had 250 Euros in it. I just stared at the money not knowing what to do at first. The bag was on the very bottom of the basket so I knew it had been there awhile. I put the money in my pocket and thanked God for this unexpected gift.  It would almost make up for losing my iPod.

Tomorrow John and I will take the bus into Leon. Neither of us wants to walk through a big noisy city. The night ended on a sour note as my new found sleeping bag was gone and then someone said some hurtful remarks to me and I ended up crying myself to sleep. Too bad the remarks weren’t in Spanish!

Miles:15.2

June 17, 2010

Start: Mansilla de las Mulas

Destination: Leon

There were too many people around the stove this morning for me to cook the potatoes and eggs we had, I wished Lou well and crawled back in bed. I tried hard to go back to sleep but it just wouldn’t work. The guy in the bunk above me had come down and was digging around in the hiker basket muttering under his breath. I asked him what he was looking for and in a combination of Hungarian and English; he told me some of his stuff had been stolen, including 250 Euros. Suddenly a light came on in my head and I realized what had happened.

I got up dug around in my pack and found the comb I had taken. He looked at me questioningly and asked if it was on the floor. I shook my head no….then I took out 250 Euros and handed it to him. He still had a dumb founded look on his face. “You steal from me?” he asked.

I then tried to explain to him how it was that hikers had taken things from his basket. It looked just like a laundry basket with belts along the side. It took me awhile to get the point across to him how we thought it was hiker discards and what that meant. We did not mean to steal from him.

When he finally understood he burst into tears and cried on my shoulders hugging me very tightly. I made him a sign to put on his basket at night that said “This is my back pack please do not touch…privado”. He hugged me some more cried some more and told me all he had was 250 Euros for this trip. He would play his mandolin in the hostels at night and teach Hungarian songs for donations. He picked up his comb and asked if he could give it to me as a gift. I said yes sure. He didn’t have much hair and I don’t know why he was even carrying a comb. I probably could have help lighten his pack considerer ably but figured I had done enough damage. He still was missing some things, but he had his money and that was the big thing.

I packed my stuff and went in search of John. We got to the bus stop just minutes before the bus came. It was a nice ride, looking at all the scenery from the bus window. Neither of us wanted to walk through the long industrial section of Leon, much less all the way through the busy streets. We got to the bus stop, asked directions to the monastery and set off.

We came across an outdoor store where John got a jacket and sleeping bag and I got a sleeping bag. Now watch the weather will turn hot as Hades and here I am with a sleeping bag. We headed out and asked directions again. Thirty minutes later, we asked directions again, and then we asked directions again and again and yet again. This is the first man I have ever met that will ask directions, much less over and over again!

We finally found the monastery and checked in. Turns out Lou had beaten us there. This is the first time the bunk houses have been segregated. We are staying at the Santa Maria de Carbajalas run by the Benedictine nuns. There are 180 beds (all bunk beds) with basic facilities. It is known as a haven of peace and serenity in this busy city. There is a sung vespers each evening which we attended and even though we could not understand a word, it was very moving. Later there was a blessing of the Pilgrims serving as a reminder of the true of nature our journeying. The lights went out promptly at 10:30. All was peaceful.

Zero miles

June 18, 2010

Start: Leon

Destination: Villar de Mazarife

I was packed and downstairs waiting on breakfast by 7:00. Lou was amazed. True to the nature of Spain, breakfast was bread, jam, coffee, tea or hot chocolate. We headed out of town and walked along more farmlands glad to be out of the hustle and bustle of the big city. There was one small town where we stopped for lunch and a break before we arrived at Villar de Mazarife.

We had discussed which hostel we were going to stay in tonight. We have a choice of three. The first one San Antonio de Padua sounded just okay. The book said what it lacked in character, it made up in modern facilities. It has 40 beds in one room but lacks character. The second place El Refugio de Jesus has 30 beds in 9 small rooms (think sardines), what it lacks in modern facilities it makes up for in character. The third place, Tio Pepe is a private hostel with 20 beds all facilities, meals and a bar.

I voted to go with character as did the other hikers. We are now four as Mike (John’s lost hiking partner) has been found. We got to the first hostel which had plastic lounge chairs in the yard under a canopy of shade. It sucked Lou right in .so much for character. It was nice to lie outside and nap in the shade for awhile.

When they called us for dinner you would have thought we were in a five star hotel. The first course, salad was beautifully put together and very colorful. Our second course was a rice dish with fresh green beans, onion, garbanzo beans cooked in a tomato base. Dessert was a caramel cheesecake with caramel sauce. It was all delicious.

The only down side to the meal was half way through it John started feeling bad. He had come in and laid down when we first got here which is unlike him .He said he was cold and couldn’t get warm and no matter how much he drank he was still thirsty. He gets up from the table, stumbles over to an oversize chair and collapses in it. Our manager/chef was also a retired doctor.

He told the waitress to get his blood pressure cuff and hurry. At least that is what we interpreted it to be. He took John’s blood pressure and with a very concerned look told her to call an ambulance .About that time John stiffened out in the chair, broke out in a profuse sweat and was out like a light. My first thought was that he was dead. He wasn’t breathing and was still, then all of a sudden his head slumped over and he was gone. He probably wasn’t out more than a few seconds (it seemed like minutes to me). Five EMTs showed up, took his vitals, blood work and an EKG. Everything checked out fine so they all left. The manager said John had experienced some sort of an experience of the Camino. That something inside him had escaped. We got John up to the bunk room got him in bed and went to sleep hoping tomorrow would be better.

Miles 14.4

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, News