Camino Day 12: Belorado to San Juan de Ortega
“The best way out is always through.”
Day 12: 23.3 kilometres - 35.667 steps
The weather is hard. There are chill winds and biting rain. The path is lovely, all dirt tracks, soft underfoot, much prettier that yesterday.
Mid morning we stumble into a small bar in hopes of a cup of tea to warm ourselves. The bar is full of dripping wet pilgrims. Puddles of water seep all over the floor. They are waiting for taxis to take them through this next leg. Current wait time – 2 hours! Donna and I are not even tempted, we are keen to walk on.
After a couple of hours hiking in the rain, the path ventures into wild country, woodlands and forest. The wild weather seems to suit this place and its quite exhilarating.
We hike up a huge hill to a memorial of a massacre which occurred during the Spanish Civil War. Huge shallow graves were unearthed here. The rain has turned to sleet, with some snow. It is bitterly cold. It’s eerie but beautiful.
Donna’s hiking pants are soaked (I’m wearing waterproof overpants) the water has run down into her boots and her socks are soaking wet. We power on into town frozen through for the final 5 kms, along muddy trails, past abandoned picnic grounds in creepy forest that feel like the perfect set for a horror film.
Before we can check in to our room, we must register at the town’s only bar. It’s full of pilgrims who have secured a place at the alburgue. I take off my wet gloves - my fingers are stiff and cramped with pain. One smug fellow tells me the alburgue is full, I’ll need to keep walking to the next town. I am so, so happy to tell him that I have a reservation here in a private room. He is a little confused as the barman hands me the key. All the poor frozen pilgrims who struggle into town for the next few hours, will need to walk another 5kms to find a warm bed. It’s horrible to think about.
We definitely do know how lucky we are. Pilgrims staying in the alburgues have a daily ‘bed race’. They leave much earlier than us, and walk fast, in order to get to a good hostel before the beds are all taken. There is a lot of accommodation along The Way but most nights our hotels are at capacity, and we have met pilgrims who spend a lot of time trying to find a bed each night. I’m so glad we pre-booked.
Tonight Donna’s boots are saturated. We will try to dry them on the radiator overnight.
POSTCARDS FROM Belorado to San Juan de Ortega
