The Long Climb

The best decision we made today was to taxi forward about 6 miles to Trabadelo to shorten our walk down to about 13 miles. The first 8 miles were a nice walk thru many small villages. Then came the steep climb up to O’ Cebreiro and we were at the top of the world. Looking back and forward the valleys stretch out below us for a hundred miles. The climb was about 2,000 feet up over 6 miles and the trail was in pretty good shape. We were glad it wasn’t raining though since some of it was dirt that would quickly turn to mud. Horses go up and down with passengers who want to avoid walking. We saw a rider coming down with two trail horses with empty saddles - obviously they had just delivered their riders to the top. We are in an ancient village with all the buildings made from rock because the weather is so tough at this altitude. The Camino shuts down in November and this village would be a good reason - no way would you want to hike that trail in snow. We are feeling good today - we took our time and made sure we didn’t overstress our bodies. Finished without any major aches or pains. Dinner tonight was wonderful as usual - the food continues to amaze us. My spaghetti bolognese was perfect with just the right kind of sauce. Dianne had a wonderful vegetable soup. My main dish was ham with eggs and fries - so simple and so wonderful. Dianne had chicken cassoulet with fries that was also very good. We will sleep well tonight with a late start in the morning - it’s all downhill tomorrow which can actually be tougher than climbing.

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