It’s the first day in the last 19 that I managed to walk from one albergue to the next without being rained on. But it didn’t matter. It had rained all night and the trails had become creeks in some places, and the ground had turned to mud. Two minutes of walking through rain-drenched waist-high grass and I was soaked to the core. My feet were enveloped in saturated socks for the duration.
It was hard for me to believe really how much mud there was. In one stretch of 5.4 kilometers, the mud, combined with a considerable amount of tree fall across the trail, we managed a pace of only three kilometers per hour, about half our usual pace.
Still, Birte and I loved the trail. It was rugged, challenging, and not for the timid. Despite the overcast weather conditions, we still enjoyed excellent views, and although we were completely soaked from the waist down, with our feet and shoes covered in mud, we agreed that the trail was still better than walking along the highway.
We had a few precarious descents on mud and wet rock, nearly falling many times but managing with a few deft moves to stay on our feet, that is, until we descended a steep slope from the church at Santa Cristina de Lena, where Birte slipped, performed some kind of twisting ballet move to try to keep her balance, and then finally did fall onto her backpack. She was unhurt, and we laughed until we were in tears.
We met some friendly locals today, and they all mentioned the rain, saying how bad it’s been and how unseasonal. One fellow suggested we forget the trail and just stay inside eating, drinking, and napping. Not a bad idea, I thought.
We are staying in an albergue in Pola de Lena for the night. It’s the best public albergue I’ve seen in a while, although it doesn’t have a kitchen. But it has hot showers, working radiators to dry wet clothing, warm, clean beds, and friendly staff. What more could one ask for?