Walking for Water with Camino Jim- Day 14. From Burgos to Hornillos del Camino

Yesterday, day 13 was a long day at 17+ miles. Today will be shorter so I try to sleep in. I have the window open and unfortunately the street cleaning people are up and at their work. It’s 5:30. I try but I cannot get back to sleep. I just toss and turn until 7:30 when I just can’t fight it anymore. In spite of the early wake up call I just cannot get motivated to get packed and ready to go. I head to breakfast. The good news is that it’s a real breakfast which includes eggs. It’s not just a carb fest. There are lots of fresh fruit and pastries that are just incredible but I really do well and avoid them. They would be great but only until you have to drag that decision up an attention getting hill less than two hours away.

When I walk alone for six hours I get to consider what I will or will not include in the blog. Today I have one of those moments. I almost always don’t include the truly personal side of my solitude. There is much I would like to share but believe it best not to. So here is a minor issue.

I’m packed and ready to go and I’m in the lobby getting my water bottle filled. It’s a beautiful day with perfect temperatures at 9:00 am. As I’m getting my water a middle aged women, very well dressed is standing at the front desk with her Camino credential waiting to have the desk clerk “stamp it” as proof that she was in Burgos on this day. She is an American, sorry but I can’t resist. I say Buen Camino to her and she responds in kind. She then asks me where I’m walking to today and I tell her Hornillos. She asks how far it is? I tell her about 13 miles. I can’t stop and looking at her designer sandals I ask if she intends to make today’s walk in those shoes. She thinks it’s funny and goes on to tell me that they have skipped the last two days and will probably not walk again until Leon but she needs to have the hotel stamp on her credential to get her “certificate” in Santiago. It’s actually the “Compostela” but I don’t bring it up … why bother. I wish her Buen Camino and leave the hotel heading for the Camino in hopes that in 21 more days I too can get the “certificate”.

The walk out of Burgos is really very beautiful as you walk through really nice shopping areas and then past the Cathedral which is stunning. It’s a picture prefect weather day and I’m feeling pretty good about what is ahead of me.  The walk today is both boring and then really eye opening. On my exit from the city I miss two turns and within less than twenty steps in the wrong direction two people recognize my error and yell out to me to point the correct way. It’s really very easy to miss some of the markers. Throw in a bit of daydreaming and you get the picture. If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times … the Spanish people are just really nice people.

The temperature begins to climb quickly and maybe my belief that summer has ended is short lived. Today will be in the heat with little if any shade. It’s just plain hot. I don’t see many pilgrims. My late start has guaranteed that. I walk for nearly eight miles before I stop for water and some almonds. If there was a charge to take off my backpack I would have gladly paid it.

I arrive in this little village and head to the little bar where “Emma “ from my first Camino called her father to wish him Happy Birthday from the phone booth at Malonao bar. I walk in take off my backpack, order a beer and ask the young girl what happened to the phone booth, which is now a storage area? She looks at me and asks how I know about the phone booth and I tell her the story. She gives me the one Euro beer for free as she explains to another employee about my prior visit.

With that I head to my Hostal. It has five rooms. No numbers, mine has a name it’s …  Rosa. I first take care of the laundry. My room is about 95 degrees because the sun is just pounding through the windows. The good news is that anything I wash will be dry in no time. Once that’s done and I take a shower in the ice skating rink (aka the shower) and then I immediately go downstairs to get out of this inferno. I meet Gary from British Columbia and we find a small plastic table in the shade and the temperature drops about twenty degrees. Gary is a retired policeman and is on the Camino with his wife Dawn who is recovering from a very aggressive cancer. While getting better you can just imagine how physically draining it must be to take in this walk. They plan to take a few two day brakes but are determined to do this. It was a wish for Dawn to walk the Camino before she was faced with this battle and now she is determined to do it regardless of her illness. Dawn is what makes the Camino the Camino.

We are sitting outside and Jeff the artist joins us and we spend the next hour covering all things related to facing challenges. Dinner is served to all of the Hostal residents at 7:00. There are a total of six of us. The last two, a couple from Chile. The food is really very good, starting with a seafood chowder and then a salad. At 8:30 it’s off to bed. It’s now 10:40, I can’t sleep it’s just too

hot.

Today’s data:

Miles today: 12.2

Steps today: 33,540

Total miles to date: 173.5

Total steps to date: 507,045

Total flights: 570

Good night, Buen Camino.