103 miles and 8 days to go…the countdown begins…

In an attempt to avoid the rain forecasted later in the morning, we decided to leave early this morning… Up at 5, out the door by 5:45 am, sun up at 6:20.

Hiking in the pre-dawn is a very special experience… We appeared to be the first pilgrims out, the trail was mostly on the road this morning, so, easy to follow.  No traffic as its a Sunday and we ended up following a river all day, so it was easy to focus on the sound of rushing water and the beautiful mountains surrounding us.  With day after day of long walking meditations in nature, my mind is clear of the normal concerns and is able to spontaneously go to a big life decision I have been pondering…I get some insights…

Gina has bad blisters right now, so she is to take a taxi today…I caught up with Christine in 4 miles at the first cafe, we end up walking the rest of the day together.

As we walk through several small towns, we stop at two of the churches.  They are ancient, well cared for with elaborate altar adornment.  Christine and I pay special attention to all the different depictions of Mary.