When I got to Ponferrada, I had achieved my injured-Achilles-induced-goal. Everything else has been A Bonus. More recently I did not know what state I would be in after the O Cebreiro climb and descent, and I knew I could take a bus from Samos to Sarria and on to Sobrado Monastery, which I am very fond of, if I needed to. Judging by the line of pilgrims at the bus stop yesterday morning, I’d say others knew about the bus to Sarria too.
But I walked.
In fact I walked a little past Sarria, so I would not be tempted to call it a day there!
And I walked again today.
I was fully expecting hordes of pilgrims, but saw only a handful in the first two hours.
It was truly tranquil. Then I slowed down to sketch…
…and before you could say “Buen camino”, this was happening:
I started to think My-2024-Camino-from-Pamplona-to-Portomarín had quite a ring to it.
BUT…a few days ago I had started plotting distances to see if I could make it to Santiago by the 17th (five days earlier than my hopeful plan…..a full week earlier than my worst-case-scenario-but-still-manage-to-walk-to-Santiago plan, the one that would have had me walking in to the city and hopping on a plane to Madrid the same day….and just three days earlier than GraphGuy’s optimistic plan)
Why the 17th?
My brother-in-law and sister-in-law will be leaving Santiago that day, and I thought it would be nice to catch up with them. Could I do it? Maybe. Then I realised the 17th is the day GraphGuy is having his surgery. After all he’s done for all of us to make reading this blog a much more interesting and informative experience, it seemed there could be no better finish than if I walked into Santiago while robots were removing his insides.
Speaking of GraphGuy, yesterday he confessed that he had been updating the graphs based on the distances on a Camino app. Remember he does this for fun.
I sent him Real Live Data along with a sneak preview of the idea that I was thinking about choosing his auspicious Silly Seventeenth as my finish date.
By the time I woke up this morning, my inbox was full of reading matter and pretty pictures that meant I wouldn’t need to take many photos today and the blog would still look good.
Classroom Management 101 says don’t distribute handouts until you have finished speaking and taking questions, because no one will listen once they are distracted. Same must go with Guy’s Graphs – I’ll save them until the end!
If all goes according to my highly revised most recent plan, today marks the beginning of my last week walking to Santiago. That feels significant.
In an effort to bias for the best and not ruin my plan by not being able to get accommodation and having to walk farther and potentially causing injury, which could mean a premature end to the walk, I have even booked three nights.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The moment you have all been waiting for has arrived…
To reach Santiago
– 110.8 Kms as per Buen Camino App
– 7 walking days
– 15.8 Kms per 7 walking days AND YOU ARE THERE ON JUNE 17TH!!!
NOTE: Rolling 3 day walking KMs for past 3 days is 17.9 Kms.
This must be tough going however the end goal is in sight! Keep going but please only do so in a safe manner!
Buen Camino
GraphGuy
Projected distances:
Wednesday 16.2km
Thursday 12km (or 16.6 with detour to frescoes and stone effigies of knights) (incidentally this day I am onto the last page of my planning spreadsheet)
Friday 19.6km
Saturday 19.8km
Sunday 22.7km
Monday 4.4km
Given that I made it here today…
…that sounds about right.
SoloWalk2024 