Peanut Butter Mud
I knew today was going to be a challenge when I missed Wordle for the first time in almost 100 attempts.
Breakfast was excellent. Not just toast and jam and yogurt, but several hot choices like eggs and waffles. Loading up on the carbs paid off. Within 15 minutes of setting out, it began to rain. That lasted for about four miles and we then got a short reprieve. As we left the city behind us, the surface went from road to paved trail, to pebbles, to mud. Lots and lots and lots of mud.
Anytime we would have to climb a hill, the rain would wash down and expose rocks, and make the clay so viscous that it almost sucked your shoes off your feet. It was a real test of equipment today. Spence has a better rain suit but mine did pretty well. The shoes, although soggy, provided decent traction. Without the tracking poles, I don't know that many of the paths would have been navigable.
We discovered a noticeable difference between the varying grades of mud. We describe them as chocolate pudding and peanut butter. The pudding is very slippery, and the peanut butter tries to pull your shoes off with its stickiness.
Beyond protection from the rain, it was important not to overheat, as you’re essentially wrapped in a plastic bag. There were several stages with hats on or hats off, jacket open or jacket closed. The layered approach was key.
At our first coffee stop I took advantage of the hand dryer in the men's room, reminiscent of a scene from Desperately Seeking Susan. I'm no Madonna, but getting hot air up under the layers was a delightful respite. The unfortunate side of wrapping so tightly is that while it keeps the rain from penetrating into your clothing, the perspiration makes things moist underneath..
All in all, it was a good day. Once we hit the city limits, the last mile seemed incredibly easy.
The funny thing is, I don't look down the road at what the next day's challenge will be. After you climb the virtual Pyrenees during the first days, and then sleep, you figure it'll get easier. Then, it's 15 miles. The next day, it's 17. Today our hike was just short of 19 miles. I guess tomorrow is almost a rest day — it’s only supposed to be 13 miles. Did I mention it will be raining again tomorrow?
The advantage of booking our rooms in advance allows us to forge ahead knowing we have a place to stay for the night. We ran into others today who were forced to go beyond where they had planned because hostels were full. The downside of having rooms booked is that it demands you put in the mileage regardless of conditions – your physical condition and the weather condition. But I think I will always prefer to push through knowing I have a place to sleep.
We are getting cleaned up, heading out to dinner, and then coming right back to bed. We don't get to do a lot of tourism. Mostly what we see of the city is along the Camino trail, which fortunately passes through many historic districts.