I left my hotel at 7:00 and started walking. Yes, I was one of those irritating people using their poles on the pavement. I found the Camino shells in the street and slowly headed out of old town, through the shiny apartment area, green parks, University of Navarra, and new suburbs. I was once again in the river of pilgrims. Everyone said Buen Camino as they passed.
My first stop was at Cizur Menor, a village turned suburb, up the first hill, for a much needed cafe con leche and a slice of tortilla. I shared a table with a delightful mother and daughter from the Midwest. Then it was as time to walk again, and we entered the countryside. The sun warmed as the trail steepened. Up, up, up we went toward the Alto de Perdón at the top of the ridge with its spine of windmills.
Mud. There were sections of the trail underwater from the recent rains, and some low points were just muddy. That’s where poles are so valuable. But it’s tricky sometimes to keep your footing. In one spot pilgrims had walked on tufts of grass way off to the side of a muddy spot, and I followed their lead but it was jelly like underneath. The boots got a good coating of mud.
The next stop was Zariquigui, a village perched on the hillside, with an exquisite little church dedicated to San Andres. I stopped in to see it and enjoy the coolness inside.
After a banana and more water, it was time to get going. The trail went straight up the hill. It was tough, I had to stop a lot, but kept going, navigating through muddy patches. I made a point of looking back to see how far I’d come; Pamplona was getting smaller and smaller.
My poles were good for more than mud. On the last steep bit I found landed them to help pull me up the path.
Finally, the famous cut-out sculpture, with silhouettes of medieval pilgrims, came into view. About 25-30 pilgrims were resting and taking pictures of themselves with the sculpture. I took off my boots and socks and had a chat with an Australian couple. It felt great to be at the top, but I knew there wad demanding terrain going down. It felt good to take a minute and savor it.
One Footestep at a Time 