As indicated in an earlier post, there are three trials to the Camino,  first the physical trial as you adjust to carrying your pack 20-30 KMs per day, then the mental trial crossing the long, dusty plains of the Meseta and Tierra del Campos between Burgos and Leon, and then finally the spiritual trial in the final third of the journey.  My spiritual trial was now commencing!   I cut out of León on the 21st day of my walk and headed west, back out to the Spanish countryside,  with another ascent into the high country awaiting me and dark clouds smothering the distant peaks.

Earlier in my journey I got a recommendation to check out a vegetarian hostel in Orbigo called “Verde”.  I am not a hardcore vegetarian (basically impossible in Spain) but I have made it a point to target vegetarian hostels during this trip because it guarantees the freshest possible food and a community of cool pilgrims who don’t snore!  Well you can see from the food spread above we ate well that night:  wild rice, vegetable curry (all veggies came from their own greenhouse),  massive green salads, fresh baked bread and homemade hummus to slather over the bread. During dinner we were serenaded by our hosts on guitar and Ukelele, and desert was vegan brownies.  I ate massively that night and slept soundly.

The next day I walked 34 KMs to catch up with my friends Dominique, Barb and Bea in the mountain town of Rabinal.  Ominously, I got hit with a rain storm during the final 6ks of walking – the first deployment of my rain gear in two weeks!

After dinner in Rabanal we ducked into the town’s small 11th century Romanesque chapel and attended a vespers mass conducted by three monks attached to the adjacent monastery.   Essentially these three chanted the entire mass in Latin with the exception of the scripture readings which were read by pilgrims in English and Spanish.   I just closed my eyes,  closed out all tboughts in my head and allowed the mystical sounds to wash over me.

The following morning we woke up to a sublime sunrise and no precipitation.   It was cold, with temps in the 30s and a sheen of iced-over sleet covered the hillsides.   This day,  the 24th day of my journey,  was destined to be quite memorable as we ascended to the Camino’s most famous landmark, the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross), with a last gasp of winter gathering force beyond the summit.

Upon arrival at the Cruz I extracted two stones  from my pocket,  which I had borne on the journey all the way from Bainbridge Island in preparation for this moment.  One stone was heart shaped (Thank you Grace Macleod) which aptly symbolized  my gratitude for the love and support of Amy and my children, and the other stone  represented everything I wanted to release for next phase of my own life journey.

What a strange feeling to climb up the pile of stones surrounding the base of the Cruz, knowing you stand upon the collective dreams, prayers and fears of 500 years of pilgrimage.  I added my stones to the pile, wrapping them up  in my message to Santiago,  laying them at the base of the cross, while Dominique took pictures with my camera.    It almost felt like a moon landing!

Dominique and I contemplated the Cruz for another few minutes while the mountain fog thickened and temps started dropping.  I snapped one final selfie and then we resumed our journey west to Santiago, climbing a second summit above the Cruz.

Well I guess it was only fitting on this Camino which has included howling, poncho-shredding winds, sheets of rain, flooded trails, treacherous swollen stream crossings and baking heat on the Via Romana, that I should get slammed with a snow storm –  one final meteorological drama! I could not help but smile and marvel at the perfection of a journey which contained every conceivable weather element in 24 days.  Bring  it Santiago!

Beyond the pass I ran into Garreth Roach from Dublin moving at a slow pace down the Camino.   Garreth was literally the first pilgrim  I met in back in St. Jean Pied de Port  on April 5th as I sat down for dinner at the Kaserna Hostel.    After Kaserna, I did not see him again for 10 days, and then we stumbled across each other in Granon and our Caminos have since  dovetailed across Spain.  Garreth is a classic Irishman with a quick wit and warm heart and loves a cold cerveza at the end of 28k walk as much as I do!

One of the magical aspects of the Camino is the unexpected arrival of sanctuary when the elements are getting the best of you and your body needs a break.   With the snow still coming in and visibility minimal I picked up the clanging of a bell in the distance and let the sound guide me into the tiny town of Manjarin and a welcome cafe.  Tomas the bell ringer was calling in pilgrims, and stoking an outdoor fire where we could warm our hands and sip hot coffee. Hanging from a little red box to his left was a Bluetooth speaker from which the enchanting sounds of woman singing in rythmical Arabesque notes completed the scene.  Perfecto!

I will wrap up this post with this last photo I took as I descended the pass and the snow finally abated.  You see many shrines like this on the Camino,  dedicated to a pilgrim who lost their life on the journey.  This man,  Micheal Cura was young, only 16 at the time of his death so its hard to imagine what could have happened to him.  That said I took this photo because I loved the simple message on his memorial plaque which read as follows:

”The boat is safer anchored at the port;  but that’s not the aim of boats”