Photo: Concrete marker is typical for the Camino
May 25, 2001 I left early in the morning at 6:30, before the sun came up. It was easy to follow the path, marked by yellow arrows painted on roads, sides of buildings, or walls. Occasionally I would pass a concrete marker with an impression of a large seashell that also signified the path.
Jim had told me that even if you took a wrong turn, the locals would soon set you right. He told of a woman who came running out her house waving a broom and calling "Peregrino! Peregrino!" and showed him the correct path.
Photo: Village of El Acebo
Another peregrino story was that a pilgrim set out from the refugio one morning and soon encountered a dog that insisted on walking with him. Though he tried to discourage the dog from following him, the dog still tagged along. Later that day the pilgrim reached a fork in the road and took what he thought was the camino. He walked a short distance and realized that the dog was no longer with him.
The dog was still at the fork in the road and was barking at him. He then realized he had made a mistake and was on the wrong path. He and the dog eventually reached a village church, at which point the dog stopped and went back the way he came. A local villager told the pilgrim that the dog every day chooses a pilgrim to walk with and then returns to his home at the end of the day.
Photo: Cruz de Ferro on Monte Irago summit
I had breakfast of coffee and toast at Rabanal, 4 miles down the road from El Ganso. From there it was a long slow ascent to the Cruz de Ferro. There were a few other pilgrims on top.
At the village of El Acebo I had a cured ham (jamon serrano) bocadilla in a bar that was crowded with other pilgrims. One of the pilgrims commented that they are in a few bars every day. I filled my water bottles at the village fountain.
The afternoon got very hot and I was tired by the time I reached Molinaseco. I had walked about 20 miles that day. The large refugio had a staff and a bar. The cost was about $2.50 for a bed. By nightfall the refugio was full. Besides French and Spanish, others there included Jim, a middle aged Toronto man in between careers, a 30sh American woman, and a New Zealander.
Credential stamp
Map of camino
