Camino del Norte – Day 7: Mondoñedo – Vilalba – 34,5 km
Wen leaving Mondoñedo the atmosphere seemed to have cleared up after last night’s thunderstorms. It could very well become a nice weather day. Clearly I was not aware yet of what lay ahead of me.
After a few turns and streets that went down a turn followed that entered a country road that was partly washed away by yesterday’s rain and this road went up. And it continued to go up for 6 km’s from an altitude of 132m to 663m. The climb continued and continued, whenever I thought (hoped?) I had reached the peak, there was another ascent ahead of me. In the meantime the sun had broken through, which made it a hot endeavor, as the photo shows.
It was however a beautiful walk, just extremely steep and hot. If you ever think that walking the Camino is a walk in the park then think again: the Camino is a serious hike.
On top of the mountain the atmosphere changed completely once again, when I entered a dense fog. A surreal difference within a few minutes.
The day followed mostly downhill, with some minor climbs up. But then again, after the first climb every other one was minor Today.
During the whole day I only saw 3 other Pilgrims which reconfirmed the quietness of this particular route. A quietness I like, as it gives a lot of time for reflection. Reflect about almost everything, from business, family and friends to recent news. Reflection puts things in a different perspective, you think and question your thinking, it opens new insights.
Sometimes it is great to think about nothing, and just walk.
