One Of Those Days

Every other day is one of those days when regardless of the weather or conditions, it's a slog.

On paper, today was pretty hard but for me on the ground it was torture. The first 18km was a narrow muddy and rocky trail, ranging feom one to several feet wide.  It's not like just walking when every step puts your foot at different 'yaw and pitch' angles. It was exhausting.

It took me five hours to do those 18km. The last 10km had good footing but the sun was frying the left side of me. It was mind over matter but my mind made it miserable. My left arm and leg looked purple red and I was afraid to even wonder what the left side of my face looked like.  I swear, even the top and left side of my cap are sun bleached from blue to purple. I was the last to arrive at the barracks and there was no more hot water. It felt great.

In the end, I'm actually not that burned at all.  Tomorrow's destination is Puente la Reina. It's 2 km farther than today and 10f hotter. But on the 'every other day' theory, it's bound to be easier today.

Oh and by the way, I got a fantastic personal reminder that I'm back in Basque country when I handed my US passport over to the albergue admin lady. Connecticut!!!