Media (22)
Different steps, same trail.
On June 11 I set off again from Orisson, direction Roncesvalles.
Gloomy day but beautiful: woods, trails, animals, and climbs that, despite the effort, flowed better thanks to the chats with the group I had met at the refuge the previous evening.
In this phase I also started a strict rule: drink water every 20 minutes of walking, even without thirst, because I wanted to do everything possible to help tendon recovery. On the same day the shell mission continued too: I left another one along the way, but in the meantime I had learned that the first one had not been found, and Thomas and I discussed how to close the game well with Talia.
Once in Roncesvalles I rested again for the whole afternoon and evening. There, a Korean lady who was sleeping near me in the huge dormitory gave me a patch to put on the tendon: a simple but precious help.
Meanwhile Maria did only a few kilometers that day and arrived in Zubiri with other pilgrims she did not know. Her Camino would then end between Zubiri and Pamplona, before returning to Italy. Talia was still behind, and Thomas was already ahead: it was the first concrete sign that the group was changing. And this is also the Camino: you meet people, share parts of the road, then separate; sometimes you meet again, sometimes you do not.
Orisson-Roncesvalles stage in a full day: about 20 km, with cautious pain management and full focus on recovery, hydration, and pace. With a large and crowded hostel, leaving the last shell effectively was not trivial: from there came the idea (applied the next day) to hide it and send photo clues.
If reading this diary makes you feel the Camino might be calling you, but you still need to clarify a few things, start with the free guide.
Day notes