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Cruz de Ferro, wrong road, and a wild high-altitude encounter.
July 7: departure from Rabanal, passage at Cruz de Ferro, then descent toward Acebo and Molinaseca.
In the morning I headed toward Cruz de Ferro together with Sara, a girl I had met in Sanbol and crossed paths with several times in the following days. She is a particular person, very spiritual. After the cross, without realizing it, we took a wrong detour: a beautiful mountain road pointing toward Prada de la Sierra, but it was not the Camino.
After 5-6 km we found ourselves in front of an incredible scene: a herd of wild horses beyond a hollow. Two foals came out spontaneously from the group and approached us, wary but curious, letting us pet them for a few minutes. Sara was also very happy about that unexpected detour: seeing horses like that, free in nature, gave us one of the best moments of the day. Then what looked like their mother appeared on top of the little hill: she did not have to do anything, the two little ones ran straight to her. A beautiful encounter, one that stays with you.
The real problem came right after: checking the map we realized the mistake. Going back meant doing another 5-6 km, but even continuing was not simple because internet was not working and the map, when zooming, stayed blurry and useless. At that point Sara started doing her gestures “to attract positive energy” and, coincidence or not, shortly after the network came back. I managed to load details and check options: there were no real shortcuts, only returning on a parallel track that brought us back basically toward the Cruz de Ferro area, a little farther ahead.
We chose that solution and got back on the official route. My only regret is that, being already so close, we could have visited Prada de la Sierra, which seems a very particular place, because it is a tiny village inhabited by very few people, almost deserted. But we were already tired and a bit drained at the idea of adding even more distance.
For the rest of the day I continued to Acebo for a stop and then to Molinaseca: a long, off-plan stage, but memorable.
In the evening, among messages, an unexpected thought arrived too: Ocean wrote me with early birthday wishes.
Open mountain, silence broken only by hooves and wind, then the return to the trail with a clearer head and much heavier legs.
On the Camino you can take a wrong road, but that does not necessarily mean a wrong day: sometimes exactly the unexpected events build the strongest memories.
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