Following the yellow gleam

The path out of Ribadeo was not hugely well marked but we eventually found our first Camino route marker and yellow arrow and we were off. I had read the stage notes and was prepared for a climb but I don’t think I had really prepared for the fact that there is no flat. Today we either climbed or we descended. I had been ambivalent about hiking poles – I’ve never used them and wasn’t sure how finicky and awkward they would be. But – total convert. When walking down a steep path and you can have 3 points of contact at all times you can maintain normal walking pace. Obviously we are not the first to discover this but I also really appreciated how it helped with the hills – like some sort of advanced rock climbing technique.

Although today’s distance was comparable to yesterday’s, the terrain was a lot harder and energy expenditure and thirst were both notable. I brought 2L of water and refilled one bottle halfway. I did not have much left at the end.

I’m too tired to come up with much else to say. I want to remember the wildflowers, the smell of eucalyptus through the first climb, the wild strawberries and the hydrangea hedgerows. Tomorrow is also a relatively short stage and also looks more flat. I am looking forward to it.