Day 9.
I haven't lost sight of the fact that I'm in a beautiful country, hiking with an awesome friend, but I need to do a little whining...
Remember my allergic reaction from yesterday? Well, I took some meds, and passed out, literally. I couldn't even begin to think of keeping my eyes open. Good news - the itching and red rash all over my body stopped. Bad news - I woke up feeling like my hands were going to pop off my wrists.
For some reason both my hands are so filled with fluid that I couldn't even bend my fingers. Weird.
Ok, so we started hiking bright and early, and guess what - we were in the fog. (Seeing a pattern here?)
Cool mist covered us as we left O'Cadavo.
We knew today was going to be a long day - 30+ km, so we started out cheery and positive. We hiked pretty fast and came upon another pilgrim that had his shoe off and was limping around a cross.
MJ asked if he was ok, and he showed us his giant blister on his toe. Well, MJ, being the traveling nurse with her first aid supplies, sat right down and helped him mend his toe.
Save #1 of the day.
We kept walking and walking and walking. Passing all the closed churches and empty towns.
We started getting desperate for food. See, we would have gotten snacks in O'Cadavo, but we were there on a Sunday, and the only store in town is closed on Sundays.
We saw a sign for food and kept trudging along when we found this little guy.
There are lots of dogs around, but most are chained up being used as guard dogs. This little terrier mutt face was sitting on a wall waiting for some pets.
Shortly after we found a vending machine with ham sandwiches - which, I know, sounds strange, but seems quite normal after you've been here for a while.
Right after our machine lunch, my right leg exploded. Not literally, obviously, but I felt a huge gush of liquid flood down from my hip to my foot. I had to stop to make sure there wasn't any blood seeping out, but there must have been an internal gush, because at that moment, my shin burst into flames and it felt like I was being stabbed. Excruciating.
Then MJ says - sounds line shin splints. I have a leg brace, so you want one? AND THEN she pulls a freaking leg brace out of her medical kit.
Save #2.
We thought we only had 10 more kilometers to go, so I decided to hobble. Little did we know that this day would turn into a 38 km (23 mile) day, the last third of which I felt like I was going to loose a leg.
Ok, so now I have more physical pain. Wasn't I just saying that I was starting to be able to think about more than just physical pain? My shin is killing me, my hands are still balloons, and it's only day 9.
THEN - to top it off, we arrive to Lugo, which is a big step, and this is how we find things.
Completely empty. No one. Nothing. Stores closed. Not a soul in sight. I know this could be siesta time, but isn't this the height of tourist season? Now, how do we get food before 8:30 pm? Oh we - we don't.
Whining done.
Once again, MJ's Tia called ahead and booked us a room for queens. Here's the view.
Now - time to rest and stretch.
Today's totals = O'Cadavo -> Lugo 38 km (23 miles)
No comments:
Post a Comment