Carried on with Rachel and Adrien. Spirits were good today as the sun slowerlyfought through the rain. Getting ready to make some pasta and prepare for the trek to Astorga tomorrow.
Considering taking off my shoes from Cruz de Ferro to Santiago.

I’m sure we have to be over halfway by now. We pushed through today for about 40 km. We stopped in mansilla. Adrien and I cooked patatas bravas ‘fries with andalouse sauce’ and pasta carbonata, and Rachel did the dishes. We are very full from a good meal and good company.
But today wasn’t all sunshine and roses. In fact, the rain continued for most of the morning and afternoon. After about 18 km, we left a small town with a long way to go. Adrien, who had been skateboarding and walking with his board since Geneva, tried to push the board to me while I tried to catch up. The wet pavement made the board slip into an irrigation canal with filthy water running off the fields. He quickly threw off his pack and jumped into the water -forgetting about his phone, which somehow survived. He waded the strong chest high current up and down the canal for over half an hour, with no luck. The quick brown water had swept his board away from him. The mood of the three of us was a bit lower for the second half.

Note, that happened wednesday.
Thursday we took a bus for the last 18km into leon so we could find Adrien -the boy who lost his bestfriend- a new skateboard. We spent the day at the park enjoying the sun, and not carrying our packs. It was splendid. Friday we spent taking a long nap on the albergue, and wandering around the city a bit. It was a day of rest.

Leaving sahagún in the morning, going to see how far we can make it today. Excited to get to Leon.

Made it 20km before our friend adrien realized he dropped a 20 euro bill 10 kilometers back. Rachel and I waited with his pack for a little over an hour while he skateboarded over the gravel road back to where we stopped in a field. He came back with 2 hands in the air, carefully – but quickly – rolling over the last hill on his beatup skateboard. We walked 5 more km and stopped at the next albergue with a kitchen so we could make dinner and breakfast. Everyday a new adventure.

Red and blue dreads, french rap, and garbage duty.
Thunderstorms all weekend. Taking short days

No wifi last night. Stayed in san juan de ortega last night. I highly recommend that othe pilgrims make the 4km trek straight past this albergue. It was freezing, isolated, and fairly strange. It is the only albergue in that town, minus a hotel (is you can afford it, just go there). Misery loves company, and we met a lot of pilgrims there.
Today we trekked halfway to burgos, in the snow, freezing rain, and wind. We stopped in a small town at a beautiful albergue. Continuing on to burgos tomorrow.

Decided to spend the day in belorado on Saturday. Left my bag with rachel at the hostel and went for a 8 km jog up to ‘puras de villafranca’ a small town of 11 people hosting one of Spains most important magnesium mines. I got there early and an elderly local man showed me around the village before thr tour guide showed up. I had forgotten my money at the albergue, but received some grace from the tour guide after a local woman pointed out that I was the crazy american who ran up the mountain. He bought me a glass of wine, gave me the tour for free (still in spanish with a group of people) and a ride back down the mountain to the albergues. There are some perks to being a pilgrim.