Day 1: Pamplona — Puente La Reina 6 hours | 34,626 steps | 15.1 miles (24.3 km)
Due to dehydration after a day and a half of airplanes, I had a terrible headache for the first half of this route. Drink more water than I did! Also, bring ibuprofen. This is stretch includes a Camino sculpture at the top of a steep incline. We purchased a sandwich on the way for 3.80€ to share, and began meeting people from all over the world. It was a beautiful day to start the Camino!
Day 2: Puente la Reina — Estella
6 hours | 31369 steps | 13.68 miles (22.02 km)
Today better, but we hear Day 3 is the hardest! Muscles are sore and tired, but they loosen up when you start walking. Everyone in the Albergue wakes up at 6am, it seems like a community understanding. We purchased the Albergue breakfast, but it wasn’t worth it - it sounds like breakfast quality really varies from Abergue to Albergue. My mother just started developing a heat rash due to lack of circulation and not enough breaks during the trek. Luckily the pharmacists on every corner in Spain have met a lot of pilgrims with the same problems and can diagnose your needs.
Day 3: Estella - Los Arcos 6 hours | 32511 steps | 14.1 miles (22.69 km)
Today was bad. My mother’s heat rash got worse, and now I have one too. The rash causes swelling in our feet and ankles, which is painful and causes blisters. Luckily I don’t have the blisters like she does (yet), but we bought a lot of bandages to wrap up our feet in the morning. We again did not take a lot of breaks today (we are struggling to do this) and the rash is getting worse for both of us. The weather is beautiful, and the views are incredible. We really thought the pain would be muscular though, not this. You cannot prepare for everything on the Camino!
Day 4: Los Arcos — Logroño 7 hours | 40,817 steps | 17.8 miles (28.65 km)
Today was a better hike, but our rashes spread up from our feet to our legs. We clearly needed to do something different. The pharmacist says the rash on my mother’s feet is an internal allergic reaction to the incessant walking. She gave us pills and a gentle soap, but said we could keep walking if we are slow and take breaks. We sent my mother’s bag ahead to our next hostel today (5€) weighted down while I carried the lighter bag. We will plan to do the same tomorrow so we can continue to rest our feet despite the distances between Albergues increasing.
Day 5: Logoroño Rest
After a trip to the emergency room, Mom’s feet were so bad that we had to stop. We spent the day soaking our feet in cold water and elevating them. It is a beautiful city to stay in, and only a shame that we couldn’t walk around to see more. Day 6: Train Logroño - Burgos
Today we will take a late train to Burgos in order to skip the mountains between the cities. Then once on a more flat stretch of the Camino, we will try to walk only 10km per day. Hopefully cutting the daily distance in half will prevent the extreme swelling and blistering my mother has been experiencing, and prevent the rash we both developed from spreading. The train was only 10€ a person, and we brought wine! It was a great way to see the Spanish countryside while resting.
Day 7: Burgos - Tarjados
4 hours | 20,000 steps | 8.5 miles (13.68)
After serious foot problems and rest, we have set a new pace. Slower, shorter distances, and more breaks. In order to continue to the Camino, we must change our behavior to prevent the heat rash, circulation problems, and swelling in our feet. This is the first day of our new strategy! We are feeling refreshed and ready to walk. The municipal hostel in Tarjados costs by donation only, and in 2017 had new beds put in. We are feeling good going into week two!
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