Day 20: Glorious morning, hellacious descent

Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca / 16.9 miles

Highlights:

Maybe the most beautiful day on the Camino so far!
Coming to the Cruz de Ferro and forgetting to leave my rock on the pile. Tditionally, pilgrims carry a stone from their homes to leave behind by this iron cross. The stone represents the pilgrim’s sins, which are symbolically forgiven when leaving the stone behind. Apparently I wanted to hold onto my sins for a little longer
Realizing I hadn’t left my rock on the Cruz de Ferro and starting my own pile on a way marker half a kilometer down the path
Leaving Rabanal in the pre-dawn light, immediately starting a steeper ascent into wooded mountains
Watching the sun rise behind me as I stood among fir trees a few kilometers from the summit
A breakfast so “large” the cafe owner commented on it (but how hikers get by on a single croissant and a coffee, I will never know). For the record, I enjoyed a coffee, a fresh squeezed OJ, a chocolate croissant and a thick slice of tortilla de patata along with a couple slices of bread. I accidentally under-ate the day before, so this was nowhere near too much food for me in that moment!
Starting to see leaves turn all shades of gold and rust, dotting the hillsides with swaths of autumn colors among the green
Entering El Bierzo, one of my favorite provinces of the Camino. Lots of tiny villages full of very old grey stone buildings. The landscape and architecture at times reminded me of Bavaria or the Salzburg surroundings
Maybe 10kms of constant downhill hiking on slippery loose rock — a challenge for my knee, but nothing my rodillera couldn’t handle. Thank goodness it hadn’t rained, or this would have been very difficult
Soaking my feet in the cold river at the entrance to Molinaseca
Walking a nearly a kilometer in my Crocs from the river to my albergue
Meeting Alfredo, the hospitalero at Albergue Santa Marina, who is one of the original creators of the modern day Camino de Santiago. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia visited Molinaseca in 1999 to honor his work in creating the infrastructure that has permitted the Camino to grow from 26 pilgrims in 1989 to the hundreds of thousands who arrive in Santiago each year today. I will write a whole post about him soon!