Allison Cowie

Muxía to Finisterre / 23 miles

• Walking around the point to see waves crashing on the giant rocks beneath the old church and lighthouse
• Climbing up on the rocks to soak in the view and the moment, until the wind nearly knocked me over and I climbed back to the path
• Finding Muxía’s “Km 0,000”
• Heading out of town along the coastline as the sky darkened
• Climbing into the hills as rain began to fall
• Thinking, “is that thunder I hear?”
• Freaking out about lightning and sheltering under someone’s carport in the next village
• To my shock and delight, seeing my friend Manolo walking by the carport and flagging him down
• Huddling together for a few minutes until Manolo decided we should continue on, possible thunder and lightning be damned
• Hearing no thunder and beginning to calm down while Manolo told me about his two-day, 90-km trek to Muxía (he’d taken a rest day in Santiago while I’d continued on immediately)
• Walking through a giant wind farm when the lightning and thunder started again
• Speedwalking ahead and into the valley so I wouldn’t get struck by lightning while Manolo told me not to worry, he’d never heard of a pilgrim getting struck
• Manolo’s kind words failing to give me any comfort and continuing to remain on high alert until the sun broke through
• Seeing a few pilgrims I knew coming toward Muxía from Finisterre after we parted ways at the fork in the road the previous day
• Tortilla and a tuna empanada for lunch (Manolo had tortilla and coffee)
• Walking through mostly sunshine and occasional rain for the final 14km, the whole way with Manolo, my dearest Camino friend
• Arriving in Finisterre, fin-de-tierra, end of the earth until Columbus sailed the ocean blue
• Collecting my Fisterrana, certifying I’d walked to the end of the world
• Actually walking to the end of the world after dropping my bag off at my hotel — the town of Finisterre is 3km away from the rocky point that marks this Km 0,000
• Making my way to the point and lighthouse for sunset
• Sitting on the rocks while watching the sun peak out from behind the clouds over the Atlantic, then disappear as the rain began to pour
• Feeling soaked yet cleansed by the rain — a fitting moment of renewal marking the beginning of the journey to come