Lorca to Los Arcos

The gate at Los Arcos...centuries old

Statue in Estella with Emi

Common El Camino marker

Julie with a new friend.

Approaching a small town on the way to Estella.

Somehow my post from the first day got deleted.  To summarize, we hiked 15 miles with packs and limped to the finish resting at the final three towns.  On day two, we decided to slow things down and stop after 6 or 7 miles.  We st.opped for the night in Lorca which consisted of two Albergues and a really small market.  It was Sunday, so the Albergues had no help to cook.  The sto was closed, but we managed to find the owner working on his truck.  He was nice enough to open up so we could actually eat.

The Albergue was small, only 20 beds, and we were in a four person room all to ourselves.  It really didn't help us sleep any better as we could still hear others waking up at 4am starting to pack to try to beat the heat.  We were up early as well, packed at our usual slow pace and hit the road for Estella, a mere 5 miles down the road.  We were able to arrive around 10am and selected a hostel to stay in based on recommendations from our guide book.

The guy at the front desk was extremely nice, and took us to a sporting goods store to look for lighter sleeping bags.  It was clear ours were much too heavy.  We bought some and proceeded to sent back our heavy bags along with jackets and rain gear that clearly wasn't needed.  Unfortunately, our net reduction was only about 15 pounds spread out over 4 people.  We still have some extras we might send back or donate.  No sense in carrying more than we need.

We had time to spend looking around town and getting the errands done.  We looked ahead to the next day and it was a 13 mile day with no resting points or water past the 6 mile mark.  Concerned how we did the first day and wanting to cover a bit more ground, we decided to have our packs sent ahead to the next town and essentially carry day packs.  It's a common practice and gets us closer to the weight that a lot of people were carrying.

The night at the hostel was interesting.  Part of their mission is to care for developmentally disabled (proper term?) individuals who seemed happy at the place but unable to really communicate effectively.  They were also a bit loud.  Taking the positive, we were glad to help support a hostel with this cause and it reminded us of all handicapped persons we saw in Lourdes.  Again we were thankful for being able to make this journey.

Julie and Marion both told us some wonderful reflections about the Camino.  We really don't need that many things, just some clothes and food.  They were thankful for all that we have as a family and their wonderful school.  Julie said that she really wants to complete this trip to the end.  She put to rest and doubts about carrying on.

So the next morning we were up at 5:15, packed and gone by 6:15, and on the road with much reduced weight.  The Camino seemed enjoyable.  Instead of wondering how far we could make it, we were enjoying the scenery, talking about it important thoughts.  Contemplating why some towns were in ruins and others rebuilt.  We saw our first Shepard and flock of sheep.  It was cool in the morning, especially compared to the 93 degrees we would feel at 1pm.

About an hour into the walk, we met up with another family but with younger kids than us, a 10 and 12year old (with small packs).  They too had sent much home or abondandoned gear along the way.  We walked with them for over an hour and really enjoyed their company.  They were packed in15 minutes, a new standard for us to reach.  They were from Ireland and the heat was killing them as well and had a similar goal of completing the day by noon, going at their own pace.  We both had come to many of the same conclusions on how to approach the Camino that was reassuring.

They stopped for a mid morning meal and we continued on, only to see them again entering the town around 1:30.  They were off before we could catch, but we might run into them again tomorrow.  We check into an Albergue run by Austrians that was filled with Germans and Austrians.  The beer was flowing at noon and they were singing songs as more Germans continued to arrive throughout the day.

Los Arcos is a small town of about1,500 residents yet has a church that rivals the Santa Barbara mission.  At 5, the whole town started for the church for a funeral.  Stores shut down and virtually everything stopped to celebrate the life of one of their fellow residents.  At 6:30, the plaza outside the church was filled with them having drinks and dinner.  It was a glimpse at how life was for the last centuries.  Tomorrow we will pass by the cemetery that has the inscription "I was what you are now, and am what you will be".