Canero | Living Between the Swells - Day 111

This statute sits outside an old hospital for Peregrinos in Soto de Luiña that is now closed. As I pass, I think of all my fellow Peregrinos and wish them well.

Day 26 takes me from Soto de Luiña to Canero. The stage is 31 km (19 mi), and the hike climbs and descends several times along the coast. A challenging day. 

Only two kilometers from Soto de Luiña, Timo and I arrive at a critical junction. The road left heads into the mountains, and the path on the right to the coast. It is overcast, and I can smell the rain coming. We both opt to follow the slightly longer coastal route.

When I pass this ivy this morning, I am reminded that the season is changing, and so is the region. In a few days, I will leave the Asturias Region that I enjoy so much. The Camino will head inland and into the Galicia region.

As I enter the town of Novellana, I pass this sign. Only 251 km (156 mi) to Santiago! Woot! I notice New York is 5,469 km ( 3,398 mi) away. This sign reminds me that the US is a long way away from me at the moment. Not just physically but emotionally too. 

Shortly after leaving Novellana, Timo and I are joined by Quinn. Quinn is in his mid-30s and works at a ski resort in Juneau, Alaska. He started the Camino from Irun on August 27th. Quinn is walking alone this morning because his family and traveling companions (6 in total) are all nursing wounds like blisters and sore knees. He fits right in with Timo and me. The three of us continue on. I say, are you guys up for a little detour? The Playa de Silencio is supposed to be a can't-miss spot along the Camino Del Norte. They both shake their heads and say, "Sure." The view west from the overlook is fantastic!

However, the view east looks down onto Playa de Silencio and is even more stunning. We stop and admire the view while we fuel up. It's windy this morning and slightly humid. I can't decide if I should hike with my raincoat or not.

When we leave, the weather decides for me. It starts to rain. So, I reach into my daypack and pull out my jacket as we descend along the trail. Once we climb, it stops raining. The three of us shed our jackets as we are too hot. Then the rain starts again about 10 minutes later. This time it's windy, and I add my pants to stay warm. This pattern repeats every time we surface from a climb. This adds to the difficulty of the day and gets tiresome. 

My heels are still sore this morning, so I am trying to take it easy without stressing them too much. The ligaments in my left knee are starting to feel much better.

The trail is a muddy mess from the rain the last few days. It is not nearly as muddy as I expected, but I still need to be careful. 

The trail alternates between pavement at the top of the climbs. Then when we descend and climb back out it turns to mud. We are tired of repeatedly taking our rain gear on and off. 

Finally, with a few kilometers to go before Cadavedo, the weather decides for us. It starts to pour. The little bit of dry socks I had is now totally gone. However, it doesn't bother me as I am warm, which matters most to me.

Timo and Quinn plan to stop in Cadavedo. I am pushing further to Canero. Today is a good day to add a few extra kilometers. 

So, when we arrive in Cadavedo, Quinn peels off first, and leaves us. His family group is here in town, and he needs to rejoin them. We wish each other Buen Camino. Then Timo and I continue. This gives us a chance to pick up on our conversation before he peels off at the Albergue near the end of town.

Shortly after, I pass La Yalga Albergue. It looks like a nice place, and the logo resonates with me. I could use a spa day. It's another 10 km (8 mi) to Canero from Cadavedo. I'm walking in solitude once again, and leave Timo in Cadavedo.

I reflect on the waves of Peregrinos that I have encountered since Irun. It is easy to get knocked off course when these waves consume me. If I am not grounded, I can easily get swept up in the haste and frustrations that travel with the waves of Peregrinos. Sometimes, I walk into a wave because I did extra kilometers like I did at Santillana Del Mar. Other times, waves catch me from behind because I am  doing shorter stages. There are also several bottlenecks on the Del Norte. These can intensify the waves. In some cities, Peregrinos must stop regardless of whether they are doing short or long daily stages. Villaviciosa was like that. Right before the Primitivo split off, Peregrinos were concentrated in the city. Bottlenecks occur when the next day's stage is long and few towns or no Albergues exist before the end of the stage. This forces everyone to congregate at a single city regardless of their schedule. When this happens the Peregrinos bunch up for a day or two until more options become available.

The walk is relatively easy but long this afternoon. The sun finally breaks through, and I shed my rain gear. I notice this part of Asturias county has much more corn than further east.

When I left the Albergue this morning, I noticed there was a poster for a massage therapist from Luarca that travels to meet Pergerinos. He charges only 30 euros for a Peregrino massage. The massage focuses on the legs and shoulders. It is time I help my body recover more quickly. When I arrive at the Hotel, I will contact Guillermo and see if I can get an appointment today.

I arrive at Hotel Conero around 330 pm and check in. After settling, I grab a late lunch and notice Sierra sitting by herself, enjoying a bottle of red wine. "Hey!" she says. What happened? I thought you'd be at least a day ahead after I saw you in Gijón. "Yeah. I got sick. I had to rest. I stopped in Soto de Luiña for an extra day. But I was feeling better and did 30 km today." This means we were both in Soto de Luiña at the same time. It is remarkable how I can be in the same location as another Peregrino and never see encounter them. Then a day or two later, our paths cross. 

Interestingly, many Peregrino I have met in the last couple of days have been primarily young Americans. I find these younger Americans resonate more with me. The older Peregrinos often appeared to travel with closed hearts and clouded minds. I take a moment to reflect on whether I was not receptive to Americans early in my Camino or if it was them. I clearly remember making an effort and being put off by the responses or actions of older American Peregrinos.

It is strange finding myself between swells of Peregrinos. I never know who I will encounter. At times, it feels like I am walking the Camino alone. It is interesting how I can walk many kilometers, stay in the same towns as other Peregrinos, and never even see them. When I am between swells, I feel like I can't get away from certain Peregrinos. I see them every time I stop and multiple times during the day. Generally, I try to avoid Peregrinos that snore, stink or both. It can be much more difficult than I would like it to be. In those cases, there is not much I can do except let go. I remember a German man in La Isla who smelled so bad that I could smell him from my bunk three beds away.

After lunch, around 445 pm, I contact Guillermo. Fantastic! He can be here around 6 pm. I have no idea where we will set up his massage table. My hotel room is tiny. When he arrives, we have the same vision and flip my bed on its side. This gives Guillermo enough space to set up his table and barely enough room to walk around it. The one-hour massage was exactly what I needed. Unfortunately, he found two huge knots in my shoulders. Guillermo doesn't speak much English, but I understand when he says this is common for Peregrinos. He works hard to release the knot by applying pressure. He presses so hard with his fingers that I can't hold back the tears. "It will hurt tomorrow. Day after, you'll be better," he says. I thank Guillermo for this time and spend the evening relaxing. I am glad I made time for myself today.