Stage 4 on to Puente La Reina with the Cheaters!

Get a glass of wine this could take a while.

I started today thinking that I was looking at a walk of about 10.5 miles but I was wrong . I was looking at the distance from Cizur Menor which is closer than Pamplona which meant that today would actually be about 14 miles.

Before I get started on today I first need to share with something I left out of yesterday's summary. I left it out because I was ashamed of what took place . I have since reconciled and in the end I trust you will agree with me. This time walking alone gets you to really think about a lot of the things you did or did not do at some point in your life. 

If you read my walk to Pamplona blog you may recall that I stopped in a very small market, had to ring a bell to get in and after helping me the owner talks me into taking a short cut for 3km on what turns out to be the Indianapolis Speedway. Here is what I did not share with you.

When I gathered the few things I bought at his market I paid him and he handed me my change which was a bunch of coins. I have no idea what their value was. I then offered them back to him as a thank you, a tip, a gratuity but he refused and instead he said to me "give it to someone you meet on The Camino who needs it".

I get to Pamplona and after I finish taking care of my gear and take a shower I need something to eat. I ask the front desk person for a recommendation and he tells me that because it is Sunday most restaurants are closed but the Hemingway place just 100 feet away is open. Perfect. I stroll over there and just as I am reaching for the door there appears this middle aged guy with a paper cup in his hand between me and the restaurant. I ignore him. He says something to me but I have no idea what he is saying to me as I enter the bar. I am not really sure .... was he asking me for money? Was that just a cup of coffee in his hand? What did he say to me?

I am half way through a beer and suddenly I am in a panic. Remember .... "give it to someone you meet on The Camino who needs it". I missed it. I feel just terrible. I pay for the beer and go outside hoping to find him and make things right but I can't find him. It's a very busy plaza with lots of outdoor sidewalk cafe's. Surly if he is asking people for money this is a place where he could find people who would have money to give him. I do two laps around the plaza but to no avail. He is gone. I feel terrible as I return to the restaurant for dinner. 

When I get back to my room I convince myself that while my first decision was not good my efforts to find him and make good on my conversation with the guy at the market does make me feel better. 

I have now committed that before I complete The Camino I will "give it to someone on The Camino who needs it". There will be a better end to this story. 

Here's where today's title comes from. While at the Hemingway bar a guy sitting next to me asks if I am on The Camino. I tell him yes.  He asks me where I am staying? I tell him at La Perla right next door. The next question is a strange one. Are you taking your luggage? Yes, I have a backpack. Long story short he explains that there are people who walk The Camino and have a currier service which  takes their luggage from one location to the next. La Perla is a very nice Hotel and I guess he just assumed that if I am staying there and walking The Camino I might be one of the cheaters, my word not his. I wonder if their credential's are stamped with an * ? Hey don't get me wrong, walking 500 miles is still no picnic but doing it with 23 pounds on your back is another story. I think their stamps should be different. Just one opinion.

So now finally on to today. It's 4:00 am and I am wide awake . I can't sleep. I am exhausted but it does not matter. I am not sure if it's a delayed reaction to jet lag or the effects of the coffee I had three days ago. I can't read anymore because my eyes are killing me and I need some eye drops to help. That story will come later.

Can't sleep might as well turn on the television . It takes me less than a minute to surf all 8 channels to choose from. Here are my choices. There are six game shows on. Lots of color, flashing lights , loud music. There are two other shows. A professional ping-pong match or a diving contest. There is nothing to watch but at least the search is over in less than a minute. It's not like home where you have to search 340 channels to reach the same conclusion. Spanish television is easier.

I have all of my gear selected for the day and I am nearly finished with packing. I head to breakfast. First I stop in the lobby to ask what time the pharmacy will open and I am told 9:00. Ok, breakfast now. It's a carb fest as usual along with a couple of pieces of fruit.  

I return to my room complete the packing and reduce one layer of clothing  because its already a beautiful day and the forecast for the entire day is good. It's just about nine and my good friend who last week escorted me to the bank is on duty. I explain that I need some eye drops. He says he will take me and explain to the clerk what is needed. The pharmacy is directly across from the hotel. It's not 50 feet from the front door. We go and he does all the talking. The women at the pharmacy asks if I have an infection ? I say "no" and she reaches into a cabinet and hands me Vispring, it's the international version of the product, Visine.

I am now good to go. I thank him for all of his help and I head to The Camino, Puente La Reine is about 14 miles away . It's a drop dead beautiful day and I have taken many pictures which I will put on Facebook or some other place once I figure out how to do it. As I am about to leave Pamplona I pass a bank and decide to try the ATM. It works. No more ordeals at the bank trying to exchange dollars. So far this day is really going well. I have eye drops, cash and the weather is perfect . What could possibly go wrong?

It's not long before I see the first challenge. It's a hill. A very, very long hill and it just keeps going up. I can't see the end of it. I stop at the bottom and I say The Lord's Prayer and I go. So now you know what my secret weapon is. I have done this from day one each time I am faced with a difficult challenge and so far I have faced some tough ones and I have overcome each of them. From this point on you will know what I was doing whenever I mention a real challenge.

I take the hill without a stop and I pass a number of people. Little do I know what's ahead. There is a long and beautiful trail which is taking me to the real challenge . The Hill of Forgiveness, Alto del Perdon. It's very difficult and there is no taking this hill in one shot. I stop many, many times not just because the hill is so tough but because the scenery is spectacular. I can only hope that a few of the pictures can do it justice. What I don't know when I finally reach the top is what's on the other side. The climb has taken me up about 1200 feet but the decent will be much tougher.

It's windy at the top of the hill and I take a short break sitting beneath one of the wind turbines. They are huge and they are ugly. It's windy so I stop only briefly. That was a mistake. I should have rested to face the decent. 

The trail for most of the next hour and a half is nothing but rocks of all shapes and sizes. Not little friendly stones, rocks. This is where the use of your poles is the only way to get down. I find out later when I reach Puente La Reina that when you are walking downhill like this it shifts the weight of your backpack from your hips to your shoulders.

At the end of the decent it's another 10km to my destination. When I arrive I will finally begin to feel the effects on my shoulders, especially my left shoulder. 

I reach my hotel, El Cerco. I cannot wait to dump my backpack. I get to my room and crash. It's about 4:00 in the afternoon so this stage took about six and a half hours. It was sneaky tough. I take care of all of my gear, shower and then go to get something to eat. I am so sore that I can hardly lift my left arm. I order something which does not require the use of a knife. A sandwich. It does not take long to finish because I just want to get back to the room to sleep and rest this shoulder.

I am asleep at 5:30 and I wake up at 10:30. I feel better. The Advil is kicking in. Tomorrow I walk to Estella a journey of nearly 15 miles. There is one steep climb early in the day but nothing like today and certainly nothing like today's decent. 

How was your wine? I warned you. I think I'll watch some ping-pong. Good night.