The rain ( but not snow ) in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plain

 It will be difficult to truly describe today but I will do my best. It was 6:00 am when I woke and looked out the one window of my tiny room . I was shocked. Everything was white and  it was snowing sideways. Do I go? Am I prepared for this?

Answer, no choice, I go. First I have a little breakfast which is basically bread, ham and coffee. The coffee is so strong that it will keep you awake regardless of how tired you think you are. That will actually help today. I pack and arrange all of my gear and I am now dressed for the weather as best I can be. Frankly I never had a snow storm in my planning.

As I first get started it really looks beautiful but thats only because I have not yet set foot on the trail. Stage 3 today will be 21.2 km or about 13 miles nearly all down some very steep terrain. Here is what my guide book says "be careful of the steep descent into Zubiri - the exposed rock makes it very slippery, particularly in wet conditions". I guess that includes a snow storm.

So I start and the first thing I notice is that nearly all of the branches of the trees overhanging the path are now at waist level because of the heavy wet snow. I will be going under, around and just plain through these limbs for the next five hours. I did not know it then and I must admit that if someone told me that it would continue to snow hard for the next 5 hours I'm not sure I would have gone. But I did. In the end I will be on the trail today with it snowing for the first 5 hours and steady rain for the last three hours at the lower elevation.

This day will turn out to be the most difficult day I have ever had. Yesterday was supposed to be the toughest day and I can now say that today was far more difficult because of the weather. If I did not have my walking poles I would have spent most of the day on my butt or worse. I came to a small pond and the only way around it was to climb a small group of very large rocks at the edge of the pond. I took it very slowly and as I reached the last step I lost my footing and if not for the poles I would have been in the pond. I could not avoid throwing myself in the other direction and ended up with both my feet in about 6 inches of water. My feet were now completely soaked. I have 9 miles to go. It was going to get worse because I had not yet reached the steep decline ahead of me.

Mud weighs more than water. I can testify to that. The trail was a mess and as you slog through the mud your shoes just get heavier with each step. As a result I find myself trying to find small puddles of water to rinse off the mud and reduce the weight. Why not, my feet are as wet as they can be so it seems like an easy choice. Not a problem. The trail ultimately becomes a little river as the water from the higher elevation finds its way down the trail. 

Hard to believe but along the way when you step out into a clearing its really beautiful. I stopped to take pictures which I have sent to Robin. I also took a few of what the trail looked like.

Five hours into the march it starts to get very steep and very slippery. Every step is a potential for something very bad. I slow down and just keep telling myself that caution here is most important, not time.

There are really no other small villages on the way to Zubiri so I just keep pushing along. I pass a number of others on the trail,  some of whom are clearly struggling. I do come across a very interesting couple who have stopped to take a picture of each other with a valley covered in snow as a backdrop. I ask if they would like me to take a picture of them together not having any clue as to what language they might speak. As luck would have it the big guy speaks up and in an instant I know where he's from... either Ireland or Scotland. I take a guess and I ask him if he's from Ireland.  He looks at me and pulls up his rain cover which goes nearly from head to toe and he's wearing a kilt! I would have asked him to let me take his picture but any man tough enough to wear a kilt in these conditions is not a man you want to run the risk of making angry.

This is some journey!

As I get closer to Zubiri my mind is completely focused on two things. The first is to be sure that at this late stage in todays walk I remind myself not to speed up and make a careless mistake which could be end of my Camino. The second is on the village of Zubiri with a population of only about 200 people. There will not be many options for places to stay. I asked Sharel to see if she could find something and when I did I gave her the wrong dates and only realized it a week ago. This could be impossible to say the least. I am now approaching Zubiri and I recall an email from her I received after I left and she said she had found something but I am not sure if it was booked.

 As the true professional she took the lead and booked it while I was on my way to Madrid. I didn't know that for sure so I am exhausted and can only think about what I will do if I am without a place to stay. I wrote down the name of the place before I started this morning and as I enter town there is a pilgrim's Albergue where people are trying to get a bunk bed but it' sold out. I go in and finally a guy working there asks me if he can help. I hand him the slip of paper with the name of the place on it and he tells me to turn right and go about about a quarter of a mile and it will be on the left. I am looking for the Gautxori Hotel. I still have know idea if there will be a room for me. There are no other rooms in Zubiri, including bunk beds. I find it. I walk into what looks like a bar. There are a bunch of old guys playing cards and the bartender looks at me and begins to ask me questions is Spanish. All I can do is show him what I wrote down on the paper. He puts one finger in the air which I think he is doing to ask me to wait. He grabs a book from under the bar and begins looking at a list of names. I point to my name on the paper, he shakes his head and then looks up and says "yes"!

The Gautxori has just become the Zubiri Four Seasons! He shows me to my room and I could careless what it looks like. Thank you Sharel . 

I begin to unpack only to discover that my REI rain cover for my backpack did not deliver. Nearly everything in my backpack is wet. I really don't care. I start hanging everything all over the place. Unlike any other Four Seasons I have stayed in, my Zubiri Four Seasons has two radiators which will really help to start the drying process. I empty my boots of the water, put them back on and return to the bar. I am really hungry. I have not eaten anything on the trail.

The people who work at this converted Motel could not have been nicer. I immediately get the impression that they know what I have just been through. I had the best misto salad and a razor thin steak and I am in heaven. I go back to my room and fall asleep for four hours and when I wake up I feel great, no pains no issues with my feet. My shoulders are sore but it's clear that the training has paid off.

I don't know what tomorrow will be like but I think I can say it will be easier.  Pamplona is next . Good night.