I woke up in Tineo having the worst sleep so far on this journey. I maybe got 2 hours total. There was so much snoring! On the bright side, it was to be our shortest hiking day with only 10 miles.
As we continued to climb, we snacked on our nuts and granola bars from home along with as much water as we felt we needed. There were little vending machines along the way, which was nice. I had packed plenty and didn't ever stop, but I always enjoyed looking to see what they had. It started to rain on us by mid-morning. It was a gentle rain/mist, and actually not bad. We expected many rainy days on this route this time of year, and this was our first rainy day.About 1pm, we found a coffee shop open and stopped to get our caffeine fix. The coffee shops were sparse throughout Asturias and the smaller villages, so we took advantage of it when we saw one.
The sun came out after that to guide us into Borres. There were still places of mud, and you just have no choice but to go through it sometimes.
As we walked into our village where we were staying, I realized I never felt tired or aggitated from the lack of sleep. It's one of the Camino miracles, I suppose, or that the beautiful scenery made me forget how tired I was.
The albergue in Borres was my favorite so far! It only had 10 beds with 1 bathroom to share among all of us, so I thought it'd be my worst. But the hosts were super friendly and the beds comfortable and quiet. I didn't listen to any of my playlist songs because I preferred to hear the different languages of pilgrims, the birds singing, the church bells ringing, and again more cow bells. I loved it!
That night was my first "pilgrim meal" where you pay one price ($15) and get an appetizer (soup & bread), a main course, dessert, and wine. It was the best!
The next morning was our big elevation hike. It started out fairly easy, but that wouldn't last.
In addition, there were no water sources or villages until we reached our destination. We had to pace our steps and keep going.
At the top of each climb, the views behind us were spectacular!
But up in front of us, we could see the inclines still to come. We stayed to the right of the split which took us up to the ridgeline. This area was neat because wild horses roamed freely.
Once at the top, we stayed on the ridgeline for several hours. This was the optional "hospitales" route and is only recommended in good weather. We were lucky that day with clear skies. The ruins of old buildings show places that were used by pilgrimages from a thousand years ago.
The lunch spot offered great views, but we didn't want to stop too long. It got cold pretty quick.
Then it was back to hiking along the ridgeline. There wasn't a lot of shade and our hats came in handy. The wind would whip our hats off if we didn't have the straps on tight.
On one particular sunny stretch, my image cast a shadow on the path. I thought it looked cool.
Once we arrived at the highest point of the trail, the cold wind was brutal. It was the only time I wish I had brought gloves.
The trail continued winding around the mountains with more descents than ascents until the flowers and trees became more abundant. Just look at that beautiful color!
We arrived in Berducedo completely exhausted. Total elevation gain was 3,375', and my legs and feet felt every step of that. The only church in town is only used during funerals, so I was out of luck on attending Mass. Instead, it was time to wash clothes, pack up for the next day, and call my family.
This albergue was another rough night with little sleep. It was cold when we all went to bed, so we shut the windows. But then it got so stuffy, smelly, and hot. When someone woke up at 3am to crack the window open, I finally got a bit of sleep. We left early the next morning when a watch alarm went off and all the pilgrims decided to just get up.
It was a cool, crisp morning. We found a great coffee shop about 3 miles in which had the best chocolate croissants and fresh OJ, as well as amazing coffee. It was just what we needed. The day's walk into Gradas de Saline would include a steep ascent up to the windmills and a small church that was used by the early pilgrims.
After that, it was a long descent into a valley before a final climb up to our town for the night.
The further down we went into the valley, the warmer the air became. After stopping to shed my jacket, a friend took the picture below. I was worried the descent would be hard on my knees, but this ended up being my favorite day!
The weather that day and the views were gorgeous!
The final climb up to Grandas de Salime was a bit tough after all that downhill. I was the first to arrive and was famished. I had the four of us checked in to the albergue and a table at a restaurant by the time the others arrived.
After our big meal, we had some time to wander around the town. There was a musuem that displayed some of the area's farming history. It was similar to early America with their plows, blacksmiths, and way of life, but I found it interesting to see these "stubs" on the bottom of their shoes. We actually saw people in previous villages wearing them to garden and thought it was something influenced by the Dutch. It turns out, these wooden shoes were designed specifically in the Asturias region of Spain for wearing outside in their yards due to all the mud.
With the museum tour over, I quickly showered and headed to Mass. This town had a church that was open daily!
