Day 23: Astorga to Rabanal - 21.4km

From my Dad:

Our credentials are filling up!!

Today is a special day as we have exceeded our goal of raising $10,000 for Cystic Fibrosis ... $11,375 as of this morning.  When we left the U.S. on August 29th we were at $6,000 and didn't know if we would make it.  Over 80 people/families donated.  We are so grateful and this should push us to the finish line of hiking 500 miles to Santiago de Compostela ... 150 miles to go!

We only needed to hike 13.3 miles today so we slept in until 7 am.  We wanted to rest Sue's shin and achilles as much as possible.  We iced it four times plus she's on a high dosage of ibuprofen.  Well it worked as she was in no pain the entire 4 1/2 hours out hiking today.  We are thankful it appears she's fine as so many peregrinos have gone home due to various injuries and one of the most common is shin splints.

The winds were westerly ... directly in our face ... it was one day we knew it was better hiking than biking.  Our poles really helped, too, as we were getting blown all over the place.

I've often thought, while out on The Camino, that engaged couples should hop on for a week or two to see if they really want to get married.  Or married couples should also give it a try as a tune-up so to speak.  You have to operate as a team, show compassion and flexibility toward one another and be patient.

Sue and I have always traveled well together, but have never done anything like this before.  It truly is special to spend all this time together and live in the moment.

The Camino has changed since Leon as there has been an influx of Peregrinos who hike 200 miles rather than 500.  We have met many new people, which is fun, like Debbie (Australia), Ryla (Finland), and Tony (Switzerland) who joined us for dinner.  And Theresa y William from London who hiked into town the last 20 minutes with us.  We really enjoy the immediate Camino respect and camaraderie.  We had a chance to attend a Gregorian chant at Iglesia Santa Maria which wasn't exactly as exciting as we thought it would be, but there were about 100 of us in attendance and it was educational.

We both feel this is a trip of a lifetime.  We might be leaking a little oil as we iced my knee and Sues leg, but we are determined to make it to Santiago!

Blessings,
Esteban y Susana

Tomorrow is gut check time and Sue said what does that mean.  The answer was it's supposed to rain all day, temperatures in the 50's and climbing from 3,000 feet to 5,000 feet ... highest elevation of the entire trip, plus it's 20 miles.  We are both up for it and plan to hit the trail in the dark at 6:30 am.

Grande backpack

Stained glass in Astorga Cathedral

Camino de Santiago

St. Francis of Assisi y I have the same birthday

Encountered several crosses today

Wild dog ... just kidding :) 

View from our Hostel

We built a cross into the fence

Rest area

Gradual climb out past cross

Check out the stork nest in the upper left of the church

Taking a break

Breakfast

Heading into village for breakfast

Tough to leave Astorga - beautiful town

Siesta with mask, earplugs, and blow-up pillow

Notice Sue has zipped her pant legs to her shorts

From town to path

Sue likes this path