The First of the Last

In order to receive the certificate of completion in Santiago, the peregrino must walk the final 110 kilometers of the trail and document that passage via the stamps in one's passport. Today we began this final leg. No more bus rides from here. 

We immediately start with an ascent into the misty mountains. After a while you begin to notice road markers along the way every few kilometers. This was taken as we broke the 100 k mark.  

Another thing is you start running into more and more of the same people. This is because everyone is probably on the same timetable you are, each walking around 20 kilometers a day.  I walked into a bar along the way and heard someone call out "Idaho." It was a family from Chicago that I met on the road earlier.  Peg traveled a ways with a group of Italians and American men.

Up to this point I have already walked about 100 miles. The wear and tear is starting to show a bit. My feet are holding up okay but I'm being extra careful with my toes. The downhills are just murder on my amputation scars. Because of the crutches my arms, particularly the wrists are very tired and my shoulders are sore.  

It is sort of like being a soldier in his last month of tour of duty. You don't want to get injured this close to coming home. 

 We crossed this bridge as we entered Portomarin, our stopping point for this stage.  This 11.6 mile stage ended our first day of the final push to Santiago.  Of course, there was a staircase to go up before we would end,