Cruz de Ferro

 

Day 60 - Molinaseca

     Instant coffee, bananas and toast and we were on our way.  Today we had some of the most beautiful scenery since entering Spain.  The Montes de Leon separate the Meseta plateau from the Sil River valley.  We first climbed 2000 ft and then descended 3000 ft. The mountains were covered in oak and pine forests, with ridges full of heather and sage.

     One of the most famous landmarks of the Camino is the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross) .  It is a pillar with an iron cross on the top, placed at the highest point of the Camino Frances.  Pilgrims have been stopping here for centuries to place a rock from home as a personal symbol of meaning to their life.  We both placed a scallop shell from Southworth beach and a stone. We were worried about crowds, but it wasn’t too bad.  We arrived about 9:30 and spent some time soaking it in and helping pilgrims take pictures.

     After a short plateau and another ridge, we descended for a few hours.  The trail was a tough go filled with rocks large and small as well as ridged slate.  We walked a long while with several people and made some new friends.

      Our town for tonight is full of sore pilgrims,  Descending is harder on the body than ascending, and there was a lot of descending.  We had dinner with Peter and Elaine from Sandpoint, Idaho. Elaine was in pain as she developed tendinitis.  They will be taking a rest day to help heal.