Astorga to Foncebadón, 16 miles

Hotel blackout curtains got the better of me this morning — I didn't start walking until close to 8:00. The weather app predicted rain, so I kept my poncho ready at the top of my daypack.

The weather cooperated for about an hour. Then the rain began and didn't stop all day. Nothing dramatic — no thunder, no downpour, just a constant gentle rain. The kind that makes you want to stay inside all day feeling cozy. The problem was we were on rocky dirt paths, and everything became muddy, slippery, and challenging with 3,300 feet of elevation gain.

My shoes and socks soaked through within the first hour. The bottom six to eight inches of my pants were completely covered in mud. I meant to take a picture, but all I could think about when I reached my albergue was washing everything, which I did right away.

It was definitely a challenging day, but I didn't let it dampen my mood — pun intended. The scenery is beautiful once again, the walking is tough which I like, and the weather will change.

I'm sad because I've lost all my friends now. Mary likes to take taxis rather than walk, so she's somewhere ahead of me. Everyone else is behind me. I know there are new friends to be made though.

I didn't take many pictures today because I didn't want to keep pulling my phone out in the rain.

I wanted to explain the distance markers on the waymarkers, called mojones. The indicated kilometers show the distance left to Santiago de Compostela — in this case, 246.6 kilometers or 153 miles. Since I'm going to Finisterre, that adds another 55 miles. Even so, it seems impossible that I've walked about 340 miles so far and only have 200 miles to go.

Buen Camino!