Valcarce to Fonfría, 17 miles

Rain started the minute I stepped out of Valcarce and didn't let up for hours. It was going to be one of those days. Eight hours of walking ahead, with a steep 2,000-foot ascent packed into the first four miles—just to get things interesting.

The trail through the woods turned into a muddy obstacle course.

For the first hour, I played the hopeless game of trying to dodge every puddle and mud patch.

Then I gave up and just walked straight through it all. Much more efficient, and my boots were already soaked anyway.

After some serious climbing, we were actually walking in the clouds—4,389 feet at the highest point. The fog was so thick you could barely see ten feet ahead, but there was something oddly moving about being up there in all that mist and silence.

Today I officially entered Galicia. You know it immediately—everything is the brightest, richest, deepest green you can imagine.

This part of the Camino feels softer somehow, quieter and almost mystical when you're walking through clouds. Even the light feels different here.

I walked with different people throughout the day—a couple from Australia, a young woman from New Zealand, and a couple from South Korea. When they ask where I'm from, I've learned to just say California rather than the United States. Seems everyone around the world knows California.

By the time I reached Fonfría, I was a muddy mess. "Town" is a generous term for a place with 29 residents, one street, two albergues with food, and the obligatory church.

But it was exactly what I needed after 17 miles and 3,264 feet of elevation gain.

Today was one of those Camino days where the physical effort and the beauty of the surroundings somehow balance each other out. Hard, yes. But unforgettable too.

Buen Camino