Camino Day 29: Santacatalina de Somoza to Acebo

I carried a small rock and a teaspoon of Playa dust over 300 miles, more than halfway across Spain. The rock was a symbol of the burdens I carry, and is a pilgrims' tradition. The dust, however, was a symbol of my joy and my community, and is not traditional-- it is entirely me. Fittingly, I think, I carried the rock in the dust, the sorrows in the joy.

Today we climbed to Cruz de Ferro, and I  left my sorrows at the foot of the cross. I expected to feel heavy, then light...like I had let something go: memories, anger, sadness. Instead, I was overwhelmed by the insignificance of my sorrows. I stood on a mountain of rocks, of sorrows and burdens, from thousands of other pilgrims, and was awed by the weight we have carried together and how small my own is. I felt lighter, not because I left my burdens behind, but because I know we are all suffering together, and we are all longing for release. I let the wind carry away my Playa dust with a sense of profound joy, and a feeling of connection with all those who came before and all who will come after.

We descended Cruz de Ferro in the early afternoon expecting to stop just a mile later in Manjarin, but there we found a sparse refugio with no electricity, running water, or plumbing, so we decided to push on another 3.5 miles to Acebo, for a 17.6 mile day. This is a personal record for us, and I fall asleep tonight exhausted and at peace with everything-- my body, the Camino, and the world.