Day7 Oct 4 - the pilgrims face rain and wind and succeed

Okay, an update from yesterday, yes we were all cold, up at this high altitude with impending rain coming in. Some of us decided to go the the pilgrims' mass at the local church. Note for you to remember, if the priest is askng who speaks English and you put up your hand, you will more than likely doing one of the readings in the mass, just saying. The priest was very inclusive of all the different nationalities in the church and it was very nice. A great way to end the day. Sunday, October 4 - Well, here we are - rain as was predicted- only it was supposed to be scattered, or at least only one or 2 mm----well we can all attest that it was in buckets! We started off with cafe leche with tostado (toast) at 7:30 am and then waited until 8:15 or so to head off from O'Cebreiro to our destination today at Tricastela, and really today was not as much about the journey but the destination. Kathleen shared a trick about wearing plastic bags around your feet and then placing them in your hiking shoes...great idea - your feet (and socks will stay dry, while your shoes/boots get soaked).  Off we went amongst the fog and light drizzle.  It was surprisingly warm, despite the rain. Headlamps are a bit of a taboo on the trail and very few people used them this morning. As we head out, we see sunlight trying to peak out amongst the fog and rain and a little rain shone on the valley below...it was a photographic moment if your camera was water proof. Off we went, we discovered that Meg is a fast walker when she is not taking pictures and wearing shorts and a poncho (over her knapsack), she looked like a seasoned hiker -well done Meg! We stopped at about 5km and viewed farmers milking their cows and slopping the pigs (reminds many of their younger days on the farm- only we were finished by 7 am - must be the Spanish way on Sunday - slower to rise). We had tea or more coffee, snacks and figs and off we went again. All of us had ponchos or coverings on our knapsacks, and a wise one amongst us (Marilyn) whose luggage was quite light, left her knapsack in her luggage and only had to worry about a few snacks. her hiking poles and something to drink...none of us thought of this (or had room in our luggage to do this)! The further we got on our journey today, the faster Dave got, never looking back to see where we were or checking on where Kathleen was or if she needed water (Dave was carrying their backpack that included the snacks and water), he was a man on a mission (who finally stopped at about 12 km). As I passed him, he encouraged me to carry on as he waited for the rest of the group to catch up. Just about then, I was feeling quite smug about how well the plastic bags wrapped around my feet, were keeping my socks and feet warm and dry. We were busy dodging the cow paddies, puddles and slippery sections on the trail and doing quite well. My regular lightweight pants (from Sport chek - they were not rain pants - no these would be at my house nicely tucked away with my golf gear), were still dry...I was impressed. Then out of nowhere - gale force winds picked up, blowing sleet like rain against us, throwing us around like puppets on a string. Many of us got blown into other people and fences and had a hard time keeping upright, the wind and rain combination was fierce. You can imagine one of our colleagues, with a very small bladder, trying to void in one of the bushes at this time....not sure where everything ended up, but at that point, I am sure it did not matter. Needless to say, our dry pants did not stay dry long.  Soon the water was seeping into the grocery bags around our feet and socks and making an awlful slooshing sound.  Not only were our feet and socks wet, we were keeping the water in the bags around our feet. We no longer cared about the puddles, now stretching the width of the trail or trying so desperately to dodge the cowpaddies on our trail. We only longed to get to our destination to shed the wet wear, shower and get some dry clothes on. I struggled trying to see, the steam coming from under my raincoat fogging my glasses and the rain pelting on them made seeing where I was walking quite a challenge, not to mention that I was also trying to use my hiking poles - very dangerous combination! I am sure many can attest to the same challenge. Meg's poncho was wisked away from her like some released kite, it is probably hanging on some farmer's fence post or on a cow horn. She is now in search of another poncho or a garbage bag to keep herself and her knapsack dry tomorrow. Amanda, the sheepherder in our group (also the youngest) kept going back and forth to check on others in our group and ended up wrapping some American girl's knee with here tensor and sharing her hiking pools with her. This young lady is very grateful and shared her gratitude with Amanda (they are staying at the same hotel as we are). Canadians are known as being friendly, compassionate and caring - great work Amanda! We are staying at this amazing hotel (Complexo Xacobeo) where we can get our laundry done (or do it ourselves) and at the end of the day, we are enjoying our clean dry clothes. We are able to put our hiking shoes on the radiators, which are now dry and ready for tomorrow! Our meal again was amazing, we shared it with a lady from Auckland New Zealand (also worked in health care). As we reflect on our day, we delight in sharing the memorable moments of the day, the amazing, some say the best homemade rice pudding they have ever eaten, the challenges of the wind and rain, the solitude of walking alone and the great meal we shared at the end of the day. We are thankful for each other's company and for the opportunity to be here. Tomorrow will be another challenge as the forecast for more rain continues. Oh yeah, if you were counting, today's km was 21.44. Tomorrow will likely be around 18-19 km and then we are back to 28-32 km/day for the rest of the journey. We are enjoying coming in early and having a restful afternoon. Till tomorrow, Sandy