(Boadilla del Camino to Carrion de los Condes: 25.1 km, 6.25 hours with 1.5 hours breaks; 34,457 steps, plus about 2200 later)

Mark 1:1-13
v. 12-13 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Maurice’s harp wakened us gently at six and we were the first ones up. I gathered my supplies in the dark and headed to the unisex bathroom. There was a bug on my towel. Well, it’s not like there are any screens around. I squashed it with a piece of tp and it was red. I will not panic, I will not panic. I showed it to Maurice. Our early start devolved into dragging all our belongings out into the sitting area, where there was a dim light and we could use the flashlight more easily, and carefully inspecting everything. Almost right away I found another bug crawling on my waist pouch, which had been hanging with my towel at the head of the bunk against the wall. Our French-Canadian roommate Tom was methodically packing up on a nearby chair and looked quizzically at our controlled frenzy. “Bedbugs,” I mouthed. He did not seem alarmed and walked back to the bunks, where Maurice had just spotted another bug on the wall. Tom, apparently expert in many things, did not think it was a bedbug. Indeed, these bugs were bigger than I thought the abominable creatures are. We did not find any more, nor had there been signs of their presence in the bunk room. My bunk was by the window and Maurice wondered if whatever these were had entered that way, crawling right down onto my hanging things. Not exactly wild animals in the wilderness but close enough for me, an unholy trinity of pestilence and gore. Lord God, thank you for moving the bugs right where we could see them and for your attending angels to alert us to the issue. Thank you for your peace.

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We were up at six, the first ones, quietly getting ready until The Incident, which caused enough delay that we were (no surprise) the last ones out at 8:30. Because of the blisters we decided to send the packs again, and I returned my old shoe to my left foot. After a quick breakfast in the cafe we soon were cheered by our lovely path along a canal with yellow morning sunlight peeking in and out of dark clouds. Keep reading

(Castrojeriz to Boadillo del Camino: 19.1 km, 5 1/2 hours with about an hour break; 26,500 steps, plus 1850 later)

Matthew 25:31-46
v. 35-36 ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

There is much looking after the stranger along the Camino. Beyond the reasonably priced albergues and pilgrim meals, the pilgrims look out for one another. Sit here with us. This fountain is dry–do you need water? Will there be room for the slow Japanese lady? I remember my foot care from German and Brazilian women. In today’s walk Maurice developed a blister behind his toes. When I came back from hanging the laundry, the French Canadian in the next bed was listing all the supplies needed and supervising Maurice’s proper blister treatment. Lord, help us to carry the concern shared in this like-minded community back to our more complicated lives in the real world. Help us to give more generously of our means to those around us who are in need.

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We were up at 6:15 and out at eight, but first Maurice fixed us wonderful scrambled eggs and washed the dishes in the cocina honesta. Within a mile or so we had a 1.5 kilometer ascent up a 12% grade, back onto the meseta in the pink morning light; as we sweated I first ripped off my scarf, then rolled up my sleeves, then unbuttoned my outer shirt, then depacked at the top and shoved the extra layers into Maurice’s pack.

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