June 6, 2015
A 27 km hike today was fairly easy going until the last bit where we ascended 400 m in the last 5 km. That is steep in the hot Spanish sun, mis amigas. Camino Julie has adventurously opted to do the last bit up the mountain by horseback, which will take 2 hours. We anxiously await her cowgirlness at the albergue. The Flying Dutchman, my American Friend and myself were almost up to the final peak when an old Spanish farmer called to us from atop a ridge. You can imagine the convincing it took to make me consider climbing that ridge, but he held out his hand to help me and up I went.
When we three got to the top, the view of the mountains and valley below was breathtaking. The farmer had been up there watching his cows in the fields and he had wanted to share what he saw with us. A beauty he sees everyday and he wanted us to see it too.
We talked in my limited Spanish for a while and then he gave me a wildflower sprig. We asked him to take a picture of the three of us and he did. We climbed back down from the ridge and then up the mountain to our final destination here in the hamlet of Laguna with newfound energy. I wore my wildflower sprig proudly on my Tilley hat.
What beauty do you see everyday? Make sure you take the time to share it with someone. Wildflower sprigs are optional.
