Herrerias to Biduedo. Distance 22.5 km (14 mi / 15 ) to go 142.0- km

I was a bit bewildered this morning. I had posted the picture of the semi on the very high bridge, taken just before my arrival in Herrerias. This morning I figured I would be going under the bridge and climbing the mountain above it. Instead, nothing! I never even saw the bridge! They must take it down at night.

The Big Climb (arguably the biggest of the Camino) started soon after winding through town this a.m. The skies were overcast but it didn't feel like rain at all. As I climbed higher (695 meters in 8 km) the scenery got more beautiful. However, there was an ever present ceiling that was not going away.

Eventually I climbed into the clouds; cold, damp and ever present for the remainder of the day. I was never rained on mind you, but I wore my raincoat much of the day as the temperatures stayed lower than the mist. My phone tells me it hit 55F today, but for much of the late morning I could see my breath (and it wasn't because I failed to brush my teeth).

As I climbed into the mist at times it became rather surreal. You could see a distance down the trail, but not clearly. Then you could just make out an eerie figure lurking just ahead.

A short distance past Laguna de Castilla I arrived at the Provincial border between Castilla Y Leon and Galicia. The book tells me that Galicia is an "autonomous region". Galicia was granted autonomy in 1936, unfortunately just before Franco's reign of terror and subjugation. A new Statute of Autonomy was issued in 1981 and today they are carrying on with their own traditions and language.

As I stopped to take this picture a man from southern Germany stopped and asked if he could take my picture standing next to the sign/marker. I posed, he captured, then he said (and I think he intended this to be a compliment), "You look like a monument." I laughed and told him I felt like one and moved about as fast.

He had started 8 weeks ago on a different "branch" of the Camino, "The Camino Aragon". It was his 50th birthday and his gift to himself was to walk to Santiago!

Shortly after crossing into Galicia I came upon the first of what the guidebook says will be a constant companion for the remainder of the trek - this cement Way point, marking not only The Way, but also listing the distance (if it can be believed) to Santiago. Accuracy being a separate issue, Galicia has gone all out to be sure The Way is clearly marked.

The trail continued, at times, through heavily forested countryside. Again, because of the mist and, at times, the wind blowing water off of leaves overhead, the trail was a bit spooky.

After topping out at O'Cebreiro I expected to begin a long descent with amazing views looking west. I got neither!

The trail continued, kilometer after kilometer, to be shrouded in mist, and instead of a steep drop it undulated all morning. One of the more pleasant surprises of the day however was just ahead at Alto San Rogue (elevation 1270 meters), where from the mist did emerge Monumento de Peregrino, a wonderfully familiar statue, erected in 1993 to honor those who pass this way.

From there it was a matter of keeping my head down, my hat on and my raincoat closed around me for the next 11 km.

At one point I spotted a marker that clearly called for me to climb up the embankment and travel along the top of a ridge, leaving the highway, and the cyclists, well below. Once the climb was complete I walked for a number of kilometers on a flat, wide albeit muddy, trail, eventually descending at the edge of Fonfria. As the trail sank, a rock ledge arose, one on each side of the trail, until I was walking on a narrow lane with three foot walls on each side. Coming in the other direction was a herd of cows, some, but not all of which, had the tips of their horns cut off to make them blunt.

I froze in the trail, as did they. I'm not particularly afraid of cows, but I tend to be cautious around anything, or anyone, that ways several times more than I.

We stood there for a couple of minutes, I hoping that there was someone at the tail end of this procession, they trying to figure out how to deal with this strange animal that talked softly and carried a big stick.

I could see that there was someone down at the point where these cows had left the road and started up the lane toward me. Unfortunately it was not the owner of the cows, it was a peregrino with a camera hoping to make big money on America's Funniest Home Videos!

So I cautiously began to walk among them, talking in English, lest they be insulted with how I slaughter the local language. One by one they looked me over, then moved to the far side of the lane (which wasn't that far away). A couple of them turned their rear ends toward me so I was especially cautious as I moved passed them so as not to get kicked. Slowly, very slowly, I moved past each one, lying as I went, saying I was a vegetarian!

I had walked through a group of cows with Liz a couple weeks ago. She too was nervous as they seemed to be attracted to her (must be a girl thing), and only exhaled once we had a fence between us and the herd. This was a little different because there was nowhere for them, or I, to go! But all's well that ends well, and it turned out to be udderly amazing!

The trek ended up being well worth the hours it took, as I finally found a ham and mushroom omelette.

After walking on clouds all morning, I was now in heaven!

 Bonus materials:

A young lady wearing her pack (it's not easy being green)!

A coin crusher that "mints" souvenirs!

Someone care to translate these for me? They look to be philosophical, but may just say, "Don't sit in our chairs if you're muddy"?

Keep your left elbow bent my dear bride, we're down to less than a week!