The Winter Passage: 01/18/19

I left La Finca at 08:15. The day was cold and foggy similar to two days ago when I left Burgos, but not quite as extreme. I passed through Revenga de Campos and Villarmentero de Campos. When I got to Villacazar de Sirga, I was going to check out the church there since the guide book said the white Virgin statue inside had performed many miracles. I walked around the whole church and tried all the doors. It was locked up and I had wasted a good five minutes I could have been walking.

Around 11:30 as I was getting close to Carrion de los Condes, it began to snow. I got into Carrion de los Condes by noon. This was the largest town I had been in since Burgos. I walked on through. On the way out of town I looked down from the bridge over the Carrion River and saw a trout about fifteen inches or longer swimming in the river. I stopped at a gas station on the far end of town to get some candy bars and another bottle of water. After Carrion de los Condes, there is a seventeen kilometer gap with no services. The day before, Mark, the Argentines, and the couple from Barcelona all said they were going to do a short day and stay overnight in Carrion de los Condes.

Shortly after leaving the gas station, I had to stop to get my rain jacket out and put on my pack cover. The snow was coming down heavier. The snow eventually stopped around 14:30. It was not much below freezing, so it did not accumulate on the ground. The long walk across the gap was very flat but seemed to take forever. I did not see another pilgrim the whole day.

Eventually I arrived in Calzadilla de la Cueza. There was an open albergue there, but I still had energy, and there was almost two more hours of daylight. I got to Ledigos at 18:15 as the sun was going down, and found the albergue, La Morena, that was supposed to be open according to this website. The door of La Morena was closed. There was a sign that said to check-in at the attached bar. The bar was also closed. I rang the doorbell and knocked on the door. I was in a pinch. It was now dark and getting colder. I found a guy down the street and asked him if the albergue was open. He said it would not be open until tomorrow. I called my mother long distance to see if the website had changed the winter albergue listings since I left Poblacion de Campos in the morning. La Morena was still listed as being open. There were also two open albergues six kilometers further down the Camino in Moratinos.

I set out in the dark at 18:45, walking along gravel farm roads with my phone's flashlight function. I passed through Terradillos de los Templarios and finally got to Moratinos at 20:15. I walked into the Moratinos Hostal, and the eight pilgrims eating dinner inside the dining area all stopped and looked at me funny. The proprietor at the hostal said the owner of La Morena died two days ago, and that was why it suddenly closed. I got a private room instead of sleeping with the others. I walked forty-six kilometers and needed a good night's rest. I got dinner for €10 downstairs: bread, lentil soup, two pork chops, fries, and a banana for dessert. One of the eight pilgrims was Mario. He came over to catch up with me. All the other pilgrims thought I was crazy walking forty-six kilometers and walking in the dark.