Stage 2: Roncesvalles – Zubiri

Stage 2 – the day a bush saved my life.

Start: 6:30, 4 ºC, light rain

End: 12:05

Distance: 21.4/45.6 Km

OST: Strada Facendo, Claudio Baglioni

After waking up in Roncesvalles, I immediately created a morning routine which I would passionately follow for the following month.

My morning routine for the Camino

wake up (very important, don’t skip this)
check your belongings – hopefully you sorted everything out before bedtime
take off your earplugs (so you’ll know if you are making noise!)
go to the toilet, finish your preparation with Gehwol foot cream
go back to your bunk bed, pick up all your stuff
walk outside the dormitory as quietly as possible
put on your socks and shoes, pack everything, fill your water bottles
do a minimum of 10 minutes of stretching. Legs, shoulders, hips – the camino takes a toll on your entire body. Don’t rush this part.
have a cereal bar, nuts and a banana ready for consumption
STAGE STARTS!

Just walking

Despite the pain from my ankle, I managed to cover around 21 Km at a decent pace of 4 Km / hour, plus some breaks for tortilla & coffee.

This doesn’t mean it was all rosy. In particular, as some point I came across a small pool of water, discharge from some river nearby. Other pilgrims had stepped across some short pillars to avoid the water.

Being the smartest pilgrim on the block, I decided to carefully step through the shallow water, completely drenching my shoes and socks.

An extended stop at a bar nearby was needed to change my socks and dry everything. It could have been worse. So, children, remember: ALWAYS bring extra socks.

You don’t want your feet to rot.