Day 3

Here we are today on Day 3.  We are leaving the albergue in Zubiri about 9am, which is a little late for us.  I decided to lighten my load by leaving behind a few items.  Maybe lost 2 lbs of luggage :)  Made a big difference going up the hills today!  We walked 7 hours and 14 miles.  Still a lot of up and down.  I´m actually enjoying the uphill :)  I think I am turning into a mountain goat!  We had a nice surprise today.  We came into Pamplona and hour early!!  We were very excited to see the big wall around the city.  We found an alburgue and settled in.  Tomorrow we are headed to Puente La Reina which is a little longer than today.

So, you know that we are walking and walking.  Let me give you an idea of what we are feeling like...
Our hair is silky soft, either from the shampoo or the water :)  We haven´t come close to being sunburned because it is cloudy and cold.  I´m starting to develop a callus on my hand from gripping my trek poles so tightly.  Our legs are sore and stiff only when we stop.  I was having quite a bit of trouble with my knees from all of the downhill, but they are feeling much better today.  I learned to release the straps on my pack and it took all the weight off of my knees.  We haven´t gotten any blisters yet.  I was feeling some tenderness on my big toes and wrapped them with duct tape.  We are hoping to stop by the pharmacia to buy some Compeed. It´s like a skin or callus that you can put on your feet.  Works very well.  When we stop for more than a few minutes, I can feel the tightness in my quads and calves.  I´m sure it is from all the hills that we have climbed.  I  cannot believe how we seem to go up them with ease.  We are slow but steady.

I have to tell you more about our trip over the Pyraneese mountains on the first day.  The weather was cold and it never stopped raining, but we were mostly warm and felt great.  We have talked to many other pilgrims that went over on the same day.  Some suffered from hypothermia!  Everyone has been talking about how unusual the weather is right now.  We are greatful that it is on the cold side rather than too hot.  The hills would be even harder.  Many people said that they have never seen the kind of weather that we experienced on the mountain.  We were very lucky to make it thru without freezing!

We just finished a spaghetti dinner down in the square of Pamplona.  There are a lot more people here and it is very busy at night.  When we arrived there was not a soul in sight--kinda weird.  But, it was siesta time and everything was closed.

We have met so many people from all over the world!  All of the hikers are friendly and say hello.  The common phrase as you pass someone on the trail is BUEN CAMINO!!  That means have a good camino!  Let´s see if I can name some of the other countries... America, South Africa, Canary Islands, England, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Spain, France, Italy, Canada and the list goes on and on.  My mom is not shy about talking to people.  She will go right up to them and ask what language they speak and where they are from.  Then it´s a big game as we try to communicate.  Most people are fluent in Spanish & French with good English.

Well it´s 9:30pm and I´ve got to get my pack ready for tomorrow and then hit the sheets...uh I mean, sleeping bag :)

Love to all!  Adios!