First Miracle of St Scot

Day 15 Castrojeriz to Carrion

Miles (biking): 29.4

Elevation gain; 972’

Descent: 912’

Total Bike Miles: 55.0

Total Walk Miles: 187.7

Total Miles: 242.7

The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine.

John Howard

First a very short synopsis of today’s biking. The weather was cool and cloudy with a good tailwind all day. Lots of gravel and bumpy paths. All of us suffered from sit bone pain today and the rough paths did nothing to relieve that! Less than a mile from Castrojeriz we met the first hill of the day...3/4’s of a mile long. All of our bikes began bucking about 300 yards into the hill and refused to be ridden any further. It was a long walk up the hill pushing our bikes with panniers.

At the crest, the terrain leveled off for about 1/4 mile and then began a very steep and long downhill that the guidebook said was an 18 degree pitch. Fortunately it was an unexpected paved section which made it manageable for braking the bikes. Thrilling and fun.

Fortunately the day was cool, as this Meseta area has almost no trees and would be blistering hot in summer. One section did follow portions of an old canal that was once over 2100 kilometers long and was used long ago as a tow path for boats.

Now on to the miracle of St Scot. Blaze’s real name of course is Scot. On day 1 of this adventure, our day over the Pyrenees, we were climbing a very steep trail section in an off and on rain. The trail was narrow with a steep drop-off on one side. Scot was walking a good ways behind me at one point and he came upon an Asian lady who was obviously in distress. She was staggering from side to side and was about to tumble off the trail into a steep ravine. A young man from France grabbed the lady, likely preventing a serious injury, and he and Scot were able to get her seated safely on the uphill edge of the trail. She was mostly disoriented and spoke almost no English.

Scot was able to ascertain that she was from Hiroshima, Japan and was walking alone. She wore a large pack and had been walking hunched over when I had passed her. Scot gave her water and got her take take nibbles of a Honey Bunchies bar (made in Longmont). She was unable to continue hiking. The trail was a fair distance from any road, but Scot and the French lad were able to find a path to the road. They helped her to the road and Scot carried her pack. At the road they flagged down a passing car, loaded her in the car along with her pack, and instructed the Spanish driver to take her to the nearest town for help.

Blaze, Chum, and I joked everyday about perhaps seeing the “Hiroshima Lady” once again on the Camino. Meanwhile we all agreed that she had likely headed home to Japan as she seemed totally unfit and unprepared foran adventure of this magnitude.

Fast forward to today. While riding along this afternoon we decided to stop at a small and remote roadside building that had a coffee sign. As we dismounted our bikes, an Asian lady appeared and directed us to the toilets...and she seemed very familiar.

Could it be the Hiroshima Lady?

She quickly moved onward. The three of debated on and off for some time. This lady was certainly a foot taller, a decade or more younger, and spoke much better English than Hiroshima Lady. Finally we all agree that it could not be her. The only similarity was the face. Plus we would be at least 2-3 days ahead of her because of our biking. And there was no way she could have walked our pace. Issue ended, no more discussion needed.

A while later we were sitting in a roadside cafe drinking Cafe con Leches when the same lady walks by. We had to really put this uncertainto rest. So jumped on our bikes and sped after her. “Where are you from?” we asked. Japan she answered. “Yes, but where in Japan”

She smiled and answered “Hiroshima”. When she smiled I knew it was her for sure. It was the same Class II malocclusion and the oversized crowns on her front teeth that I had seen two weeks ago as I passed her on the trail.

Scot reintroduced himself and she quickly recognized him. It was hugs and thank you’s.

Scot reached into his pack and handed her another Honey Bunchies.

She was a completely new woman...tiny pack, walking very upright, much taller and younger, and full of life.