The Camino Bolus

Day 27 Sarria to Portomarin

Miles today: 14.5

Elevation gain: 1260’

Descent: 1423’

Walking miles: 332.2

Total Camino miles: 446.7

As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was about to happen – Winnie the Pooh

In digestion, a bolus (from Latin bolus, "ball") is a ball-like mixture of food and saliva that forms in the mouth during the process of chewing. The bolus is swallowed, and travels down the esophagus to the stomach for digestion. Once the bolus reaches the stomach, it mixes with gastric juices and then travels through the intestines for further digestion and absorption, and eventual discharge.

The “Camino Bolus”. Since day one of our Camino, we have noticed that Pilgrims tend to travel in groups, whether they know each other or not. It seems to be a human trait to want to travel with other humans, to travel in herds.

Whenever we notice a large number of pilgrims walking in tight bunches we joking refer to them as a “bolus”; as in “watch out, there is a bolus forming behind us” or “caution, there is a bolus we need to pass just ahead”. Previous to today each bolus was spaced fairly far apart and one only encountered a bolus a few times a day. But today things have drastically changed.

Sarria is a huge starting point for Camino walkers. It is located just over a 100 km from Santiago. If you hike the last 100 km into Santiago, you can get an official “Credential” certifying that you have hiked the Camino. All you need is to get two dated stamps per day in your “passport credential” (see photo).

As a result, hundreds of pilgrims start each day in Sarria and walk the 65 miles to Santiago. This morning we were joined by hundreds of “newbies”, walking in their clean new gear, leather boots, and definitely not smelling like weathered hikers. Today was big time bolus day. Group after group traveling through the digestive tract that is the Camino. It was crowded and trail etiquette was lacking. A challenge for Blaze, Chum, and me but we were hiking with Judy and Eileen, two newbies, so we had to be tolerate.

Plus tolerance is the spirit of the Camino.

Today is warm and then hot. The first short sleeve day for me and the first shorts day for Blaze. What a change from the past 26 days! Chum’s need is sore but he moves along well.

Up and down all day thru beautiful farm land and fields of flowers. Things are very green now and the trees have leafed out.

We stop for the night in Portomarin after crossing a reservoir on the Mino River and doing a steep stair climb into town.