The Last Day!!

Day 38  Finisterre to Muxia

Miles Today:  18.8

Elevation gain:  1661’

Descent:  1762’

Total Camino Miles:  588

Walking Miles:  473

Biking Miles:  115

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.     Mark Twain

Today will be our last day on the Camino. By late this afternoon our walking adventure will end. We know we have a tough day ahead of us, our bodies are tired and while the guidebook mileage is 17.1 miles, we all know that every days as measured by a GPS unit is actually longer. Usually longer by a mile or more. Likely this day will be no different. And the daily rain has been consistent since we started the Camino Finisterre section.

We set out in very light rain and overcast skies. I am determined not to wear rain pants today. The heavy mist eventually has my hiking pants just uncomfortably moist, but not soaked. The rain jacket keeps me warm and comfortable, helped by the frequent uphill climbs.

The Camino uphills are mostly moderate along with many gradual climbs and a smaller percentage of quite steep hills. As we walk the heavy mist turns to light rains, along with an occasional few minutes of heavier rain. It is a day of fog, rain, and green. It is very remote today. We only see a handful of pilgrims all day that are walking in the same direction as us. We see a few dozen walking the opposite direction towards Finisterre. We are walking against the grain which is unusual on the Camino. It makes for a quiet and peaceful walk.

By 1 pm we stop at the only cafe we see all day. A coffee break is planned but we all order lunch to be able to warm up and dry out a bit. Plus a trailside packed lunch is no fun in the rain.

At lunch we discuss what first comes to mind from our Camino experience, in as few words as possible.

Eileen says that Camino means “hills”

Judy says “woodsy”

Blaze says “Vino Tinto (red wine) and varied scenery”

My answer is “a long walk supplemented by daily infusions of french fries” (each day is longer than anticipated and we have fries with EVERY dinner and most purchased lunches...not by choice but because they are served with every main course)

After lunch we press on in the mist and rain, with many miles still to cover. I notice my back starting to tighten up again which is strange as it had been great this morning. At one point the rain intensifies and I finally relent on my no rain pants idea.

At about 15 miles I really begin to fade as the back discomfort increases. Soon I am at the back of our foursome. I slow down to what seems to me to be a snail’s pace.

At 5:30 we arrive at our accommodation in Bela Muxia, after Judy and Eileen somehow lose Blaze and me. Turns out they had stopped to sit and watch us taking photos near the beach. Problem was that it was not us. We had marched on to the hotel. Technology finally reunited us.

Muxia is a wonderful town of about 5000 situated on a peninsula, snuggled between the Atlantic and a bay. The Bela Muxia hotel where we are staying is an albergue/hotel combo. We have private rooms with large bathrooms, the rooms done in a sparse modern style, but very clean and comfortable. Our rooms are on the top floor with a large shared deck and water views over the bay. 

A great dinner tops off the day and ends our Camino adventure. Blaze and I have covered 588 miles since we left France 38 days ago. We walked 473 miles of that total in 31 days not counting 3 rest days or the 4 days we biked, which account for the remaining 115 miles. While walking we averaged 15.3 miles per day. The shortest day was 9.4 miles and the longest was 22 miles.

As mentioned earlier, the Camino is hilly with ups and downs every day. In total we have gained about 8 miles of elevation (uphills) and 8 miles of descent (downhills). That is like walking from sea level to the top of Mount Everest and then walking two miles higher.

It will take time to absorb all that we saw, experienced, and encountered on the Camino. A few final photos are posted below, from our last day. 

Post Script 

Many say that the Camino is a spiritual event in their lives. For some that happens while walking the Camino. For others it happens at some point after completing the Camino. For me it was the last two days of the Camino. While at the lighthouse at Finisterre, the “end of the world”, I stood completely alone on the rocks just beyond the lighthouse. I was engulfed in dense fog and the winds were blowing so hard I could barely stand. I leaned into the wind with my arms outstretched like a TV reporter during a hurricane, rain gear flapping wildly in the gale.

My 103 year old mother had been in Hospice Care in Ohio for several weeks. I had learned a few days earlier that she had just taken a turn for the worse. Standing there I could feel her presence. It was like she was the howling wind. Was the wind her battling to stay alive a bit longer or was it the long exhale of the end of her life? I thought that perhaps she had just passed away and I would learn of her death after we walked back to the hotel.

But I was wrong. I learned later that evening that she was still holding on.

The winds continued all night but at a slowly decreasing intensity. The next day, our last day of walking the Camino, the winds continued to blow but with less force. By the time we reached Muxia, the wind and rain had stopped and the sky was starting to show small patches of blue. Within an hour or so the sky was clear and calm and the sun was shining.

I soon learned that she passed away comfortably and quietly just a short while after my hike was completed in Muxia. She died as the winds died, while I was completing my Camino she was completing her life. Living 103 years, her life had been full of adventures, friends, and family. She had seen incredible changes in her lifetime as well as incredible challenges.

May we all be so fortunate to have such a full life.

Dedicated to Mary Morris Davis Ittel

April 6, 1916 to May 10, 2019