Bodhi On The Way: Memorable Meetings in the Montes de León: León to O'Cebreiro (16 to 27 October, 2015)

This section started with a big scare: Bodhi had a bad fall while running in the outskirts of León. So we found ourselves rattled and even distraught as we started off again with a pile of bandages, iodine, etc. and 4 stitches to take care of - truth be told, Bo was back to his old self the morning after! Relieved, his accident notwithstanding, it seems like as we moved nearer to Santiago, the flow and rhythm of the Camino in Spain really took hold. We found ourselves spending nearly half the day in rich conversation with people from at least 50 different countries, for starters! Further, the landscapes were becoming more of what one would consider "classic": panoramic shifting beauty. Walking now in mid-autumn, we would be rewarded with fall colors and cool crisp days to accompany our footfalls (and revolutions). We would pass the highest point of our entire pilgrimage in this section (1535m.), descend all the way back down to 500m in stunning El Bierzo, and then immediately climb 800 more meters to the mystical perch of O'Cebreiro...

Bo and Jeff with a pilgrim from Holland as we head out of León's center.

Only 306km to Santiago... 3 more weeks at our pace.

Plaza San Marcos, near the limits of León.

The iconic statue of a pilgrim in deep repose.

Drawn to a busker.

Stone sculpture of Santiago in La Virgen del Camino.

The three of us shown with Eva, who runs the Hostal Central in La Virgen. Bodhi wears a bandage to cover a wound he received at the outskirts of La Virgen - a wound that required a frantic nighttime visit to the emergency room at the León main hospital, where they gave him 4 stitches in his forehead. A traumatic experience for all three of us! Jesús, the barman, had agreed to watch our belongings whilst we rushed to the hospital 10 km away. Later, Eve was kind enough to invite us to stay in the hostal for the night. We called it The Miracle of the Virgin.

Climbing away from La Virgen near to where Bodhi had fallen the day before. He had been running on uneven ground (directly on the Camino) and face-planted in a section of rough concrete!

A fun crew in the village of Oncina. We are pictured here with two young Dutch pilgrims carrying large backpacks and camping like us (the ONLY other pilgrims we met our whole time in Spain who were primarily camping!), and a local man who runs a donativo food/drink stand in the village.

A Camino run-in with a shepherd and his 300 sheep.

As we move west away from the area of León, the land softens up, becomes more suitable for agriculture and features less extreme climatic conditions than the meseta lands of the previous section.

Meeting Maggie. She is a 79 y.o. (about to be 80) pilgrim from Canada walking the Camino alone, and during a rest break she shares some of her Camino and life experiences with us. Needless to say, she is an inspiration in motion.

Bo takes a liking to this pilgrim at Villar de Mazarife.

These kind folks invited us into their home on the outskirts of Villar so we could clean Bodhi's wound in comfortable conditions.

Our marvelous campsite amidst autumn foliage.

Casa Museo Antolin in Villavante. Angel Martinez, shown here with Jeff and Bo, runs a small antiques-and-bric-a-brac museum in this village...

... and he is duly fascinated with the Camino and its pilgrims!

El Puente de Orbigo, which dates from the 13th century, is one of the longest and best preserved medieval bridges in Spain.

Jeff with Konstantyn, a pilgrim living in Portugal.

The skies opened up on us the following day, as we negotiated muddied tracks and ceaseless downpours.

We found a brief refuge here at La Casa de los Dioses, a donations-only stand run by a pilgrim, David. Everything is organic, from fruit to juices to herbal teas. The place is open year-round and is dedicated to serving the needs of passing pilgrims, offering food and shelter as well.

Bo playing with one of David's cats.

On the descent to the next stop along the Camino, Astorga.

A stone pilgrim refreshes himself.

Plaza San Francisco in Astorga, on a rainy afternoon. Astorga was an important Roman city.

We spent the night (out of the rain!) in the municipal hostel in Astorga, where we encountered a lively food-preparation-and-dinner scene.

This guy sang the next morning to celebrate the passing of the dreadful rain .

The monumental cathedral rising in the background as we depart Astorga.

Approaching the village of Santa Catalina de Somoza...

... where a village woman sells Camino souvenirs from her doorway...

... including Katy's new walking stick.

Not only was Bo ready to camp here, he pointed to where he wanted us to make camp. This spot turned out to be not flat enough (a common problem with wild-camping), so we moved on a ways to...

... this one. And then experienced what would be our coldest night on our entire walk: -1 degrees (C). We awoke with frost over all of our kit. Elevation: 1100m.

As usual, the cold didn't bother him.

Clear skies as we pass through Rabanal del Camino...

... and begin a long climb to Foncebadón.

In Foncebadón we met this couple. He had walked here from Holland, and she was joining him for some of the Spanish section. He had suffered back and knee pains while using a backpack, and in France he had switched to this system on two wheels.

Pastoral scenes above Foncebadón.

A seminal moment along the Camino: La Cruz de Ferro, at 1505m. The site is famous for its growing pile of stones deposited by passing pilgrims since medieval times. Many pilgrims bring stones with them from their homes to leave at this place, and others leave mementos of loved ones and family members that have passed away...

Our three contributions.

The walking was magical up here, as was the weather, in what's called the Montes de León.

Elation at 1535m, above Alto Altar Mayor.

Looking westwards before we start the long descent...

... which requires a section of road-walking as the path is too rough for the Chariot.

Gazing out above the delightful village of Acebo.

In Acebo we stayed at the donativo albergue, Apóstol Santiago, where we were welcomed by two Spanish hospitaleros, Manuel and Pedro.

They prepared a communal meal for us - a lively group which consisted of French, Italian, Brazilian and Spanish pilgrims, besides us.

Manuel, who is from Valencia, had some fun with Bodhi!

Strolling past the church in Riego de Ambrós.

The medieval bridge over the Rio Meruelo into the village of Molinaseca.

Between Molinaseca and Ponferrada we had a mid-afternoon picnic, the sunshine a catalyst for some tunes.

In Ponferrada we stayed at the donativo municipal albergue San Nicolas de Flüe. This was the lively scene at dinnertime, wherein dozens of pilgrims converged on the communal kitchen to prepare meals.

This image shows an evening pilgrims' mass-and-blessing in the chapel at San Nicolas. This is a common event in churches and cathedrals along the way. In this case, Bo's impatience and disturbances forced an early flight from the ceremony!

The clocktower in Ponferrada.

This bunch of Spanish schoolgirls were fascinated with Bo and lined up for photos!

El Castillo de los Templarios, which in medieval times hosted the Knights Templar, charged with protecting pilgrims along the Camino as they passed through northwest Spain.

We had our first encounter here with this group of pilgrims from Australia: two 10 y.o. girls and their moms. (L-R: Eliza, Molly, Zadee and Cathy). The girls were walking the entire 780km from St. Jean - averaging 20 km/day, no small feat for 10 year-olds.

Having some fun on the outskirts of Ponferrada.

Bo tears it up.

Sunset colors from our campsite in pine woods...

... where we found countless King Bolete mushrooms, which would work their way into our dinners for the next 3 days!

Expressionless as we pass.

Funny crosses in these parts: Jesus on one side, and a pilgrim on the other.

Now that he can follow the markers, he's fit to guide.

Into the beautiful lowlands of El Bierzo...

Stopped for some grouind-score apples.

Walking with Eliza and Cathy...

... past stunning landscapes...

... and having loads of fun with Molly and Zadee.

Some of the famous vineyard lands of El Bierzo.

Cats must be comfortable in El Bierzo.

Molly clowns around with Bo in Villafranca.

Pilgrim sculpture leaving Villafranca.

A look back at Villafranca del Bierzo.

Bo takes off flying as we head up the Valcarce River valley.

We encountered some massive chestnut forests in this stretch...

... camping nearby on the edge of a field.

Storytime.

The gorgeous church in La Portela de Valcarce.

Heavy rain sets in as we fall into a train of poncho-clad pilgrims.

Alison and John (Irish and English), walking the Camino Francés with a vehicle similar to ours, minus the toddler.

Autumn foliage departing Vega de Valcarce.

In the village of Herrerias we encountered this family, whom we had heard plenty about during the previous month via the Camino grapevine - as they are also walking the Camino with a baby and a Chariot-like vehicle. Dalia, on the right, was 9 months old at the time! Andrés is Italian-Costa Rican,and Eve-Marie is Quebecoise. This meeting would be a defining moment in our coming final weeks on the Camino - as we would spend a lot of quality time with them as we advance towards Santiago.

Climbing in the rain in late afternoon to La Faba...

... where we encountered Ricardo in the municipal hostel. From Italy, he was walking 35-40 km/day, and was spending at least 1-2 hours a day tending to the dozens (!) of blisters on his feet. [In our entire walk from Le Puy, Katy and Bodhi had zero blisters and Jeff one.]

Uh... that pilgrim probably isn't gonna let go of his walking stick, Bo!

Climbing again, this time on rough track...

Some factors against us: minefields of rocks and stones, muddied tracks, wet surfaces and steep slopes... and completely exhilarating...

... with mystical mountain landscapes opening up on all sides.

David and Rita caught up to us here, a couple from Canada...

David must have been feeling a little sorry for Jeff, since he offered to push the Chariot for over 1 km up steep slopes, giving Jeff what felt like a long vacation!

This one's got Jesus on one side, the Virgin and child on the other, and a pilgrim below nearer to the base. This cross marks our arrival in O'Cebreiro, a fabled mountain village which marks our entry into Galicia.