September 19, 2018
- Route: Reliegos to León
- Distance: 24.7 kilometers (14.88 miles)
It would be impossible to begin discussing today’s trip into León without first looking back on yesterday’s debacle. My ambition to keep going after lunch led me walk farther than normal toward a town with where both the albergues were full (and the only hotel option was rumored to be infested by bedbugs).
With little choice what to do, I decided to push on another 13.5 kilometers in the brutal afternoon sun and overlooked my water needs before I left. This was probably one of THE most foolish mistakes I ever made while hiking. Failing to properly manage your water can lead to horrible consequences beginning with dehydration, then heat exhaustion, and finally heat stroke or even death.
I know much better than to make such a stupid rookie mistake. But, honestly, I’ve gotten pretty complacent about my water sources out here on the Camino. Filling up my bottles at town fountains left me with the perception that water is plentiful. I’ve forgetten how much I need to respect the logistics of managing it. These long stretches between towns as I walk through the meseta have forced me right back into the mindset of constantly thinking about water.
Heat injury
When I finally arrived in the town of Reliegos last night after hiking a 53-kilometer (32.7-mile) day, I was in a REALLY bad physical state. I’d been parched for hours. My muscles ached – both from the effort of the day’s journey and the dehydration. My head was pounding with a horrible headache. I collapsed into a chair at the first restaurant I could find, and spent the better part of the next hour sipping glasses of water and Coke.
I knew I really made a mistake. I was shivering like I’d walked through a snow storm even though it was still at least 80 degrees out. I was dizzy and my lips felt numb. My muscles were cramping. But even worse, I felt like I wanted to vomit but didn’t even seem have the energy to do that. I suddenly knew, “THIS is what a heat injury feels like.” And it’s not something I ever, ever want to experience again.
Having seen others suffer from heat exhaustion, I knew how serious these symptoms were. I needed to rehydrate and get some salt and sugar back into my system. As nauseated as I felt, eating and drinking something would eventually make me feel better. So, I forced myself to consume small amounts while I cooled down and rested.
Even after deliberately trying to rehydrate myself, I had a hard time sleeping because to all the muscle cramps I was enduring. I probably drank two additional liters of sport drink throughout the night, hoping that I’d be as good as new when I got up in the morning. My thirst was finally quenched, but my headache and chills endured.
Taking it easy
When the sun finally rose this morning, I was still so tired that I considered just remaining in Reliegos to rest for the day. I still had close to 25 kilometers to get to León, and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t make it there today even if I tried. As I got up and dressed, I told myself the best thing to do was just relax in town and take a day off. There’s no shame in taking a “zero” (hiking zero miles), especially after yesterday’s draining adventure.
After a leisurely breakfast at the bar below the albergue though, I felt a bit stronger. Apparently that’s what a few good cups of coffee, and a heaping plate full of eggs and toast will do for you. Perhaps I would just walk to the next town and see how I felt from there. It was only 4.2 kilometers away. I didn’t need to push myself physically. Why not just take a slow stroll to stretch the muscles out?
My legs and back were still quite sore as I hoisted my pack on, but it still felt good to be making a little forward progress. Once I arrived Marsilla de las Mulas, I saw there was another town a mere 1.9 kilometers ahead. I could easily walk that, no problem. Of course, there wasn’t an albergue there, so I should probably walk another 4.5 kilometers to the town beyond that.
And so that’s how my day went. Slow and easy. Walking from one town to the next with no ambition of making miles or getting to a particular destination. I was merely grateful this small stretch of the meseta was filled with towns every few miles as it closed in on León. I passed farms and communities with ample places to stop and rest as needed.
The route gradually climbed toward Alto del Portillo, and before I knew it, I was looking down onto the outskirts of the city of León. With super low expectations of how far I might walk today, I was surprised to discover that I’d would actually make it to León and the comforts of a nice hotel by early afternoon.
Celebrating this journey
By the time I rolled into town, I felt a unexpected sense of joy and serenity. Rather than spending the night in an albergue, I booked myself into a luxurious hotel room to celebrate the fact that I’d made it here in one piece. Despite my somewhat reckless actions yesterday, I’d survived and even found my second wind today.
Looking back, I had a lot to be proud of. I was more than halfway through the Camino. I’d walked a 53 kilometer day. And I was feeling pretty much like a badass!
And since hikers think about food pretty much all the time, I convinced myself these accomplishments also called for a celebratory meal. After cleaning the day’s funk off me and putting on my finest clothes (aka my only nice shirt), I set out in search of something decadent. And boy, did I find it! I sat down to a three-course meal, with wine and dessert to boot. What a way to celebrate!
Once done with my extravagant meal, I walked around León taking in the beautiful Romaneque and gothic architecture. Like so many of the big cities I’ve passed though here in Spain, the cathedral was the remarkable centerpiece. I could have sat there all afternoon watching the shadows stretch across it as the sun shifted in the sky.
Filling content, I explored the city and strolled in the park along the Bernesga River. I wandered down streets filled with delightful shops, and even found a hiking outfitter not far from my hotel where I decided to splurge on a second pair of Injinji toe socks.
I’ve become a huge fan of these socks since hiking the Camino. It took me a while to learn that I only got blisters when I wore traditional socks. It doesn’t matter if they’re made of wool or synthetic material. As my feet get hot or begin to sweat, there’s always some friction around my fourth and pinky toes. And that’s where the blisters would inevitably form.
I haven’t had a single blister since I decided to stop swapping between my traditional socks and toe socks. So, it was definitely worth the small sum of money to purchase a second pair of Injinji socks for the rest of my trek here in Spain. All told, León has definitely been a good stop for me.
