Navarre is a beautiful,  often rugged former kingdom in the northeast corner of Spain encompassing the Pyrenees and its foothills.  When we left Pamplona, the seemingly benign track (see a stream of peregrinos ahead if us) led quickly to long, steep and rough climb to a mountain pass called the Alto de Perdon (Height of Forgiveness). We rarely have photos of the difficult ups and downs because one must fiercely concentrate to avoid falling or losing momentum; no interest in stopping to take photos by me!

We do have a photo of us at the top, after two hours of climbing, taken by some Germans.

The metal sculptures commemorate the windy height, with up to 30 mph gusts on this day.

As usual,  the descent is worse,  more dangerous, scary and tiring on the legs, than the ascent.

Our shelter that night was in the hamlet of Uterga where we were warmly treated by Loelia, who has welcomed peregrinos for 22 years! Ed booked this particular albergue out of three or four basically by its location.

In a remarkable coincidence, Loelia had a poster on her wall remembering Six Ways to Santiago, an award -winning documentary. In 2014, a pre release Washington DC screening of that documentary arranged by our friend,  Paulist priest and yoga master, Father Tom Ryan, introduced us to the Camino de Santiago de Campostela and inspired our first walk on the path in 2015.

Next morning we left Loelia’s place, Casa Camino del Perdon, to begin a thankfully relatively short walk through Puente de Reina to Lorca. Anne’s left knee and leg are sore after the long ups and downs of the previous days. She is reflecting upon persistence and endurance, while many pilgrims bound past her at a fast pace. Some (a few) seem to be struggling even more than she. What motivated them to start this journey? What keeps them going?

Walking through the tiny town of Obanos, Ed noticed an unusual sight: an open door to the church! He inquired of a resident; she told him Mass started in eight minutes. We were happy to partake and receive spiritual refreshment. 

Not having received very much upkeep and maintenance in a thousand years, the Roman road is not enjoyable to walk on today.