Day 13 Cañaveral – Carcaboso – 40km

Today’s walk felt like a long day—probably made worse by getting lost in the dark early this morning.

 

The Albergue in Cañaveral was lovely. I stayed in a small dorm with just four of us, and the beds were comfortable. We even had real sheets and a duvet, which felt like such a treat! Although, the duvet turned out to be a little too warm for the night. Regardless, I slept very well. 

I woke up early and was ready to go. We’d been given keys to both the front and outer doors, with a careful demonstration of how to lock them behind us as we left. The trouble was, just like at the previous Albergue, both doors had been left unlocked. I decided to leave the keys on the counter and head out. A nice French guy named Damion was also up early, so I left him to decide whether he wanted to lock the door.

The morning was warmer than expected, so I ended up shedding my jacket pretty quickly. The route took me out of town, off the road, and into the forest. The terrain was rough and steep, but after about 40 minutes I managed to safely navigate the forest in the dark, eventually emerging onto a busy road. I crossed it and started along a footpath that led through fields and open land. At some point, I checked my app and realized I’d veered off the correct track. I made my way across the field to rejoin the path, but this marked the beginning of a frustrating 45 minutes wandering around fields in the dark, unable to find the trail.

I was close to the main road, so in desperation, I reached a tall gate leading to it. Unfortunately, the gate was locked. I climbed over it, thinking I’d continue along the road and rejoin the path later. But this road had no hard shoulder, and the traffic was dangerously fast. I quickly changed my mind and climbed back over the gate, returning to the fields. What followed was a nightmare journey in the dark—climbing fences, navigating through a herd of unhappy cows, and trudging through boggy ground that left my feet soaked.

Finally, as daylight broke, I managed to locate the proper track and followed it for a couple of kilometers until the terrain started to improve.

Throughout this ordeal, I couldn’t help but think about Damion and an American woman named Pam. I’d suggested they try walking in the dark with head torches and I wondered how were they faring? (Update: Damion has just arrived. He said it was fine; he only got lost once. I also lent him my spare hat because the weather was so hot, and he was very grateful for it.)

By mid-morning, things were looking up. The sun had risen, I was making good progress, and I was warming up in the sunshine. The path descended from the hills and ran beside a very full reservoir. Water flowed over the top and down a concrete slope to the river below. The path eventually brought me down beside the river, and my app indicated that I’d need to cross the river ahead. I rounded the bend expecting to find a bridge, but there wasn’t one! The only way across was by foot. 

I took off my shoes and socks, tied them together to hang around my neck, and carefully made my way across using my walking poles for support. Thankfully, I managed to cross without falling in.

From there, the route wound onto tracks and through the small walled town of Galisteo. It was a beautiful place, and I even spotted Common Cranes nesting around the gateway to the town. After Galisteo, the walk became a bit dull—a monotonous 11 kilometers along country lanes to Carcaboso, where I’d booked my stay for the night. After enduring the heat of the afternoon, I was incredibly relieved to finally arrive and rest up.