July 13. Day 16 Walking.

Summary: 23 km, 600m elevation gain according to my phone (but it felt like way more!) We reached the half way in days and kms today!

7:50 am wake-up. Such a great sleep! We ordered sheets and a duvet (as we have done in places with the option rather than use our sleeping bag liners). We didn’t bring sleeping bags, and while it might cost a bit more to get the sheets, it’s been worth it. Especially last night. It changed the experience of a dirty old bed with a used bed sheet into a luxurious sleep with a heavy duvet that felt like a hug. The beds were super cool; old and made of solid wood, but the spider webs and holes in the floor and walls were beyond my comfort. And my feet hit the end of the small beds. People were smaller, I suppose? The lodging was available in medieval times and that is super cool, but I also think they could invest a bit more time in cleaning the bugs out of the rooms. When I took the covers off this morning, I suddenly found several small bugs moving around! I’m still freaking out tonight, after a day of walking, but I have no bites so fingers crossed that they weren’t bed bugs, but just other bugs.

8:30 am breakfast and pack lunch. There were lots of flies where we ate. I’m outside all day long, flies poking around by my arms and face all the time, so I’m not sure why the bugs in the lodging and food service areas pushed my buttons so much.

9:50 am started walking. Up. Up. Up.

11 am short break at 4.4 km

12 noon 7.2 km lunch break

We were misled by a pilgrim sight seeing sign and walked an extra .4 km (200m each way) since we didn’t see the proper pilgrim trail sign. We have to be mindful as we have been misled in a few places by outdated maps or missed trail signs. We can’t talk so much when there are several turns to make as we need to pay attention to the signs.

11.8 km short break after going up and up and up, again. Sweating! The work feels so good. Rewarding. And I’m so grateful for showers at the end of the day. The forest canopy gives reprieve from the hot sun.

The last several kms were along a dirt road and then the secondary asphalted road. Those km hurt.

I have a new blister between my big toe and the next one, right where they meet. Wtf?! How am I still getting blisters? I wrote to the shoe company but they said it’s my fault. They said I should trial them first. I did though, for two weeks with almost 100km, if not more, of trial and they felt great. But I didn’t try them with the bag. Salewa also doesn’t offer the same warrantee in Norway for a no-blister guarantee. Boo! Anyway, I can’t return them now…I need to finish this and trying to use new boots or shoes is not an option at this point. I notice that the shoe slips on my heel for the first several km if I wear the thinner socks, and then, it’s like my feet swell massively, and suddenly the shoes press against my toes. Note to self: use at least a month to get to know your new shoes/boots before walking over 600 km. It’s hard work finding the perfect pair of shoes.