Camino de Fisterra-Muxia

---

Wed: Camino de Fisterra

For my 6^th now-annual 50+ miler, we embarked on a self-supported run!! First for both of us! There will be no medal for finishing but everlasting memory and epic journey for sure. I had been looking for an event for the fall so that V’s toe would have enough time to heal and ample time to train. None seemed enticing. Closest was a 100k run from Madrid to Segovia along one of the Camino de Santiago routes. It eventually shaped into the idea of running Camino de Fisterra in a day. It’s ~90km and supposedly well marked. We might be the odd ball on the route but it’ll be epic!!

I did a lot of research on the route. After all, we’re the RD, crew, pacer and everything for each other. Nobody will be accounting for us there. A forum gave me a lot of info. I also located .gpx file of the route and had it on an offline map apps. We had tried the app on our training runs to deal with any surprises. Learning from UTMF protocol, I also had pages of printed maps and descriptions in case all fail.

Another important aspect was our packs. Plan was to reach Finisterre on day 1, hike to Muxia the day after, and bus back to Santiago. That meant 3 days’ worth of clothing, 2 days’ worth of nutrition, ID and cash as basic needs. Add to that, space blanket, poop bag, minimum toiletries, headlamp, jackets and electronics (watch, chargers, camera and phone), our pack was getting pretty hefty.

Logistical prep looked so far so good. But there is last bit of prep that is so important. I’m glad I didn’t leave that out! It is going to be 55+ miles. It is going to be tough, no question. Be smart on taking care of nutrition & hydration. More importantly, soak in the moment, enjoy and be epic. Having the right attitude is half the battle!

After much anticipation in Santiago, the alarm went off at 5am on Wednesday. Not a solid sleep but felt rested. So many little prep routines but at 5:45, we were ready to head out. It's a go time! We walked to the cathedral in darkness. It was eerily quiet. We snapped a few photos in front of the gate. 6 o'clock bell rang. A few minutes later, we were off!!

We had gone a steady pace through the single tracks in darkness. Yesterday’s walk-through for the first mile+ paid off. It got us on to a smooth start despite darkness in the woods. The path continued through the country side along the field and villages. First breather was at mile 10. Day finally broke. We were feeling good. The only thing was that the el cheapo flauta con chocolate I ate this morning was not sitting well. I didn’t want to eat until either this stuff gets digested or settles down. It was misty throughout, even sprinkling at times. It wasn't bad enough to pull out a rain jacket but rather perfect running condition. I’d take this all day instead of warm blazing sun. At mile 13, we reached the end of stage one in the town of Negreira. A Main Street opened up with hostels and stores. We were looking for a stamp at a hostel or a bar. But it was too early for even the hostels to be open. That also meant we were on pace. We barely found an open door at Hostel Lua. We got our stamp of proof, used bathroom, and topped off our water bottles. Water bottle was a little less than half gone.

Stage 2 was going to be 21 miles with gradual ascent. After leaving town, we went back and forth between the woods and the roads. Still feeling good. Slight ascent, no problem. ~7miles into this stage, at ~20 total miles, we ran into a roadside cafe in a tiny town. Many pilgrims were taking refuge from the mist and getting food and rest. We, too, topped off the water bottle here. I was still feeling yucky without any appetite but I knew I had to eat something. It had already been a stretch. Half the bar was perfect. Shortly after that, we were back on a country road. At one turn, a herd of cows beat us to it. There were at least 20 cows being herded by a little boss doggy and a car. They were obviously ginormous and their boney butts were in my face. We couldn't pass them until they finally went into a field. This gave me a chance to carry a 2-minute conversation with a girl from Boston. She was on Camino Frances for the past month and finishing it up on this Camino de Fisterra. Since V was way ahead mingling with the cow herd, I bid her farewell and ran to catch up to him. Shortly after that, I caught up to a guy with a Ultimate Direction pack just like ours. Wow, another runner!! Nobody was traveling with minimal pack like ours so far and I was excited. Estas corriendo? Yeah. Joey from Colorado had the same idea; to run this route in one day, cool!

After mile 20, my legs were starting to feel it. Although we were going a comfortable pace, I knew the distance would catch up to me at some point. By the time we reached Olveiroa, the end of this section at mile 34, I could use a breather. There was a big bar/restaurant with a few pilgrims. One group was just leaving who we ended up meeting again in Muxia. We were drenched in sweat and mist, yikes. By this time, I was finally hungry. I had a pack of almond butter and a bar. Our water bottles were almost empty. We bought a big bottle, filled 2 bottles and drank the rest.

After a good rest here, it was time for the third and last stage. Another 21 miles to go. I might have eaten and drunk a bit too much. I felt them rolling in my tummy for some time :p. We put on a windbreaker for those frequent breezy moments. But that was short-lived. 1 mile into it was a climb and the jacket had to come off already. In this section, we leapfrogged the biking group. They cheered for us and, in hindsight, they’ve been with us throughout; from yesterday's mass to the finish. I broke this last section into two 10-milers. At mile 45, we should have been descended sharply to Cee. From then on, we'd have 10 miles to the finish.

Mile 43 came and we should be descending soon. Trail was getting rocky and it was still rolling at mile 45. Finally, a sharp rocky descent came. The town and the ocean finally opened up at mile 47. We ran along the road and it felt like forever. We were running out of water. There has to be a bar. We passed on the very first one out of the trail because they carried only a mini bottle. But the next one didn't come for a while. When we finally saw one, they, too, had the teeny bottle but we had no choice. Rather than getting 2 mini water bottles, I took a can of Aquarius. This didn’t turn out to be such a brilliant idea. I was craving this sugary drink but it made me more thirsty 😞.

Things got a little rough from there. Suddenly the signage changed from the stone/tile to modern plaques. And it sent us through the alley and town squares. Signs were hard to find. It was confusing and frustrating to the tired mind and body. Luckily, it didn’t last and we were back on the trail. We shouldn’t be too far from Finisterre!! The path sent us along the main road along the coast line. We came across the big board indicating our entry to Finisterre! We should be close! The path picked up a single track again and somehow felt much disoriented. I had no grasp of the direction I was going or how much more to go. Rolling trail was becoming brutal. When we finally descended onto the boardwalk along the beach, I was so sure that we were moments away from the lighthouse. There were more families and people on the wooden path along the beach. That is always a good sign...right?

I kept calling anything that was tall a lighthouse but they were all wishful thinking and illusions. Suddenly, we were in a busy street full of stores and people. Where the heck is the lighthouse?? Route marks were directing us further and away from the sea! Ok, maybe we ought to go around and it will drop down shortly . Wait, the arrow is pointing away still! Yes I saw it but I didn’t want to believe it. I had to ask a man strolling by. He pointed…away, no!!! Road was steadily going upwards and dumped us onto a narrow side walk winding upwards. Really?! Grrr. Ok, get it together. I promised myself that I’d finish strong. I was squeezing my energy to hop along the winding uphill. We should be there at any moment now but I just don’t see the lighthouse. I check the map. We’re on course.

Then it came. Not the lighthouse. A sign that said “Faro de Fisterra, 2.2km”. What?! Seriously?? Oh how I lost the hopping legs right there. That’s more than a mile of uphill to go. Just an hour ago, I had no doubt that we’d finish by 6pm but it was fast-approaching. 5:45, 5:48…. At 5:52, something struck me. I regained my hops. I told V we got this. We can make it. 5:56, 5:57, 5:58...we saw a parking lot!! We splinted for a few hundred yards like we stole something. At the last last stone signage that said “0.0km”, my clock read 5:59!!!! We did it, we did it!!!!

So friggin’ epic. V had to lie down on a bench and pass out for a minute. People were wondering what in the world happened. Don’t mind us, we just ran 93km. Those biking gang was also there at the lighthouse and congratulated us. They couldn’t believe it because they did it in 2 days on bike. We were taking picture with the stone, told our story and got more accolades…so sweet 😊. We went toward the cliff but didn’t care to explore. There may have been a good view of the ocean but we happily passed up on it. We were in severe need of water and food. Souvenir shop didn’t even have any water, fail! We were sweaty and cold too but we had to trek back to town. This is where self-supported gets tough. As we were trekking down the windy path, we saw Joey from Colorado making his way up, yay, way to go!

Back in town, the hostel I called yesterday was hustling and bustling. Good thing we made reservation. All we wanted to do was shower, eat and sleep, like right now, all of them. Wait, what? They cancelled it because we arrived after 6pm?! I told her we'd arrive ~6pm, sure, but she gave it away at 6p! C’mon, no grace period?? She got us another hostel though. It would have been fine under normal circumstance but, at this moment, the thought of walking any more was appalling. It wasn’t too bad since the town isn’t that big, thank god. We stopped by the supermarket to pick up dinner and settled in a hostel Rostro del Mar. We wanted to eat and shower at the same time but V came up with a great compromise. We had bunch of fruits (a lot), showered, and devoured the sandwich. What a day. That’s right, a day. It felt like many days. Finally, a pillow. Tomorrow will be another fun day 😊.



Thu: Fisterra-Muxia

Uy, it’s already way past 7am!! We weren’t particularly in hurry but didn’t have all day either. My foot recovery charm did wonders. Dull soreness on my legs surprisingly subsided. My legs were fine besides some soreness on my glutes (i.e. not walking funny)! We cleared the rest of the sandwich from last night and set out for another adventure. Today’s goal was Muxia through the ~18-mile path from Finisterre. V’s knee was hurting. He even flirted the idea of taking the bus. He toughed it out and eventually became ok, phew. I’m glad that this walk became active recovery than the pain fest 😊.

Today’s weather was gorgeous! Unlike yesterday’s gloomy weather, sun was cracking here and there. We couldn’t have asked for a better combo. I was definitely hungrier today. Entire walk was pleasant. Route was clearly marked, even better than yesterday. Often the stone marks were accompanied by a yellow arrow and a blue arrow. Yellow arrow to north and blue to south.

After yet another pleasant walk through the country side, we reached the checkpoint in Lires. Nothing was open in this sleepy town so we couldn’t get the stamp. There have been sizeable walkers going the opposite way thus far. After a short walk up the hill, we found a mini hub with a vending machine. It was timely for ice cold water because it was getting warm. I couldn’t have asked for more for the end of the latter half. Under the blue sky, ocean opened up! We walked a few km between the road and the corn field along the ocean. What a gorgeous view!! We continued to climb in Muxia to the furthest point at sanctuary. What is with this uphill finishes?! :p. Epicness all around!!

Bela Muxia was a short walk down into town. It’s a super modern and popular hostel. Front desk lady was so busy but thorough. She checked us in and gave us some food options. Her top choice was El Cordobes on Marina. Other options were also on the same street; sweet. We cleared all the bars we had and, needless to say, we were starving. Marina was being decked up with carnival setups with tents after tents for the holiday for the next 3 days. I can only imagine them partying it up hard, here in Spain. El Cordobes door was open but sadly, it wasn’t going to open until 7:30 😞. Other ones too, were closing for 4pm break until the dinner session. We wanted to go to the local’s top top top choice but we weren’t going to survive until 7:30, no way. V, being the man of ideas, came up with a great idea. Snack now, shower and come out for El Cordobes. After dinner, we can even catch a sunset. Sold! We sat down in the outside seating of Marina. We grabbed typical snack items; croquetas, padron peppers and grilled squid accompanied by adult beverages. They turned out to be superb, omg! Squids were to die for!!

After cleaning up, we came back out to Marina for round 2! We were the first customers at El Cordobes, woot woot! So obnoxious, lol. It’s a huge place half way underground. The lady said we can sit anywhere we liked. We picked the corner table 😊. Here, we had the taste of the pilgrim menu. For whoppin’ 9 euros, you get 3-course meal with a drink and bread. First course was seafood soup. The main course was pork or fish. The lady told us that they couldn’t get the pork that day and, for today only, it is some different meat. Tasted like pork but she said it’s special. What was it?? Anyway, portions were heaping and, for the first time in long time, we were stuffed to our faces! V didn’t even get to las patatas que engorda, lol. The last course, but not least, was dessert, oof. So good though. During our dinner, a big Italian party came in. Hey, we know them! we talked to one of the ladies at the hostel. She said, “Is this your first day in Muxia? Wow, and you picked this one? This is the best, we had wedding here.”! Score!! And other few guys were on the trail. We came across each other at mile 34 break. They were bundling up for the rain/mist while we were in shirts running 😊.

Another successful day in the books. This wraps our adventure on the Camino. Everything went so well, including the weather! We have been spent, replenished and ready to head southbound to Portugal for more adventure!

---

Photos

Half way @ km 45
Still feeling good :)

FINISH!!!
@ Faro de Fisterra