La Cruz de Ferro

Wow, what a day. Todays 19km walk would have to go down as the best day yet.  Fantastic walking, scenery, weather.  Set out early into another glorious sunrise and climbed all morning to the highest point on the Camino, Punto Alto, at 1515 metres.  This is the site of the famous La Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross) which sits atop a massive wooden pole, at the base of which is an enormous pile of rocks, placed there over many years by passing pilgrims. 

Local legend has it that if you carry a rock from your homeland and deposit it at the base of the cross, your prayer will be answered.  We had enough weight to carry in our packs, let alone carrying rocks all the way from Australia!

It felt like real bushwalking today. The track was gravel pathway, narrow and rocky at times, but mostly good.  We scaled the terrain easily, even the steeper sections, feeling quite fit now. Walked through flowering heathland most of the way with sensational displays of purple, yellow, dark pink and white flowers, with amazing vistas of snow capped mountains and deep valleys.

The weather was sublime, quite cool (we walked in fleece jackets most of the day) with perfect sunshine and clear blue sky.  Due to the altitude it can get quite dismal here with wind, rain, fog, and of course snow in winter, however Mother Nature smiled on us today.  

Of course what goes up must come down and in this instance the track came down very steeply.  The downward section soon deteriorated into a steep, rocky, eroded track. It was brutal on the knees and feet, however we were determined not to allow anything to detract from such a wonderful day.

Spending the night in the tiny village of Acebo in the charming Posada del Peregrino.  We are still at elevation so have to face that downhill track again first thing in the morning.  Past a sign today showing Santiago only 220km away, just can't believe we are getting close to the end.