DAY TEN - Logrona to Najerra to Santo Domingo

Stayed in a very noisy hostel last night. It was right on the main town plaza and it was Friday night. The hostel was very modern and had balconies with french doors, which overlooked the plaza. To keep the room cool at night, the french doors must remain open. This means all of the plaza noise filters into the rooms. I should also add, some Spaniards, seem to party all night and talk very loudly. I was very thankful for my earplugs.

The walk today was about 17 miles. I left the hostel around 6;30 am and several of us found our way along the Camino, through the streets of Logrono. According to the elevation grid, the walk would be relatively moderate. However, it turned out to be a major problem for me.

As you may have read before I left home, heel pain had been an occasional problem on my longer walks, but it was usually fine by the next day. Though I've had some pain near the end of my walks here, it usually was not an issue. Today, early on, it became an issue in my left heel. I pushed on and despite occasional stretching of the calf and heel area, the pain persisted and at times was intense.

I toyed with the idea of catching a bus in the next town, but didn't want to quit. So, I
kept telling myself to go a little further. My hiking poles, which previously had only been used for up and down hill climbing, were my support. Without them bearing some of the weight of each step,I would not have made it to the end. I limped into Najera and headed straight to the bus station.

 

The original schedule called for me to go even farther than the 17 miles, but there was no way I was going to be able to walk anymore on this day. As I waited for the bus to Azofra, two pilgrims sat down on the bench next to mine. I asked were they were headed to and they stated,Santo Domingo. They went on to explain that their injuries had inhibited their ability to walk for a few days. So, they were moving ahead a few segments and would fall back in with a pilgrim group a.s.a.p.

After explaining my day of agony, they suggested I consider moving ahead as well.Though many pilgrims use public transportation to move ahead on the Camino, I didn't want to be one of them,but there I sat,waiting for public transportation. In the end, I went with them to Santo Domingo.