April 14, 2007
We know what our limit is now. We left at 8am and arrived at 8:30pm, just as the sun was setting. We even kept the breaks short and to a minimum, and took less than an hour for lunch. This was a forced march. There were no towns along the way. We each carried an extra 1.5 liters of water and we went through it all.
The route itself was spectacular, passing at the midpoint through the remains of the Roman settlement of Caparra and under the Triumphal Arch. Much of the route was on the still recognizable Roman calzada.
Part of the reason it took so long was that the stream beds were full and the trail was boggy from all of the rain recently. Two of the rivers had risen to the point of covering the stepping stones, requiring us to change into our sandals to wade across. Fortunately, it was the first day since Tuesday that it hadn't rained at some point.
We made it into Aldeanueava and passed up the refugio in favor of a hotel inasmuch as it was Conchi's birthday. We were exhausted but triumphant. No major damage to our feet. Just the expected tiredness. We went straight to the dining room for Conchi's birthday dinner and then invited the peregrinos at the table next to us to a celebratory brandy.
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