18.2 km ~ 25,515 steps
Song of the Day: Halfway Gone – Lifehouse
I had planned to do a short day today and stop in Sahagún and thank goodness for that because boy oh boy did it rain. I had heard there would be a thunderstorm this afternoon, but it came far earlier than anticipated.
We started later in the day since I knew it wouldn’t be a long day, but I probably should have planned that better. Or checked the weather. Or even just asked someone what the weather might be. Because this storm was rolling in fast. By the time we reached Moratinos for breakfast, there was already a chill in the air and the wind was whipping. Most pilgrims chose to eat inside the cafe today to stay out of it, so Maverick and I had the patio to ourselves for breakfast.
Even though I knew the storm was coming, I still made time to explore the little hillocks where so many bodegas have been dug into them to keep things dry and cool.
Before we had even reached the upcoming halfway marker, the skies opened up and the thunder rumbled overhead. I stopped to pull out my poncho and attempted to get it over me and my pack while Maverick disappeared to my right where I heard him splashing into a river. He came back all happy to have gone swimming, and then still managed to look miserable as the rain landed on his head. Hello, did you not just intentionally get yourself wet and you’re now upset that water is falling on your head??? Dogs, man, they don’t make sense.
Sad little wet pup hits halfway on El Camino
The rain pouring down as we finally made it into Sahagún and finally found a dry canopy to hide under
Luckily, the storm didn’t last too long and we were able to make our way to a hostel in the city that would allow dogs. I’m debating taking the train tomorrow as there is a station here that we could get on and go to Leon. There is only two or three days of walking until we reach Leon, but it looks like it continues to be close to a road like we have done and still on hot Meseta stretches so it might be better for Maverick if we train ahead. We shall see. For now, we’re off to take a nap and then explore the city later.