Mud! Oh Glorious Mud!

It started raining last night in Burgos. Although it was pretty much over by early morning, the trail for the last 3-4 miles into Hontanas today was incredibly muddy. I had to stop a time or two to scrape off inches of mud from my boots before I could continue. Whew, what a mess! Of well, when it rains, the Camino can become even more challenging. All the pilgrims I passed kept smiling and accepted the conditions with the Spirit of the Camino.

Hontanas, a village of no more than a couple hundred residents, is by far one of the most attractive Spanish towns that the Camino has gone through. The stone houses and church appear little different from what they were hundreds of years ago. 

Today starts my walk across the Meseta. It is best described as a high plain where I will spend the next seven days. 

Landscape, since the beginning of the Camino, has changed so much. Whereas vineyards marked much of the first third of the walk, I now walk through wide open spaces with scarcely a tree. It is said that the first third of The Way presents the pilgrim with a physical challenge. 

Across the Meseta, the second third, psychological challenge begins due to the long stretches of relatively barren countryside. Nevertheless, different as it may be, the Meseta has a stark beauty that I look forward to appreciating over the next week.