The Meseta. Whew. Hot, dry, no shade, early mornings to beat the heat, and late nights of overheated sleeplessness. It definitely makes a person excited for a cold beer. But it’s all part of the experience, and not all bad. It’s basically like walking through Kansas for a week and has its ups and downs (not in elevation), but the ups – like gorgeous sunrises on a cool morning – make it all worth it. Plus one definitely feels a sense of accomplishment, especially as you see the big tour buses roll by, skipping the real hard part.

Our days were long and mostly uneventful during this section. We slowed down the drinking and socializing since it was just too hot to party, plus we were waking up at 6 am so we could get to the next town before the afternoon heat. Locals always told us we pilgrims were all crazy for walking around in that heat. At one point we took an “alternate” route to avoid a lot of walkers, which ended up being something like 20 kilometer stretches with no amenities. But the solitude was amazing, so in the end we were glad for it.

As we neared Leon, we got excited not only because of the end of the Meseta, but because that’s roughly were we had both started in previous trips, so we were coming to the point of recognition. A few more days to the beautiful landscape in Galicia!