BrentHocking
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- April 3rd - May 3rd 2016
Hello fellow Pilgrims,
My brother and I completed our first Camino Frances over the course of 30 days (Apr 3 - May 3 2016), and along the way, I decided to take the elusive Dragonte route from Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro. I thought I would give a writeup of my experience for those interested.
The day in question was April 27th 2016. For the entire course of our walk, my brother Kyle was my guide. He had asked me to accompany him on the Camino, so he was much more prepared to lead in that respect. He carried the guidebook, looked up all accommodations, and filled me in on the history of different places and objects along the way.
In the few days leading up to Villafranca, my brother talking about the day that had 3 different routes. Curious to see for myself, I took a look in the guidebook to see that there were indeed 3 routes possible: One along the road through the valley, one to the right of the valley with one mountain climb, and one to the left with 3 mountain climbs. Right away I was intrigued by the left route. My reasons for walking the Camino were largely for the mental and physical challenge, so upon reading the summary of the Dragonte route, I decided I would be heading that way.
Here is a summary of the route in the guidebook. Some versions don't even include this as an option (for example the Jacobsweg German guide had no mention of this route).
Here is the route as pictured in our guidebook (marked in green).
APRIL 26th 2016
We arrived in Villafranca del Bierzo at around 2pm and located the Municipal Albergue where we would be spending the night. As soon as we were settled, I jumped on the wifi and began researching the route as much as I could. I visited a few different websites and blogs, but to my surprise I was only able to find a couple of pages directly relating to the route itself. I read about people backtracking due to wrong turns, spots where there are 4 different roads that split off of one, and even the need to ford rivers at the bottom of the valleys. This was really cool to read about, but it also made me slightly nervous; I need to ask around to see if anyone else is planning on taking this route.
The others relaxed and took a siesta, while I took pictures of each page of the guidebook that would be helpful to me. This was going to be a long journey, but I knew it would be one of the most rewarding days on the Camino. I took a shower, and started considering what food I would be bringing along with me. I read that there was one bar along the way, and it's run by a lady who lives above it, but it isn't anything to rely on in place of taking less food as it may be closed. The others woke from their siesta around 4pm, so we decided to venture out into the town in search of a supermercado.
After some walking, and asking some locals where the market was, we got there just as it was reopening for the afternoon. I decided I would need lots of protein and energy food, so I picked up the following: 2 chorizo sausages, 1 pack dried banana chips, one pack of "Mix 5" mixed fruit and nuts, sunflower seeds, greek yogurt x 2, granola bars x 10, banana x 3, one apple, and a big bag of croissants for breakfast, taking whatever was leftover.
On the way back from the market we ran into our other German companions Dirk and Rika who were having a beer on a patio. After a brief chat I asked them if they were planning on "doing the hard route tomorrow". They both confirmed that they were going to go for it, and I felt some relief as I wouldn't be taking it on alone. They told me to meet them outside their albergue in the morning and we would set off. We went back to the municipal, dined on tortellini, relaxed, read, and called it an early night; tomorrow would be the biggest day yet.
APRIL 27th 2016
I awoke rather early, eager to get started. Despite my excitement I was able to sleep fairly well, which was a relief because I needed all the sleep I could get. I had packed up the majority of my stuff the night before, so I was able to get down to the kitchen to have my breakfast in good time. I was soon joined by my brother and our other hiking companion Matthias where we ate and discussed the day ahead. I wanted to get started on my way earlier today as it is very long, so I parted ways with them just after 7am, and set out to the other albergue to wait for the others.
I waited outside what I thought was their albergue for around 25 min when I decided to check the name of what he sent me the night before. Turns out I was waiting outside the wrong albergue, as there are two in town with very similar spellings. I was now faced with a predicament. Do I proceed with this route alone? Do I head out there in hopes that I run into them? Do I make my way to the trailhead and wait for them there? I was thinking of my options as I searched for their albergue, which I eventually found. By the time I got there it appeared that they had already left, so I decided I would go forward with the Dragonte route, as its what I planned for.
Upon referencing the pictures of the guidebook I had, I began finding my way to the beginning of the Dragonte climb. It appeared that I was going the wrong way, as I was walking in the opposite direction of the Camino markers, and more than one person got my attention and told me I was going the wrong way. Once I was away from the main trail, I started to see the features described in the guidebook, and knew I was headed in the right direction. Once I crossed the road past the highway tunnel, there was a small cafe where I stopped for a much needed coffee before I took on the 5km climb up to Dragonte. I asked the lady working there if I was on the right path and she confirmed that I was. I finished my coffee, walked another 500m up the road, and reached the beginning.
I felt really good as I began to climb. By this point on the Camino my legs were firing on all cylinders, and climbing a road like this was a great wakeup. I quickly stripped off the layers I was wearing as it began to warm up, and the views quickly made me realize how worth it this day would be. I was passed by a couple of taxis who were headed down the hill who both slowed down, tooted their horns, and wished me Buen Camino.
After about 20 min of climbing, I came across my first white arrow. I had read the night before that some of the trail is marked with white arrows, and this one was pointing me to a trail off to the left of the asphalt road. I thought the climb was all up the road, but I decided to take my chances and follow the arrow. After about 500m, I noticed the trail was descending back into the valley, and decided to turn back and get back on the main road. It turned out to be the right choice, as 15 min later I arrived in Dragonte.
I passed by a couple of locals who greeted me, and looked surprised to see a pilgrim passing through town. I guess this route isn't as heavily travelled as it used to be. I made my way through the town where I arrived at a most welcome water fountain where I took a small break to eat some food, apply sunscreen, and fill up with water.
After a little standoff with a small dog, I made my way out of Dragonte which led me up towards the top of the first mountain peak. It took me above a rock quarry that was far down on my left side where some workers were present. With a sharp whistle I caught their attention, gave them a wave, and kept moving.
After some more steady climbing I came across the first peak, and the first of the 'old Camino' signs that from what I understood, were the old signs that used to mark the way. Another cool thing about this route was that you got a glimpse of how the Camino once was, without the traffic, and albergue advertisements found on the more travelled routes.
I made my way over the first mountain peak, and began to descend into the first valley. I was lead through the trees back onto an asphalt road, which assured me I was going the right way. The guidebook wasn't lying when it said this route isn't well marked. I started to use other things as waymarkers like shoe prints, small bits of trash, ect. Once I hit the asphalt road, it was another 20 min of walking before I reached the next town: Moral de Valcarce
Passing through, there was a father and his two sons working on their small farm who greeted me. I was also approached by a German Sheppard who wasn't used to seeing strangers. (S)he took an aggressive stance, and started growling while approaching my leg, seemingly ready to attack. In my mind I thought "OK, I'm going to get bit. Where will it be, and how much will it hurt?" At that point, the father on the farm yelled some words, and the dog backed off right away, which I was thankful for. The last thing I needed was a dog bite with 30km to go. As I got to the edge of the town, there were more signs marking the way, which again were the signs from the past Camino.
It was after I left this town that navigation became really tough, marking became non existent, and I ended up on the wrong path. It was a series of cattle paths, and I had taken a split off of a split, and walked until the path sort of ended. I didn't like this, as there were 3 more potential options for me to take, and I couldn't afford to spend the energy taking 2 more wrong turns before I found the right one. I knew I had a river to ford at the bottom, and since I could hear the river from where I was, I backtracked to where the original split happened, and took a left which appeared to go down and to the right. When I reached the bottom, it appeared that I took the right path, as this is what I found.
Off came the boots, on went the flip-flops, and I was fording the river. Once I got to the other side it didn't seem like the fording was done, and I was still unsure if i was heading the right way, so I kept the flip-flops on for the time being. I rounded the corner, and to my relief I saw this:
Arrows! After being a little lost, and having not seen a marker in around 30 min, this was a very welcome sight. This next section of fording was longer, and the water was very cold!
After wading through (with plenty of breaks for my freezing feet) I made it to the other side, dried off my feet, put my boots back on, and continued forward. The climb up the second mountain started almost immediately, and the path was lined by chestnut trees. This provided me with some free nourishment, although I had to get through the spiky burr first. I didn't snap a picture of this but it was pretty funny. The path came to a point where it appeared to end, and I wasn't sure where to go. I was looking around when I noticed a group of trees going straight up the side of the hill with little red spray paint lines on them. I took a chance and assumed that that was the way to go, so I started climbing up this very steep grade portion of the hill, and eventually met up with a trail again. I was pretty winded at this point, but noticed a small portion of church through the trees, so I pressed on up the path, and eventually came up to the next town: Villar de Corales.
It was here that I decided to stop for more food. There was another water tap, but when i filled my bottle it appeared a little green so I decided not to chance it; after all I still had a 2L water bladder that was nearly full. I checked my watch - 11:35am. Yikes, I still have a long way to go, and its taken me longer than I thought it would to get to this point. At this point I said to myself "you gotta pick up the pace if you want to make it to O Cebreiro tonight". I ate a lunch of a banana, more chorizo, a couple of granola bars, and a greek yogurt, and continued on my way through the town. From the picture above, you can see that there isn't much going on here, and I thought that a portion of the town was simply abandoned, although I did come across a local at the start of town who was working on a tractor.
I exited the town, and followed another rocky path toward the second peak. The path split again at the peak, but there was another old sign there to point the correct way.
I got over the peak, and was following the path when I met face to face with a herd of cattle walking towards me. Because I was alone, and had never come across this before, I chose to get off the path and let them pass before I continued. In hindsight I could have kept walking right past them, but I didn't want to take any risks when I was alone. Once I passed the herd, I began the second descent. I found this section to be the hardest as the terrain was extremely rocky, and very steep. I was descending for 30 min on terrain that looked like this:
Eventually, descent exited the trees, and I found myself at the top of another rock quarry. This was another good sign as it was highlighted in the guidebook. As I began descending into the quarry I was passed by a truck on the way up with a load of rocks.The driver gave me a wave on the way by as I continued. This continued to be a tough descent; very hard on the feet.
Once I got to the bottom, the path lead out onto public road where I took a right, and then a left leading up to San Fitz de Seo (seen above the rock quarry). Once I reached the town, I took another break, and had my water filled up by a local with a garden hose. I made my way through the town, and exited to some beehives on my left side - another feature that I read about online that again reassured me that I was on the right path.
As I continued along this path, I took a look back and got a cool view of where I just came from.
From this point, I was just following one path which took my navigation worries away. I walked alongside more beehives on my way to the final town before I rejoined the other pilgrims at Herrerias: Villasinde.
Another 45 min from this point I reached Villasinde. The town seemed to be built on a hill, and the only way through it was up very steep roads. I have to admit at this point I was pretty tired. I reached Villasinde at around 14:20, just over 6 hours after I began the initial climb up to Dragonte, and the hills were really starting to kick my ass.
After another short break, and some more water from a tap I continued up another long ascent to the 3rd and final peak of the mountain sets. It was along this stretch where the paths began to get much more overgrown with foliage.
After fighting through this section at points, I finally crossed into clear path at the peak of the last mountain. I joined a road which took me around a bend where I passed a large radio tower. At this point Herrerias was in barely in view, although at the bottom of another very long descent. Because I knew I was almost out of (what I thought was) the toughest part of the day, this made the descent a little easier. Because I didn't look into it, I had no idea what the climb from Herrerias to O Cebreiro was like...
By the time I reached the bottom, and made my way into Herrerias it was 15:40 - just over 7 hours since the initial climb to Dragonte. Had another rest here, but made it short as I wanted to get to O Cebreiro to meet up with Kyle and Matthias in time for dinner. Once I exited Herrerias the climb started pretty much immediately and it wasn't long before I had to stop to tend to my feet. They were starting to get very warm, so I thought it would be best if I took off my boots and applied some Goldbond to my feet. This turned out to be a good choice as I felt much better after I did so. After another gruelling climb, I reached La Faba at 16:30. I prayed that I had one euro in my pocket for a Coke from the machine in town which I did, and it was one of the most refreshing drinks I've ever had.
I knew once I hit this point I was close to O Cebreiro, so I got another burst of energy. I put some of my favourite music on my phone speaker, and had a great time climbing the rest of the way, and taking in the beautiful views
I finally reached O Cebreiro at 17:40 - just over 9 hours since the ascent to Dragonte. Adjusting for the climbs/descents I did approximately 44km on this day.
This was by far the most rewarding stretch of the Camino for me. The solitude, the ambiguous trail markers, the scenery, and the physical/mental challenge all came together to make this the most memorable day. I think it was the most I've ever exerted myself physically in my life, but it was all so worth it (and made the beer that much better that night). It didn't matter how hot the albergue was, or how many snorers there were; I slept like a corpse that night.
Hopefully this gave you a good idea of what the Dragonte route is all about. I know it's very long, so thanks for taking the time to read it. I hope it can be of some help to those wishing to do this route in the future.
Buen Camino friends, safe travels
Brent
My brother and I completed our first Camino Frances over the course of 30 days (Apr 3 - May 3 2016), and along the way, I decided to take the elusive Dragonte route from Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro. I thought I would give a writeup of my experience for those interested.
The day in question was April 27th 2016. For the entire course of our walk, my brother Kyle was my guide. He had asked me to accompany him on the Camino, so he was much more prepared to lead in that respect. He carried the guidebook, looked up all accommodations, and filled me in on the history of different places and objects along the way.
In the few days leading up to Villafranca, my brother talking about the day that had 3 different routes. Curious to see for myself, I took a look in the guidebook to see that there were indeed 3 routes possible: One along the road through the valley, one to the right of the valley with one mountain climb, and one to the left with 3 mountain climbs. Right away I was intrigued by the left route. My reasons for walking the Camino were largely for the mental and physical challenge, so upon reading the summary of the Dragonte route, I decided I would be heading that way.
Here is a summary of the route in the guidebook. Some versions don't even include this as an option (for example the Jacobsweg German guide had no mention of this route).
Here is the route as pictured in our guidebook (marked in green).
APRIL 26th 2016
We arrived in Villafranca del Bierzo at around 2pm and located the Municipal Albergue where we would be spending the night. As soon as we were settled, I jumped on the wifi and began researching the route as much as I could. I visited a few different websites and blogs, but to my surprise I was only able to find a couple of pages directly relating to the route itself. I read about people backtracking due to wrong turns, spots where there are 4 different roads that split off of one, and even the need to ford rivers at the bottom of the valleys. This was really cool to read about, but it also made me slightly nervous; I need to ask around to see if anyone else is planning on taking this route.
The others relaxed and took a siesta, while I took pictures of each page of the guidebook that would be helpful to me. This was going to be a long journey, but I knew it would be one of the most rewarding days on the Camino. I took a shower, and started considering what food I would be bringing along with me. I read that there was one bar along the way, and it's run by a lady who lives above it, but it isn't anything to rely on in place of taking less food as it may be closed. The others woke from their siesta around 4pm, so we decided to venture out into the town in search of a supermercado.
After some walking, and asking some locals where the market was, we got there just as it was reopening for the afternoon. I decided I would need lots of protein and energy food, so I picked up the following: 2 chorizo sausages, 1 pack dried banana chips, one pack of "Mix 5" mixed fruit and nuts, sunflower seeds, greek yogurt x 2, granola bars x 10, banana x 3, one apple, and a big bag of croissants for breakfast, taking whatever was leftover.
On the way back from the market we ran into our other German companions Dirk and Rika who were having a beer on a patio. After a brief chat I asked them if they were planning on "doing the hard route tomorrow". They both confirmed that they were going to go for it, and I felt some relief as I wouldn't be taking it on alone. They told me to meet them outside their albergue in the morning and we would set off. We went back to the municipal, dined on tortellini, relaxed, read, and called it an early night; tomorrow would be the biggest day yet.
APRIL 27th 2016
I awoke rather early, eager to get started. Despite my excitement I was able to sleep fairly well, which was a relief because I needed all the sleep I could get. I had packed up the majority of my stuff the night before, so I was able to get down to the kitchen to have my breakfast in good time. I was soon joined by my brother and our other hiking companion Matthias where we ate and discussed the day ahead. I wanted to get started on my way earlier today as it is very long, so I parted ways with them just after 7am, and set out to the other albergue to wait for the others.
I waited outside what I thought was their albergue for around 25 min when I decided to check the name of what he sent me the night before. Turns out I was waiting outside the wrong albergue, as there are two in town with very similar spellings. I was now faced with a predicament. Do I proceed with this route alone? Do I head out there in hopes that I run into them? Do I make my way to the trailhead and wait for them there? I was thinking of my options as I searched for their albergue, which I eventually found. By the time I got there it appeared that they had already left, so I decided I would go forward with the Dragonte route, as its what I planned for.
Upon referencing the pictures of the guidebook I had, I began finding my way to the beginning of the Dragonte climb. It appeared that I was going the wrong way, as I was walking in the opposite direction of the Camino markers, and more than one person got my attention and told me I was going the wrong way. Once I was away from the main trail, I started to see the features described in the guidebook, and knew I was headed in the right direction. Once I crossed the road past the highway tunnel, there was a small cafe where I stopped for a much needed coffee before I took on the 5km climb up to Dragonte. I asked the lady working there if I was on the right path and she confirmed that I was. I finished my coffee, walked another 500m up the road, and reached the beginning.
I felt really good as I began to climb. By this point on the Camino my legs were firing on all cylinders, and climbing a road like this was a great wakeup. I quickly stripped off the layers I was wearing as it began to warm up, and the views quickly made me realize how worth it this day would be. I was passed by a couple of taxis who were headed down the hill who both slowed down, tooted their horns, and wished me Buen Camino.
After about 20 min of climbing, I came across my first white arrow. I had read the night before that some of the trail is marked with white arrows, and this one was pointing me to a trail off to the left of the asphalt road. I thought the climb was all up the road, but I decided to take my chances and follow the arrow. After about 500m, I noticed the trail was descending back into the valley, and decided to turn back and get back on the main road. It turned out to be the right choice, as 15 min later I arrived in Dragonte.
I passed by a couple of locals who greeted me, and looked surprised to see a pilgrim passing through town. I guess this route isn't as heavily travelled as it used to be. I made my way through the town where I arrived at a most welcome water fountain where I took a small break to eat some food, apply sunscreen, and fill up with water.
After a little standoff with a small dog, I made my way out of Dragonte which led me up towards the top of the first mountain peak. It took me above a rock quarry that was far down on my left side where some workers were present. With a sharp whistle I caught their attention, gave them a wave, and kept moving.
After some more steady climbing I came across the first peak, and the first of the 'old Camino' signs that from what I understood, were the old signs that used to mark the way. Another cool thing about this route was that you got a glimpse of how the Camino once was, without the traffic, and albergue advertisements found on the more travelled routes.
I made my way over the first mountain peak, and began to descend into the first valley. I was lead through the trees back onto an asphalt road, which assured me I was going the right way. The guidebook wasn't lying when it said this route isn't well marked. I started to use other things as waymarkers like shoe prints, small bits of trash, ect. Once I hit the asphalt road, it was another 20 min of walking before I reached the next town: Moral de Valcarce
Passing through, there was a father and his two sons working on their small farm who greeted me. I was also approached by a German Sheppard who wasn't used to seeing strangers. (S)he took an aggressive stance, and started growling while approaching my leg, seemingly ready to attack. In my mind I thought "OK, I'm going to get bit. Where will it be, and how much will it hurt?" At that point, the father on the farm yelled some words, and the dog backed off right away, which I was thankful for. The last thing I needed was a dog bite with 30km to go. As I got to the edge of the town, there were more signs marking the way, which again were the signs from the past Camino.
It was after I left this town that navigation became really tough, marking became non existent, and I ended up on the wrong path. It was a series of cattle paths, and I had taken a split off of a split, and walked until the path sort of ended. I didn't like this, as there were 3 more potential options for me to take, and I couldn't afford to spend the energy taking 2 more wrong turns before I found the right one. I knew I had a river to ford at the bottom, and since I could hear the river from where I was, I backtracked to where the original split happened, and took a left which appeared to go down and to the right. When I reached the bottom, it appeared that I took the right path, as this is what I found.
Off came the boots, on went the flip-flops, and I was fording the river. Once I got to the other side it didn't seem like the fording was done, and I was still unsure if i was heading the right way, so I kept the flip-flops on for the time being. I rounded the corner, and to my relief I saw this:
Arrows! After being a little lost, and having not seen a marker in around 30 min, this was a very welcome sight. This next section of fording was longer, and the water was very cold!
After wading through (with plenty of breaks for my freezing feet) I made it to the other side, dried off my feet, put my boots back on, and continued forward. The climb up the second mountain started almost immediately, and the path was lined by chestnut trees. This provided me with some free nourishment, although I had to get through the spiky burr first. I didn't snap a picture of this but it was pretty funny. The path came to a point where it appeared to end, and I wasn't sure where to go. I was looking around when I noticed a group of trees going straight up the side of the hill with little red spray paint lines on them. I took a chance and assumed that that was the way to go, so I started climbing up this very steep grade portion of the hill, and eventually met up with a trail again. I was pretty winded at this point, but noticed a small portion of church through the trees, so I pressed on up the path, and eventually came up to the next town: Villar de Corales.
It was here that I decided to stop for more food. There was another water tap, but when i filled my bottle it appeared a little green so I decided not to chance it; after all I still had a 2L water bladder that was nearly full. I checked my watch - 11:35am. Yikes, I still have a long way to go, and its taken me longer than I thought it would to get to this point. At this point I said to myself "you gotta pick up the pace if you want to make it to O Cebreiro tonight". I ate a lunch of a banana, more chorizo, a couple of granola bars, and a greek yogurt, and continued on my way through the town. From the picture above, you can see that there isn't much going on here, and I thought that a portion of the town was simply abandoned, although I did come across a local at the start of town who was working on a tractor.
I exited the town, and followed another rocky path toward the second peak. The path split again at the peak, but there was another old sign there to point the correct way.
I got over the peak, and was following the path when I met face to face with a herd of cattle walking towards me. Because I was alone, and had never come across this before, I chose to get off the path and let them pass before I continued. In hindsight I could have kept walking right past them, but I didn't want to take any risks when I was alone. Once I passed the herd, I began the second descent. I found this section to be the hardest as the terrain was extremely rocky, and very steep. I was descending for 30 min on terrain that looked like this:
Eventually, descent exited the trees, and I found myself at the top of another rock quarry. This was another good sign as it was highlighted in the guidebook. As I began descending into the quarry I was passed by a truck on the way up with a load of rocks.The driver gave me a wave on the way by as I continued. This continued to be a tough descent; very hard on the feet.
Once I got to the bottom, the path lead out onto public road where I took a right, and then a left leading up to San Fitz de Seo (seen above the rock quarry). Once I reached the town, I took another break, and had my water filled up by a local with a garden hose. I made my way through the town, and exited to some beehives on my left side - another feature that I read about online that again reassured me that I was on the right path.
As I continued along this path, I took a look back and got a cool view of where I just came from.
From this point, I was just following one path which took my navigation worries away. I walked alongside more beehives on my way to the final town before I rejoined the other pilgrims at Herrerias: Villasinde.
Another 45 min from this point I reached Villasinde. The town seemed to be built on a hill, and the only way through it was up very steep roads. I have to admit at this point I was pretty tired. I reached Villasinde at around 14:20, just over 6 hours after I began the initial climb up to Dragonte, and the hills were really starting to kick my ass.
After another short break, and some more water from a tap I continued up another long ascent to the 3rd and final peak of the mountain sets. It was along this stretch where the paths began to get much more overgrown with foliage.
After fighting through this section at points, I finally crossed into clear path at the peak of the last mountain. I joined a road which took me around a bend where I passed a large radio tower. At this point Herrerias was in barely in view, although at the bottom of another very long descent. Because I knew I was almost out of (what I thought was) the toughest part of the day, this made the descent a little easier. Because I didn't look into it, I had no idea what the climb from Herrerias to O Cebreiro was like...
By the time I reached the bottom, and made my way into Herrerias it was 15:40 - just over 7 hours since the initial climb to Dragonte. Had another rest here, but made it short as I wanted to get to O Cebreiro to meet up with Kyle and Matthias in time for dinner. Once I exited Herrerias the climb started pretty much immediately and it wasn't long before I had to stop to tend to my feet. They were starting to get very warm, so I thought it would be best if I took off my boots and applied some Goldbond to my feet. This turned out to be a good choice as I felt much better after I did so. After another gruelling climb, I reached La Faba at 16:30. I prayed that I had one euro in my pocket for a Coke from the machine in town which I did, and it was one of the most refreshing drinks I've ever had.
I knew once I hit this point I was close to O Cebreiro, so I got another burst of energy. I put some of my favourite music on my phone speaker, and had a great time climbing the rest of the way, and taking in the beautiful views
I finally reached O Cebreiro at 17:40 - just over 9 hours since the ascent to Dragonte. Adjusting for the climbs/descents I did approximately 44km on this day.
This was by far the most rewarding stretch of the Camino for me. The solitude, the ambiguous trail markers, the scenery, and the physical/mental challenge all came together to make this the most memorable day. I think it was the most I've ever exerted myself physically in my life, but it was all so worth it (and made the beer that much better that night). It didn't matter how hot the albergue was, or how many snorers there were; I slept like a corpse that night.
Hopefully this gave you a good idea of what the Dragonte route is all about. I know it's very long, so thanks for taking the time to read it. I hope it can be of some help to those wishing to do this route in the future.
Buen Camino friends, safe travels
Brent
Until you get to Herrerias of course. The last climb into O Cebreiro which everyone has to make is very tough!
) and, to be quite honest, now it's quite likely out of my realm of possibilities. Still, it is wonderful to trek it vicariously through your descriptive report and and fabulous photos. Much appreciated. 
).
