What Else Cam I Say?

Yes, I had a hard time staying on the trail this afternoon, but it wasn't my fault.  

One of the hazards of walking the Senda Litoral is that you are close to the beach, and the beach has sand and wind.  Together they managed to take out the boardwalk.  Instead of backtracking the considerable distance I had already walked I switched to the forest path that went the same direction.  

The first problem was that it was mostly sand.  Walking in loose sand is hard.  The trail kept going up and down dunes.  I was taking small steps and sliding back; I sped up trying to cut down on the backsliding.  It was pretty much a stairmaster.

I was really relieved when the trail hit flat ground.  Or at least I was until the trail disappeared.  I pulled out the phone and pulled up a map.  It showed me that I was really close to a trail or road that looped out of the park.  I head off that way, boldly disregarding the signs that said keep out and do not enter because their backs were to me as I went forward.  I bush wack for 50 feet or so when I come to the junction.  It was a stream ten feet down steep banks and too wide to jump. 

I resigned myself to backtracking through the stairmaster dunes.  Ignoring the front sides of the warning signs, I made my way back to the remains of the trail.  I got there just in time to see a jogger go over a faint trail I one of the dunes.  I followed them and found the boardwalk again!

I'm in an albergue (here it is pronounced al-BERG) with Viktor, a Portugues pilgrim who is walking the coast back from Finisterre.  There is a large church that is on a hill overlooking the city.  I saw it while crossing the bridge.  I'm told that Viana do  Castelo is a beautiful town and is worth spending time here.  I'm also told that tomorrow is a 30 km day, three or four hours longer than today, according to Anna who works at the albergue.  Ha!  If only she knew that 30 km has been my average.  

Done: 85km at least

To go: 170 km or so

This is the poster hanging in the dorm room.  It cracked me up.