20 miles (32 km), high temp 55F (13C). Beautiful but cold day, and I got inspired. I went ahead and finished to the end! I started the day from my parents’ place at 9 am, after breakfast with Dad. The weather app said it was 37F (3C), feels like 24F (-5C). Yikes. It was definitely chilly, but I was layered well and warmed up quickly once I started walking. Mostly anyway. I had a hands issue - they got icy in the air, but in my pockets, they were hot. Problem/not-problem…I adj

2.8 miles (4.8 km). Cooler and breezy today- a cold front is moving in. It actually felt like winter, Florida-style of course. I walked at 4:30 pm and it dropped to 54F (12C) before I was done. Last night, I decided not to walk today for two reasons: 1) it was forecasted to be rainy/drizzly the first half of the day (this is not the Camino!), and 2) I was not yet feeling confident with my route in light of the safety warnings. I tried doing a search online for clear guidance,

4.7 miles (7.5 km). I walked early, temps only up to 70C (21C), so perfect walking weather. The trail was mostly off the main roads, but for one stretch just coming into Clearwater. At that point it became pretty urban, but as it was Sunday, it was also very quiet. Past Court St it becomes a leafy path again. It was a lovely walk out of Dunedin. I passed several cyclists and some joggers. The path walks inland along the coast for a while, and you can see the ocean at the end

10.5 miles (16.8 km), 26C (~79F)…a warm, beautiful, blue-skied Saturday. I started at the Tarpon Springs Public Library and ended at Main Street in Dunedin. The trail went mostly off the roads, and was tree-lined with more shade than yesterday. It wound back onto the roads about 3 miles outside of Dunedin, but only for a short stretch. Lots of cyclists today, and the walkers/runners picked up as we approached Dunedin. There were also many small cafes and bars for cyclists to

9.9 miles (16 km), sunny, high 25C/77F. Felt great to be walking. The path is a well-marked, flat, and smooth multipurpose trail for cyclists, walkers, and runners. The walk is along busy roads most of the way, but the neighborhoods were lovely. Once you reach the top of Tarpon Springs, the path moves into quieter areas and through parks. There were not many people out this time of year. I passed mostly cyclists, and people began to stop and chat once I neared the town. I wal

It is time for another walk. I am in Florida for two weeks to visit my parents, and have decided to walk the Pinellas Trail. My first challenge? Nowhere can I find recommended stages to walk the length! So I've made my own. I only have ten days left in Florida, so I have chosen to walk the route outlined by All Trails : 45.5 miles (73 km), divided into six days of approximately 8 miles each (13 km). Let's see how it goes... Some self-imposed rules: walking without media; ear

Final update: 16 km. Hilly but easy walking. You will all be impressed to know that I left early like the cool kids. I couldn’t sleep, so I got up, packed, and was out the door and walking by 7:15. And, because I was so early, my hotel was not ready to serve breakfast and I had to walk the first 5 km on an empty stomach. And, it poured. So I was wet, cold, and hungry. I was thinking, ‘See? That’s a lesson in why starting early is dumb.’ (Ha) But then, I came to a lovely litt

23 km. Gentle hills and easy walking. The first hour or so was cloudy and cool - perfect walking weather. Then a half hour of light rain - still not so bad. Then the skies opened and bucketed rain for several hours. It finally stopped and my last two hours were dry, cloudy, and cool. It was a great day, despite the rain. I walked easily and my body held back its complaints. I felt mainly gratitude and contentment. Sure, the rain was a concern. At one point, I sat in a cafe f

23 km. Partly cloudy and cooler with a nice breeze most of the day, then sunny and warm the last two hours. The total ascents were not bad at 270m, but the two biggest climbs were just as I left Sobrado this morning and the last 1.5 km into Azrúa. Mental kickers, especially the latter, as the last couple of kilometers feel never-ending even on gentle terrain. But no matter. I made it and was grateful for the shorter distance today. I walkedee re solo all day, mostly on quiet

33 km. Sunny and warm with a cool breeze. The heat was not as brutal as yesterday. I hit the high point (elevation) of the Camino today, at just over 700m. It was a long, gradual climb - not too difficult -  but my feet were pretty unhappy, so it was still a challenge. Although I am beginning to feel nostalgic about the Camino ending in three days, my feet will appreciate that there are no more 30 km walks left. I walked the first 5 km to Miraz alone. After my second breakfas

30 km. I am within 100 km of Santiago! A bit less than 90 km to go. 450m of ascents but relatively gentle hills. It should have been easy walking, but it was sunny and hot - 26C/79F. This temperature is fine for a picnic or light stroll, but it is rough with a pack on your back and boots on your feet. Fortunately, it was pretty walking through trees much of the day, so at least half of the time I had a bit of shade for relief. I started the day walking with Guillermo from Spa

21 km. Sunny and warm. Gentle hills, only 300m of ascents. Mainly walked on country roads and paths through farmlands. Although the gentler terrain was a huge relief after the last two days, I still felt every slight uphill grade. My legs were pretty tired and I have a new blister. I had a new one yesterday, too, both on the toes of my left foot. Otherwise, the day went smoothly. I ate my menú del día about 10 km in at Martiñan, and one of the options for dessert was Tarta de

22 km. Sunny and getting warmer. 950m of ascents and only 510m of descents. As we turn inland toward Santiago, the elevation of the route is higher. Along the coast, there were many climbs, but the route always returned to sea level. Going forward there will be a few days where the elevation will hover between 400 and 500m, then there will be a climb to 700m, and finally the Camino will travel back down to end in Santiago at about 250m. It will remain hilly throughout, but wi

32 km. Crossed the bridge into Galicia (Ribadeo) first thing in the morning. Then lots and lots of hills and climbing. 870 m of ascents and descents. Sunny, dry day, and the weather is getting warmer. As I mentioned yesterday, we turned inland today, so it was mountain walking. Really lovely, on very quiet roads and paths. We saw very few cars. It was rigorous walking with all the climbs, but went quite fast because just past Ribadeo, I met and walked with Milli from Hungary.

33 km. Sunny in the morning, clouds rolled in midday, sunny again in the afternoon. No rain and cool throughout. Dry all day - thank you, Camino! Perfect walking weather with moderate, manageable hills. Today was long, but I’m in a weird stretch where the accommodations are staggered at awkward intervals. It was a very special day, though, for two reasons: 1) tomorrow the Camino enters Galicia, the final autonomous community through which the Northern Camino travels, and 2) i

21 km. Fairly easy walking. A bit more climbing than yesterday, but not too bad and my legs felt much stronger. (I think yesterday I was just still recovering from Day 29.) The weather was a major challenge for much of the day. Woke at a decent hour to the sound of pouring rain. Uh oh. I looked at the weather app and saw this: Not too encouraging. I laid in bed for a while waiting for it to abate, but it did not. Got up and had coffee from the hotel machine and a chocolate cr

19 km. Relatively easy day today. Gentle hills, waking both on and off roads. The only challenge was the gusty wind that I was walking against in the morning, then later again during the last two hours. Clouds were moving in and out, but no rain. Since I knew I didn’t have far to go today, I got a relaxed start. After breakfast, I put on my barefoot shoes to take a walk, stretch my feet, and check out some of the ocean views I couldn’t see yesterday. Wow! That was probably a

39 km. That’s right. My watch actually says 41, but I think it exaggerates. Today was a very long day. It rained most of the day, gloomy with low clouds, and by the end of the day, foggy. It was extra long due to me going twice in the wrong direction (added about 2 km) and a challenge with the trail. I knew setting out I was going to be doing extra mileage today and have a lot of hills. The app said it would be 32 km, but a short way into the walk I realized that the guideboo

24 km. Lots of climbing today. Only about 650m total, but instead of one or two big ascents, there were many smaller hills, each with steepish climbs. Sunny in the morning, dark clouds for a while, then rain at the end about 2 km before my destination. This was actually fine by me, as Muros de Nalón sits high up on a hill, and I appreciated the cooling effect of the rain during the climb. I walked alone the first and last thirds of the walk, and in the middle joined Josef, An

26 km. One 200m climb about 10 km in, otherwise just hilly, fairly easy walking. I set out this morning not expecting much from the day. First, the weather app had downgraded the forecast overnight from ‘chance of rain in the afternoon’ to ‘chance of storms starting at 1 pm.’ I have had no lightening so far on this trip and wasn’t sure what to do with this information. In addition, the Wise Pilgrim app has this to say about this stage: ‘From here [Gijon], all the way to Avilé