October 26, 2019

0/26/2019, 20:30

Today we awoke to a heavy fog, had breakfast at our albergue and began our walk at a rather late  time of 07:45 because we wanted to reach Cruz de Ferro (the Iron Cross) at sunrise which isn’t until about 08:45.  Cruz de Ferro is a Camino landmark with a long tradition:  

Situated near the highest point on the Camino Frances, Cruz de Ferro consists of a tall wooden pole topped with an iron cross.  Legend has it that on this site a monument was erected by the ancient Celts, which was then dedicated by the Romans to their god Mercury, and later crowned by the cross and rebranded as a Christian site by the 9th-century Benedictine monk, Guacelmo.  For centuries, pilgrims have carried a stone, representing some emotional or mental burden, from home to this site and leave the stone (and their burden) here.  

As we ascended the trail in the Cantabrian mountains, we climbed above the fog and had a most spectacular view of the pre-sunrise sky. 

We soon reached Cruz de Ferro, just before sunrise: 

I left my burden, represented by two wine corks, just as the fog started to roll-in.  I also prayed the traditional Cruz de Ferro prayer:

Lord, may this stone, a symbol of my efforts on the pilgrimage, that I lay at the foot of the cross of the Savior, one day weigh the balance in favor of my good deeds when the deeds of my life are judged. Let it be so. Amen.

We the descended the other side of the mountain as the fog lifted and finished our 15-mile walk over extremely rocky terrain into the village of Molinaseca, where we had dinner and some much deserved rest.

Jim Olshefski