Day 18: Vega de Valcare - O Cebreiro: Angel in Human Form, Wolf Tracks and Camino Surprise

Camino goes up after Hospital Ingles

My Last Major Mountain

I began my day with mixed emotions.  I was cautiously nervous heading up a big mountain pass by myself knowing I could find myself in a number of life threatening situations from snow, cold, and wildlife. Help would not be close at hand. I also was a bit melancholy that today was the last ascent of a major mountain pass. I enjoyed the mountains for their serene beauty as well as the sense of accomplishment that came from climbing them.

I'll soon leave rain for the snow

I would have time to contemplate all of the things going through my head as I still had to cover 5km / 3.1 mi through the valley before the path turned upward. I passed through several medieval hamlets before arriving in Hospital Ingles, a village dating from 1178. 

To my pleasant surprise, there was a bar / cafe open. That is a highly unusual thing to find on a in Spain especially in such a small hamlet. I went in and got a cafe con leche and a seat by the fire before beginning the rest of my day which would be straight up a mountain into the snow.

18th Century San Andres Church near La Faba

An Angel in Human Form 

I climbed for about an hour or so until I reached the small hamlet of La Faba. I stopped to admire the church when I hear some noise. To my surprise, Salvatrice (Salvation in Italian) from Rome was walking up the Camino near the church in the picture. I last encountered Salvatrice on my very first day on the Camino when I was in serious need of assistance and shelter. She rescued me that day, led me to shelter and told me how I could get food. 

This time I felt Christian love, warmth and a sense of fellowship seeing her again. I had not seen a single soul on The Camino to date. We chatted a bit. She asked if I was alright. I replied that I was. I did notice she was dressed rather oddly for someone trekking a long distance. I also took note that it was very unusual not to have seen her at all over the previous 18 days. I took note that she appeared on the morning I mentally thought about the possible danger of today's trek. I told her I was going to stop into this small albergue cafe before we encountered the snow and steeper portion. She declined and said she was walking onward. I never saw Salvatrice again. Taking all these observations into account along with a few others which I will share later I am confident I encountered an Angel in human form on The Way of Saint James. It was pretty neat and I felt divinely protected as I trekked upward.

And Very Cool Refugio

Cool Refugio in La Faba

I stopped into the refugio (Very basic hostel) cafe before the final and most difficult stretch of the day. I met the most gracious host in a German / Galician guy named Hanz. He told me about how was 23 and was tending to the place over the winter. He was a self-sustaining farmer besides an innkeeper. I know the unemployment rate in Spain is near 50% for people like Hanz and thus I felt compelled to minister to him by spending money. I wasn't terribly hungry but he offered lunch and drink. He brought out some incredible warm homemade bread and cheese from his farm. They both were off the chart good with deep, complex flavors. I also drank a nice house wine and coffee. I asked "Cuanto es" (How much?) and he told me a donation would suffice. I gave him 5 euro which is the going rate for a bed in a place like this but I still felt like I underpaid. He insists on giving me change. I refuse. He is so incredibly thankful that he insists I also take some kiwi. I could not refuse him. We both were made happy with that encounter.

Above the tree line and into the snow zone after La Faba

Enter the Snow 

I walked out of La Faba and the conditions changed very quickly as I entered the snow zone. At first there were gently flurries and only a dusting of snow on the ground. Next was beautiful heavy flakes and 7 cm / 2-3 in of snow on the Camino. Finally it turned absolutely beastly with over 30 cm / 12 " of snow on the ground and very limited visibility leaving no visual clues to The Camino versus a fall to a likely death. I made a point to stay as far away from the trail edge as possible.

Weather Was Now Beastly

And Evidence of a Wolf 

As I gained elevation I became further from civilization. I knew there were bears up here as well as other forms of wildlife. I made a point to be as loud of possible to lessen my chance of an encounter. And then I looked down and exclaimed to myself "Whoa, that is a fresh wolf track in the snow." Intellectually I know that wolves in Spain associate humans as very bad news and the most likely scenario is that the wolf heard me long ago and was increasing his distance between me and him / her. I was fairly certain I was not being stalked but having such a reminder that I am really in the wilderness was a bit sobering to say the least. This is really an area where people need to be rescued or die.

The Border of the Province Galicia

Entering Galicia 

I soon came to the marker signaling that I had entered Galicia. This was an exciting landmark as Galicia was the final Province on my Pilgrimage. I also knew I closing in on O Cebreiro and the security of civilization  Seeing this lifted my spirits considerably and I felt far less isolated than moments ago when I was out of deep snow with fresh wolf tracks.

Rock Fences Mean People - O Cebreiro

Strange Noises Ahead 

Pretty soon I began hearing something very much out of place in the wilderness. It sounded like lots of people playing. I knew nothing about what to expect in O Cebreiro. The last mountain pass summit village, Foncebadon, was desolate with maybe 10 people living there. I thus had no expectations for O Cebreiro.


The rounded a pass and the Camino soon leveled. I also noticed a nice rock fence and trees that were clearly forested. This was a sign of civilization and the noises also became more pronounced and louder. There were definitely many people outside.

Civilization and Snow Pilgrims

I entered the village and was very pleasantly surprised.  O Cebreiro was somewhat of a snow resort. There were taverns, restaurants, B&B's and a large Winter Sports hill. The place was the most busy hamlet I encountered on the entire Camino. It was a medieval village with ancient charm but resembled the hustle and bustle of a ski village.I secured a room in a quaint B&B. I gasp had to make a reservation for a late lunch because the place had a Wait List.

O Cebreiro was a quaint village with a rich history. It dates from the 9th century. The Holy Grail was hidden here. It is noted for its architecture. It is predominated with low, oval stone houses with hugging thatch roofs. This palloza style dates back to Celtic times.

I walked around the village and got my Pilgrim Credential stamp from the local medieval church. I settled down in my warm room which was nice because the wind chills would fall below 0*F outside.

My Tunes for the Day

The Verve "Bittersweet Symphony" was an excellent companion as I trekked up this mountain. It's been a favorite of mine ever since it has been on my endurance training playlist. The song has gotten me though many a long run or trainer ride. It has very pleasant association of endurance accomplishment. I now associate it with accomplishing the climb up a Camino High Mountain Pass.