{"id":1179,"date":"2025-10-16T11:27:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T11:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/makena.org\/?p=1179"},"modified":"2025-10-16T11:27:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T11:27:01","slug":"12-october-the-desert-burgos-to-mansilla-de-las-mulas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/makena.org\/?p=1179","title":{"rendered":"12 October The Desert-Burgos to Mansilla de las Mulas"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The more time we spend on the Camino the more we learn.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
One of those things, that we thought we knew a lot about and had done a lot of research on, is shoes!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
I honestly should\u2019ve kept track, but I know that I tried on and tried out over a dozen pairs of shoes before finally selecting a pair of Topos.<\/div>\n
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I have a very wide foot and need a large \u201ctoe box\u201d. I couldn\u2019t find a new pair of the shoes that I wore on the last Camino and I had actually worn out those shoes several years ago.<\/div>\n
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The Topos seemed to fit the bill. They were extremely comfortable, they were wide and had a forgiving sole (much like the forgiving soul<\/strong> of my wife)\u2764\ufe0f<\/div>\n
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Issues arose on the first 10 days of the Camino and the blister count just seemed to continue to mount. By the time we got to Burgos, I had five sizable blisters on my right foot!<\/div>\n
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after a lifetime in the Martial Arts, my feet are built kind of funky and a lifetime of damage has misshapen them; I simply assumed that the blisters were part of the price I was paying for the abuse that I put my feet through.<\/div>\n
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as we prepared to leave Burgos I set my shoes on the footstool in our bedroom and noticed what I thought might be the source of the problem; the soul of the shoe for my right foot was obviously crooked! It\u2019s leaned substantially from right to left!<\/div>\n
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I Contacted the manufacturer and explain to them my dilemma, I love the feel of the shoes, but the manufacturing defect was obvious, and I believed a source of my issues; Their response was less than reassuring.<\/div>\n
They explained that they were happy to back up the warranty, either themselves or through REI, from which they were purchased, and I explained that that was very nice, but how did I get the replacements in Spain? They said I can\u2019t<\/b>! \u00a0The conversation deteriorated from there with them ultimately offering a replacement that they would send any place in the USA (no help) or they would give me a coupon good for up to three pairs of shoes at a 50% off (no help for my current dilemma). They have dealers in Europe, but for some reason so they can\u2019t ship a replacement pair to Europe! When I asked how they could have dealers here selling the shoes, but they couldn\u2019t send me a pair the conversation hit \u00a0an impasse.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I am now the proud owner of a pair of Quechua MH500 WTP \u00a0Trail Shoes and with over 100 miles on them and still time to go on the Camino I am very happy. (And will never, ever recommend topo to anybody)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

LEAVING BURGOS<\/strong><\/div>\n
Burgos was a beautiful city, wonderful hospitality, lots of architecture and everywhere we went we saw parents and grandparents with children in the parks, the squares, and the shopping areas.
\nThe entire city had a wonderful family feel and was clean and receptive to us as American tourists. It was the last bit of comfort for over 100 miles!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\nBURGOS TO RAB\u00c9<\/strong><\/div>\n
They say the Camino has four \u201cspiritual\/philosophical\u201d sections.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The first is \u201cThe Body<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This Section is the beginning of the Camino and continues to Burgos. It\u2019s called \u201cThe \u00a0Body\u201d primarily due to the strenuous physical demands of the steep hills and tough climbs.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a> The next section, which we are now on, has the \u201c Philosophical\/spiritual\u201d name of \u00a0\u201cThe Mind<\/strong>\u201c; but it\u2019s commonly known as \u201cthe Desert<\/strong>\u201d.<\/div>\n
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This week we learned the reality of \u201cthe Desert<\/strong>\u201d!<\/div>\n
It\u2019s one of those things you can look at pictures of and read about, but you can\u2019t really understand it until you\u2019re a part of it.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0The formal name is \u201c The Meseta\u201d<\/strong>and although it\u2019s not a real desert, the name pretty well describes it. It is empty, desolate, and in my opinion depressing.<\/div>\n
There are almost no services in each 10-15 mile hike. \u00a0We must be prepared to spend the day in direct sunshine, literally no relief, sparse water, no stores, few villages and very important for Brenda no bathrooms!
\nEach day pilgrims, must approach, each section prepared to make the entire days travel with no support at all! This doesn\u2019t mean there is absolutely zero support along the whole trail. There are albergues \u00a0sparse, though they may be, and (very) few caf\u00e9s.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
We were told the majority of pilgrims actually skip this section between Burgos and Leon but, since it\u2019s part of the Camino, we opted to face the challenge.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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We try to find SOMETHING of interest but when you read about the barren landscapes words simply cannot describe the lonely expanses that make up this section.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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We rarely see another pilgrim. \u00a0This time of year many of the hostels are already closed, finding someplace to stay is a challenge and must be addressed in advance because the few rooms that are available are typically booked well in advance and pilgrims are in late and out early in order to get through this area as quickly as possible.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
this section is referenced as \u201cThe Mind<\/strong>\u201d because some believe that the total solitude and the agoraphobia inducing expanses force one to be introspective and engage in self examination. I just find it depressing.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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We broke The Meseta\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>into daily sections based on distance and terrain but quickly found the only real difference in each section was availability of beds and food, everything was the same!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Out of Rab\u00e9 and out of the comfort of villages and friendly faces<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Although the night skies can be beautiful because of the lack of background lighting normally found in cities and towns, the same empty skies can be miserable during the daytime even on days that are only 65 or 70\u00b0F. We think of this as comfortable temperature until you\u2019re in unfiltered sunshine for 5 to 8 hours every day! This ceaseless sun exposure (some days with no shade and virtually no breeze) can certainly be considered one of the reasons this section is in fact called \u201cthe desert<\/b>\u201d.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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ON TO CASTROJERIZ AND BEYOND\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
13 miles of desolate fields and roads never saw a farmer or a pilgrim.
\nlike many of these towns along this section of the Camino, no matter what time of day you arrive the streets are deserted. You may find a couple of \u00a0locals in the one or two small caf\u00e9s, but it\u2019s nothing like Burgos or the cities where there are town, squares, and constant life and activities.
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\nBEYOND<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
it\u2019s hard to admit, but as we traveled through town after town Fromista, Poblicion de Campos, Terradillos de Los Planos, Suhagun and on to Mansilla (our last stop before Leon) day after day with nothing but expansive vistas of nothingness we both felt bone weary and desensitized to to the few things that might have been attractive on this portion of our trip.<\/div>\n
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LAST THOUGHTS BEFORE LEON<\/strong><\/div>\n
Honestly , we want to make every post interesting and memorable, \u00a0The Dessert<\/strong> makes this virtually impossible.
\nI believe if I were to do the Camino again this is a section that I would probably skip as I see no redeeming value in the torturous, empty expanse.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Buen? Camino<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The more time we spend on the Camino the more we learn. One of those things, that we thought we knew a lot about and had done a lot of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1179","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1179"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1212,"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions\/1212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/makena.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}