The mountains; Bendueños – Oviedo (44km)

July 14, 2026

I knew I would be the first to leave since I had the longest distance to cover. Though I had a bed booked in Oviedo, I was ok to abandon it if my body couldn’t handle 40+km. I woke up at 6am, made my luxurious moka pot coffee, and sipped it while watching the mountains wake. I didn’t realize this would be the last time I would see them. At least not this majestic.

Slow breakfast and gentle goodbyes. Then off I went. First a steep downhill, and suddenly loud city noises surround me. How did I forget I was so far removed from civilization?

The loud city noises overstimulated me instantly. I scowled at the cars, the asphalt, the restaurants, the hoards of people. There was so much in my way.

I refused to say “hola” to anyone as I walked by. No more eye contact. I put on my noise cancelling headphone to drown out the sounds of the highway.

I tried to notice and appreciate the things I loved.

Fig trees everywhere, ripening.

Cloudy pleasant walking weather, not too hot.

Beautiful Asturian architecture.

The ick of a city was obvious with the contrast I just experienced. Indeed, I was in a sanctuary.

And this, is anything but.

This return to civilization just made me feel more alone. I really did miss other pilgrims. This was perpetuated further with the ugliest walk I’ve ever done. The signs started to be mixed and there were many “alternate” paths that weren’t alternate.

I was on a rock solid asphalt bike path that felt infinite. Then I was beside the train tracks. Then I was spit out onto the side of the highway, separated by a fence. I was in overgrown paths, legs and arms scratched up by all the spiky plants of the world uniting to hurt me. I wanted to cry. Fuck this shit. Why am I here? Why did I want to walk San Salvador?

I felt like my soul was defeated; a heavy-headed sunflower.

I listened to my audiobook and tried to dissociate from my body. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I started to question all my choices.

I finally made it to Mieres; 20km deep. The city wasn’t so creepy, so I stopped for a coke and sandwich.

Everyone around me was all dressed up and looking nice, and nobody knows I just walked in the sketchiest bushes along the highway. I felt like a reject from society. Almost invisible. I sat in the cafe and felt like nobody could see me.

But I kept going. And suddenly I’m going up hill and walking along the mountain tops again. I see the highways and factories below me. I am embarrassed for the human race. We created this? What an eye sore.

But I kept going. Just 15 more km.

Something about walking 40 km is like a dose of medicine or therapy. It just washes things away. Makes space. I knew I would reach the threshold eventually and feel better. But for now, this was absolute torture.

The sun kept coming in and out. It started to get warmer and more muggy. I couldn’t stop sweating.

Now I was really questioning what I was doing, but after that coke kicked in and a good climb, the endorphins carried me. Just 10 more kilometers.

Euphoria, full speed ahead. Short breaks. Audiobook. Music. Voice notes. Kilometer countdown.

Tunnel vision.

I saw the albergue at 8km before Oviedo but it was beside the highway and didn’t give me good energy, so I kept going – to Oviedo.

I started to lose touch with reality again. Was this even real?

And somehow, I ended up in Oviedo at 5:30pm. My latest arrival. I checked into my hostel (rest day again, with albergues you run the risk of not getting to sleep in and getting kicked out early). I showered, hand-washed my sweat-drenched clothes, and put my feet up for a second before heading to the grocery store.

Grocery shopping after burning 3500 calories is some sort of drug, I swear. Your body desperately needs nutrients, sugar, protein, etc. And now you have infinite resources. Take what you need.

I brought it back to my hostel kitchen and prepare myself a feast: arugula, chickpeas and anchovies. I laugh. I could have anything, and this is what I want.

The body knows.

I put my feet up the wall again. Then waited for the Spain match.

This was the real reason why I wanted to be in a big city today. The energy; the experience.

And it was electric. I left my hostel and I could hear the whooping, shouting and sound of the game. I followed it and it lead me to the square, where a big screen and excellent sound system were displaying the match. And the square was full.

I bought a beer and enjoyed the atmosphere until the final score 2-0. Spain moves on to the final. That’s all I wanted.

I floated my way back to the hostel, where everyone else was returning at the same time. I liked my bed here. I felt so comfortable and couldn’t wait to sink into my sleep, rest into my rest day…

xoxo surrender