Day 7 (2021-Oct-26) – Golegã ->> Tomar [41 Km, 50 698 steps]
#1milhaodepassos #onemillionstepshike day 7, with the 278.000 steps and 190 km barriers crossed. The day started unusually early, sponsored by a hostel room mate, who made any diesel generator sound as a whisper. He snored like a locomotive. The upside (yes I’m all for getting positive outcomes from any bad situation)? I ended the pain before 5 AM and set myself on the road. I was COLD like hell (hmm?), so quick steps got me warmed up after a few minutes. As the Sun rose, I had already covered 15Km, which is a good personal metric. Today the path had a bit of everything: #EN110 national road, fantastic landscapes, including the one I had the privilege of having for company during breakfast, crossing a a deforestation yard in full fledge labor, suspicious abandoned car, WTF type of climbs and OMG kind of descends, had the best coffee of my life (not because of the quality, but because of how well it felt drinking it) and just before 2PM I was arriving at my destination for the day: the city of #tomar. 9 hours of hiking and no injuries make it a very good day. The cherry on top of the cake is having my own individual room with a bathroom!!!! I will sleep like a rock today, getting ready for another hostel tomorrow. This kinda reminds me of those times with 8hours of sleep per week😅 Apologies, I have some washing up to take care of. 😉 #tchauaíócatano
Early start at a Golegã
Early start at a Golegã
Void of the night on an abandoned village
Void of the night on an abandoned village
Ablative public artwork
Ablative public artwork
Stressful moment: abandoned car
Stressful moment: abandoned car
One of the many crossings of the highway
One of the many crossings of the highway
Logging team working full throttle
Logging team working full throttle
This polished look kept everybody at bay
This polished look kept everybody at bay
Breakfast with a view
Breakfast with a view
Arriving at Tomar.
Arriving at Tomar.
Day 8 (2021-Oct-27) – Tomar ->> Alvaiázere [36 Km, 49 468 steps]
#1milhaodepassos #onemillionstepshike day 8 complete and arrived at #Alvaiazere. I left #tomar by 7AM already with an azure tome in the sky. A brief fly-by through a self–service shop for the initial morning coffee and off I went. Soon after the path turns from side walks into a single trek. It was a good call starting a few minutes later than initially planned or I would lose the beautiful view, going by a river. A growing running water sound has been announcing some sort of water fall for some time, but I wasn’t expecting what I found. A long man-made waterfall with a retention lake on top, fog breaking out of the water, simply amazing. I need to come back here to capture proper photos. The path was harder today with a lot of climbs during the morning, but always under forest cover. Pain came later as the afternoon brought never ending pavement and direct Sun exposure. For the first time I had to refill my water bottles and with almost 10H of hike, I crashed in #Alvaiazere. I have located the sleeping site for the day and indulged myself with the mountain view, taking the time to share news and relax. Tomorrow is another day and I need to get ready for rain… #tchauaíócatano
Breakfast
Breakfast
This is a photographic paradise
This is a photographic paradise
One of many signs of the path to Santiago
One of many signs of the path to Santiago
Short break
Short break
Good year for olives
Good year for olives
Old side roads were
Old side roads were
Cork oaks are quite common
Cork oaks are quite common
Relaxing facing tomorrow's challenge at Alvaiázere
Relaxing facing tomorrow's challenge at Alvaiázere
Day 9 (2021-Oct-28) – Alvaiázere ->> Rabaçal [37 Km, 50 501 steps]
#1milhaodepassos #onemillionstepshike day 10 – Avaiázere -》 Rabaçal. The day started by 7 AM. I confess that being alone in a room raises the inertia to get started. The streets were dark and no public illumination, so no day start picture. The day was hard. I have surpassed the highest point of the whole hike at 450 m, which took 5Km to reach, right from the start. A lot of single tracks with a lot of rocks to really mess my feet. After that, well, after that there were amazing views with huge landscapes from the top of the mountain. Every descent announced another OMG kind of ascent. Nevertheless the biggest stress was not yet having a place to crash at the end of the day. The confirmation only occurred, as #Rabaçal church bell rang the 5PM, when I reached the Bonito hostel. For dinner I had a delicious stewed chicken (not sure if you noticed yet, but everything tastes delicious along this adventure :D). It’s now time to prepare for tomorrow; I will have rain for company for the whole day, which brings a new set of logistics around clothing, lights, backpack cover, etc. After that it’s time to crash, as it’s already night time 🤣 >More to come tomorrow. #tchauaíócatano
Looking back at Alvaiázere, this was quite a day start
Looking back at Alvaiázere, this was quite a day start
Any mentions of apples atracted me
Any mentions of apples atracted me
Long shadows and dirt roads
Long shadows and dirt roads
Beautiful grand views
Beautiful grand views
Several water sources along the way
Several water sources along the way
Dirt and rocky paths. Very demanding
Dirt and rocky paths. Very demanding
🙂
🙂
Yep, looks I'm on the right path
Yep, looks I'm on the right path
An old well where I refilled my bottles
An old well where I refilled my bottles
Again resting
