We woke this morning after a solid and well earned sleep ready for a lighter day of walking. Starting at kilometer marker 78, we anticipated rain as it was cloudy and windy. After about an hour of walking it started to rain. We paused to put on rain jackets and backpack coverings and drive on. Our goal for the day was to be about 15 km. The group seems to enjoy being off cycle. By that I mean that the guide books have recommended daily walks that tend to go from city to city and are usually about 25 km each day. That may sound like very little but please know that Spain is a mountainous country and each ancient city was built in a river or some source of water. That means to get into town you must negotiate a significant down hill and you would start each day by climbing out of the valley. By being “off cycle”’we are able to stay in small albergues along basically flat terrain and start our morning on the same terrain. Much more comfortable. It is hard to walk through these beautiful forests of pines and eucalyptus without thinking of the many millions who have walked these same places for over a thousand years. Each of us taking the lead when it feels appropriate and lagging back when it is necessary. We are becoming more of a family among the family of pilgrims. We are now settled in to Casa Domingo in San Xulian at kilometer mark 62. We hope to accomplish 20 km tomorrow “si Dios quiere”. We have five days to get to Santiago wish us Buen Camino.