"I have become comfortably numb..."
-Pink Floyd
Unfortunately, not in the way that I´m accustomed to becoming numb. After the rainstorm the other day, the weather changed dramatically. Whereas last week it was sunny and in the low-to-mid 30´s, the next few days are going be overcast and windy with highs in the low to mid teens. Nájera was a very nice little town, with the old section of the city tucked up against a sheer cliff face. Like everything else in La Rioja (the soil, the rocks, etc.), the cliffs were a deep reddish-brown. The old city looked very picturesque framed in that way.
Left Nájera at 7:00 in the morning or so, and it felt like the temperature was in the single digits. Normally not too bad, but given last week´s temperatures it was a bit of a shock. None of my rain-soaked clothes managed to dry (even a little) overnight, so I had to pack them wet. I don´t mind packing wet clothes...it´s the extra weight that gets me. Anyways, the hike out of Nájera was an initially pleasant one, through a little pass in the cliffs and out into the open countryside. That´s when the wind started up - sucks when you´ve worked up a bit of a sweat and you have a cold wind blowing at you from (it seems) every direction. It sucks the energy right out of you. Maybe if I could´ve worn my long-sleeved shirt (it was packed away and sopping wet), it might have been better. But anyway, on I went, through the wind, with the occasional rain shower to punctuate the misery. Arrived in Santo Domingo at 3:00pm or so to discover that all the refuguios were full up. Got a hotel instead, which suits me just fine. Maybe I can finally get a full night's sleep. Think I feel a bit of a cold coming on...when it rains, it pours. Literally and figuratively.
Sorry if this entry seems like a bit of a downer, but I´m seriously short of energy right now. Ever since the rains started up, I've just felt exhausted beyond belief. Even caught myself thinking about calling it quits for the first time today. That's one urge I don't want to give in to. Fortunately, I'm an accomplished procrastinator, so I've deffered that decision until I get to Burgos and (knowing me), will probably push the decision back even further.
Take care everyone back home - miss you all to varying degrees.
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