I started my very 1st Camino walking experience at 2:00 pm today on the Camino Frances Trail starting from Rabanal and ending on the famous Iron Cross at 4:40 pm. Rabanal is 8 km (~5 miles) east of the famous Iron Cross and is at an elevation of 1,150 meters (3,800 ft). The Iron Cross is located between the towns of Foncebedon and Manjarin and is the highest point in Spain of the Camino Frances trail at an elevation of 1,504 meters (~4,900 ft).

This famous Iron Cross was featured in the movie “The Way” directed by the US actor Emilio Estevez, where he co-starred with his father Martin Sheen. It turns out that Martin Sheen’s original name was also Emilio Estevez (Sr) before he became an actor and was born in Galicia, Spain.

The pilgrims are said to have thrown a single rock on this Iron Cross mound as a symbol of ridding themselves of sins they have committed. The size is of the rock is relative to the sins one has committed.

… So my very first walk today on the Camino Frances covered a distance 8 km with an elevation climb of ~350 meters or 1,160 ft ending at the highest point on the Spain side of the Camino Trail at 1,504 meters (or 4,934 ft) elevation in 2 hours and 40 minutes (or an average of 20 minutes per kilometer).

Iron Cross Mound-4,934 ft elevation – Camino Frances

 

The air was so thin; my backpack was heavy, my feet were swollen; my quick drying shirt worked as planned; my knock down cane aiding significantly …but the most important thing is … I survived Day 1.