In 2022 and 2023 we opted to walk from Rabanal del Camino to Ponferrada in one swoop. That was a distance of about 20 miles! It goes without saying that that was a very difficult trek especially in light of the climb from Rabanal del Camino to the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross) and then down some challenging descents into Molinaseca, near Ponferrada. After some consideration it was decided to split up this long segment into two shorter days. The 2024 program did it successfully and this year we tried it out and loved it. We are staying in Acebo de San Miguel that sits just as you come off the mountain.
But before you get to this point, you experience what I will show you below...
You walk through areas where new forests have begun to mature and the Spanish Heath is flowering abundantly.
The heath is found all along this segment of the Camino.
Once again, we encountered muddy sections that required a bit of stealth to move around. This little stream of water (that went on and on for probably a mile) decided that the Camino path was the best option! (ha, ha, ha).
The next town up from Rabanal del Camino is Foncebadón. It is very small with a population of 18 (more or less). As you leave the town there are the ruins of a church, hospital and stopping point for pilgrims that was established by Bishop Guacelmo probably in the 12th century. From this point the path climbs significantly towards the Irago Pass and the Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross).
The path follows a dirt road with views of the mountains...
Until you catch sight of the Cross on the highest point along the Camino de Santiago.
The Cruz de Ferro is surrounded by a mound of rocks made by pilgrims who have carried a stone to this spot and left it. There are a variety of traditions associated with this practice. Some see the act as leaving behind a burden. Others leave memorials to lost loved ones. Many pause to pray and offer thanks. We have carried stones to this place as a form of gratitude for family and friends.
Here is a little information and our experiences with people at the Cruz de Ferro. The history of this iron cross is uncertain though some people date its existence from the time of the Celts where they would create mounds as sites for the worship of their deities. These sites were eventually Christianized with a cross prominently placed on the mound. There are other scholars who attribute these mounds to the Roman Empire's practice of placing a landmark to mark the separation between territories or as where altars to Mercury, the god of travel, might be worshipped. In both cases, these sites seem to have embodied a spiritual purpose that paid homage to divine intervention. Whatever the origin, these mounds might have inspired the genesis of the pilgrim practice of carrying a small stone from their homeland as a reminder of the burdens that might have sent them on the Camino. Perhaps this act of contrition contributed to naming these spots along the way "humilladeros" ("places of reverance / humility). Upon their arrival at the Cruz de Ferro pilgrims will climb up to the post that holds the iron cross and place a stone on the ever-increasing rock heap. Others will stand with their back to the cross, looking forward towards Santiago de Compostela and toss it over their shoulder. Still others will leave attached to the pole some token (e.g., picture or message) that reflects the reason for their trek. In all cases, the act of leaving something behind symbolizes the pilgrims unburdening of a sorrow, a regret, or a sin and their movement forward towards renewal, introspection, redemption and peace.
Perhaps a more practical, and less romanticized, version of the story is that these were elaborate cairns used to signal passage along the Camino de Santiago, especially in times of heavy snowfall. It is believed that the 12th-century hermit Guacelmo, the same hermit who established a pilgrim hostel in Foncebadón, supported by donations from Alfonso VI, who placed the first cross at this highest point along this stage of the Camino as a vital guidepost for travelers.
A late 15th- or early 16th-century version of the Cruz de Ferro is on display in the Museo del Camino in the Casa Gaudi in Astorga.
In 2022 while on my first pilgrimage we met a couple from Texas at the Cruz de Ferro. I offered to take a picture of them posing on the mount. I paused as I watched the woman attach a photo to the pole. As we visited I learned that she had two friends who had died of COVID. Before they died the couple promised that they would walk the Camino and pay homage to their lives. For one of them they left a photo to honor him. For the other they carried his ashes with the intent of taking them to Finisterra to release them into the ocean. In 2023 we walked with a mother and her young teenage son who were on the Camino in memory of her son and sibling who had died while serving in the US military. In our conversation the mother expressed grief and how much she wanted to reach the Cruz de Ferro hoping to find some relief from their grief. Several days later, we saw them in a restaurant. During our visit I asked what their experience had been at the cross. With excited reverence she expressed the relief and peace that had come to both of them as they left their burden of sorrow and committed to moving forward.
There is a small park there with benches that offer a great place for quiet contemplation and rest before embarking on the downhill ordeal that is ahead... But first, a moment of beauty. Jannette had been wanting to sing today be couldn't find the time to do it because of the frequent pilgrims that came along. Finally, we paused and no one was around. It was at this point looking out over the mountain range in the distance... It was a great moment.
But a few yards down before reaching this point we noticed some tiny flowers blooming along the path. They were mini daffodils and other early spring flowers...
Then as Jannette was singing, I turned around and there was this little clump of yellow flowers (a narcissus) with nothing else around it but grass...
It was a beautiful combination of nature in all of its grandeur, but large and small, and Jannette's beautiful homage to God.
There is something about the contrast between beauty and danger. The path ahead had a little of both.
The mountains were stunning...
The forests were wonderful...
But, then the path begins to get a bit challenging. If you look in the distance you can see the valley where Ponferrada is located. And the path continues to get rockier and more rubbly. This goes on for about two miles (starting at the 8 mile mark outside of Rabanal del Camino) into Acebo de San Miguel.
But, as is always the case, there is beauty to be found. Looking off towards the mountains I noticed these huge patches of purple on the sides of the mountains. I don't know if this photo captures it or not. But, there were huge swaths of heath covering parts of the mountain...
We were so relieved to finally reach Acebo de San Miguel. We went into the first place we found, sat down, at lunch, and then went to our hotel. We are really sore probably because of all the ups and downs and strain on every part of our body!!!
Comments
Post a Comment