Today I crossed from the province of Asturias into Galicia, Spain’s northwestern-most province and the home of Santiago de Compostela, the terminus of this journey.

Sharon asked me to take a selfie if there was a sign demarcating the change — so I did and you see it above.

Toward the end of today’s 26-kilometer trek from Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada, I walked with some of the young Spaniards who I met just before the Hospitales stage.

It was energizing to walk with others. I kept pace with them and I even forgot some of the back discomfort I’d been experiencing.

And then we got to the steep uphill final climb into our destination city. I forged ahead at first. But about 50 yards into the ascent I told them I was going to stop for a moment and would catch up with them.

I did catch up with them — but not until later in the evening when I ran into them at a local grocer.

Before I got to Spain, I wondered if I would become part of a “camino family.”

Camino families are usually made up of people who did not know each other before a camino and decide to travel with each other after they get to know one another. It might be for a few days or for the rest of the trip.

Sharon and I were adjacent to a camino family when we walked the Camino del Norte three and a half years ago. There was a quartet of lovely people, all of them from different countries and of different ages, who formed a tight-knit unit. They traveled about the same speed as us and the same distances and we all got along great, so Sharon and I became sort of auxiliary family members. We were not with them every day but we ran into each other often, walked together and enjoyed downtime together.

There were others who we might walk with for a few hours or a day and then maybe get together for meals when our paths crossed along the way. Hi, Blair.

The Primitivo in this off season has been much different. There aren’t large numbers of pilgrims; there are far fewer small towns with cafes where pilgrims might stop and chat; and it’s a far less international group.

So my version of a pilgrim family has been getting to know most of the people in this small cohort that are traveling the same stages right now and speaking in the albergues or over breakfast. My new friend Michael and I have stayed at the same albergues every night except one since my second night on the camino.

Other than my time this afternoon with the Spaniards, my walking has been mostly solitary — which is fine.

It is preferred by many pilgrims, including Rocco Rossi, a Canadian who has walked 23 caminos and whose commentaries and photos I have enjoyed. From everything I can tell, Rocco is a gregarious sort with a Type A personality. But when he walks, he prefers to be alone for a meditative experience and then he will socialize with other pilgrims at night.

I’m not opposed to being part of a camino family, but it seems unlikely on the Primitivo in late October-early November. Rocco’s approach seems fine for now.

Here are some photos from today’s walk:

The day started foggy, as seen surrounding this whimsical sculpture of an ancient pilgrim.
Walking into the fog felt like walking into the unknown. It made me think about how we often don’t know what is about to happen that could change our lives. I didn’t know when I woke up on Feb. 1, 1974, that I would meet the love of my life that day.
An example of the many small capillas — chapels — one encounters in rural Spain
A walled path
A shaded path
For part of today’s walk, acorns replaced the chestnuts I saw on the ground the first few days. In another place, apples fallen from trees provided sweet treats for wasps.
There were a few signs of autumn today.
After a long climb, you know you are near the summit when you get close to the windmills.
Galicia welcomes pilgrims with a larger-than-usual milepost near the first road we crossed.
Tonight’s room. Two of us are here. They haven’t been put on yet, but we got cotton sheets instead of paper ones and a soft comforter instead of an old blanket. Such luxury.

Today’s route video will be added later.