June 12, 2025, Day 7 on the Camino: Puente la Reina to Lorca

Short Days, New Faces, and the Legend of the Blue Sheep

Sometimes your body tells you to slow down, and you’re wise to listen. Ashley’s toes were hurting, my right foot arch was aching, and we’d been walking with the same group of people for six days straight. It felt like time for a change.

Instead of the planned 21+ kilometers, we decided to walk just 11 kilometers to the town of Lorca. This also meant we would get off stage, and it would hopefully be easier to find accommodations.The next town of Estella was already booked solid and we would have had to make plans to share a room with others. 

Bittersweet Farewells

It was a little bittersweet, honestly. Over the past six days, we’d created a sort of Camino family—the couple from Ireland, Belinda, Alina, the family from Hawaii, and the family from San Diego. We’d shared meals, swapped stories, and crossed paths again and again. By splitting the journey differently now, we’d see different people, experience a different rhythm.

That’s the nature of the Camino: connections form and dissolve, pilgrims leapfrog each other, some rush ahead while others linger behind.

A Leisurely Morning

We checked out of our hotel at 8:00 AM and walked toward the town center of Puente la Reina. Soon we passed a café that looked inviting and stopped for breakfast: café con leche with a small ham sandwich for me, freshly squeezed orange juice and a ham and cheese sandwich for Ashley.

We took it easy for 30 minutes, savoring our breakfast without the usual rush. This was going to be a different kind of day.

The Roman Bridge

Right before crossing out of town, we went down to the right to get a good view of the 11th-century Roman bridge. It was beautiful—six graceful stone arches spanning the water. We relaxed for a bit, taking it in.

Then we proceeded across the bridge and made a left onto a parallel modern bridge, which provided an amazing perspective of the ancient Roman structure. There’s something humbling about walking where countless pilgrims have walked for nearly a thousand years.

Through Fields and Heat

The path led us through trees lined with yellow flowers, then dirt paths and stone trails—a gradual up-and-down hike. We passed through small towns, olive trees, and vineyards.

We stopped in one town to grab beers, Coke, and bocadillos. The bocadillos were delicious—we tried one with Spanish sausage immediately and saved the other (a Spanish omelet with peppers) for later.

The walk itself wasn’t too difficult, but what made it challenging was the extreme heat. The temperature read 77°F but felt like 87°F. In reality, it felt more like 100°F out there.

We had to pull out our small umbrellas and hold them overhead for shade. It helped relieve some of the heat, but we both agreed: tomorrow morning, we’re starting earlier. No question about it.

Lorca: A Different Kind of Stay

We finally reached Lorca, where two albergues faced each other. We were staying at the one on the left side.

We checked in to discover a very basic hostel—a far cry from last night’s glamping luxury. We were in a room full of eight metal bunk beds with just one small fan, a shared outlet to charge everyone’s phones, and a single shower that kind of worked. We both joked about how opposite it was from our experience the night before in the canvas-topped boutique room.

But you know what? That’s the Camino too. Luxury one night, metal bunks the next.

We took showers, did laundry, and then soaked our feet in Epsom salt water, which provided glorious relief.

A Simple Dinner, Rich Conversations

We weren’t feeling like a full pilgrim meal, so we had the kitchen make us two ham and cheese sandwiches. Simple but delicious. 

We struck up a conversation with a guy from Australia who was turning 70 next month. His granddaughter had convinced him to do this trip, and she’d be joining him for the last 300 kilometers.

His journey just to get here was extraordinary: Australia to Dubai, then to Uganda, then to Ireland, then to Italy, then to Spain, then to France. He runs and helps with a ministry in Uganda, and it was refreshing to hear about the work his team does—including building schools for children.

We also ran into a Christian group from Indiana and got to hear about their faith journey.

The Legend of the Blue Sheep

Before bed, we read a story posted at our albergue—”The Story of the Blue Sheep, Our Sacred Patron Animal.” I have to share it in full:

As I begun my first Camino on a fresh September day, carrying a backpack equipped for any Himalayan base camp trek, I hurt my toes wearing my serious mountaineer boots. Then, still well before Roncesvalles, I ran out of water. Somewhere before Ibañeta pass, I lost my way, exhausted, and crying because of my terrible thirst.

And it is then—I kid you not—I saw a blue sheep. A really blue-coated sheep, all alone just like me. And I decided to follow it.

Where did she lead me to? To a shepherd, his dog, and his flock, and WATER! So my Camino was saved that day by that blue sheep.

The shepherd explained (in beautiful English, too) that the sheep was spray-painted because she always went off on her own, and this way they could find her easier. My savior, my sacred patron from the Pyrenees.

This story perfectly captures the magic of the Camino. Sometimes salvation comes in the most unexpected forms—even a spray-painted sheep who also tends to wander off alone.

As I lay in my metal bunk that night, fan whirring but not cooling down the room, I thought about that blue sheep. About how we’re all a little bit like her—wandering off on our own, marked in our own ways so we can be found, leading others to water even when we don’t realize it.

Tomorrow we’d start early to beat the heat. But tonight, we’d rest our aching feet and give thanks for blue sheep, both literal and metaphorical.

Distance: 11 kilometers
Walking time: 3-4 hours
Temperature: Brutally hot
Accommodation: Metal bunks and humility
Lesson learned: Sometimes the short days teach us the most