Patriarch Grove rests at an elevation above 11,000ft, and requires 13 miles of driving on an unpaved dirt road. There are two .5 mile hikes at Patriarch Grove, the Timberland Ancients Trail and the Cottonwood Basin Overlook Trail. In this guide, I’ll provide directions, photos, maps, and instructions on combining these two hikes for a 1-mile figure eight loop.
The Vivobarefoot Ultra 3 is a lightweight anatomically shaped shoe that gives you a nice barefoot feel. The Ultra 3 provides impressive underfoot protection via a puncture resistant outsole. My favorite part of the shoe is the EVA upper with hexagon cutouts, that allows my feet to breathe in hot weather, drain and dry after getting wet, and still feel protected when kicking around a campsite.
Julia, Owen, and I weren’t quite ready to stop walking after completing the Camino Portuguese, but didn’t have the time to spend three more days on the trail. We decided to take a day trip to Finisterre and Muxia instead. This turned out to be a phenomenal day trip and the perfect ending to our Camino Portuguese adventure.
On our tenth and final day of the Camino Portuguese, we hiked 16 miles from Padrón to Santiago de Compostela. It was a day filled with excitement and intense emotion as our Camino adventure came to a close. The pilgrimage experience is truly unlike any other, and it was a lot of fun to be able to share it with my wife and son this time around.
On our ninth day of the Camino Portuguese we walked 12 miles from Caldas de Reis to Padron. The day started out with a very pleasant stretch of walking on a dirt path before veering off to a few side roads on the way into Padrón. This would be our final night on the Camino Portuguese before The Way would take us to Santiago de Compostela.
Leaving the city of Pontevedra behind, we hiked 14 miles on our eighth day of the Camino Portuguese. Most of this stage takes place on asphalt and cobblestone, but there were a few natural pathways mixed in to keep our legs from feeling too beat up. As we approached Caldas de Reis, we walked alongside a little farm where Owen got to befriend a horse and a few sheep.
On the seventh day of our Camino Portuguese pilgrimage, we covered 13 miles between Redondela and Pontevedra. This day started out along the Ría Vigo with some amazing views of the Rande Bridge off in the foggy distance. We then completed two seperate climbs totaling more than 1400 ft, with a stop in the beautiful city of Arcade in between. Our day finished at an albergue on the outskirts of Pontevedra, where we got to watch Spain take on Portugal in the group stages of the World Cup!
The week before Labor Day is one of the best weeks each year to score deals on camping, hiking, travel, and trail running gear. It seems that the deals get better each year. This year, REI, Backcountry, Moosejaw, and Campsaver are offering big discounts on tents, packs, shoes, apparel, sleep systems, and more! I’ve put together a list of some of the best deals below. Happy shopping!
After crossing the border from Portugal into Spain on our fifth day of the Camino Portuguese, we began our sixth day with a goal of walking from Tui to Redondela. The stretch of trail out of Tui leaves on highway 342 before passing through a major industrial zone. There is a new scenic route that avoids this, but we decided to take a cab and skip ahead by 11 miles to Porriño. The route from Porriño climbs a few steep asphalt roads before descending into the beautiful town of Redondela.
The fifth stage of the Camino Portuguese takes pilgrims from Rubiãs to Tui. This is a very special day, as it includes the border crossing from Portugal into Spain over the Río Miño. Leaving Rubiãs, the first half of this stage is on natural pathways and dirt roads surrounded by woodlands and farms. The second half covers sidewalks and asphalt as pilgrims approach the large cities of Valença and Tui.