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Apr 17, 2024 : John Rutkowski III The Trek

2024-04-17 Day 4 Pontevedra to Caldas De Reis

The Peregrinos Herd is getting bigger!

Leaving the old city of Ponteverdre, we encounter the zombie  herd. Other Caminos have joined the push to Santiago.

Look at the second photo it looks like the Walking Dead. However it spreads out and there is a lot of nice walking through the vinyards. With the feet rested up we got in 17 km.

Stops for Cafe Solo (espresso) break up the day, 1.5 EU on average, but they also provide bano breaks and the WC have been universally clean.

There are distinct age groups this time of year. Just out of high school, military service, 40’s then the 70-85 crowd.

Most women walk solo or in mother-daughter pairs. Except for the Germans which can be be heard coming up from behind. Men tend to walk in groups, or just spread out solos.

Nice days walk with great seafood as usual. And finally Padron peppers!

Nations today:

UK
Spain
Germany
Australia
Poland
Portugal

Stats:

18 km

Photos:

 

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John Rutkowski III
Apr 17th : John Rutkowski III
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John Rutkowski III's Bio

AKA Tercius. I started camping at age 6 doing a coast to coast camping trip. This was BEFORE Interstates and seatbelts. My AT Section and Horsehoe Trail hiking started when I was 14. And AT section hike from NJ to Leigh river to celebrate graduating from high school. College job was at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports and UVaOC sent me on many adventures and introduced me to lifelong outdoor friends. And introduced me to the Whites in winter and the AMC. I was a guide after college, Holubar Kit Specialist (the first male to hold that role), then store Manager. Fast forward to the creation of Mountain Mend which cleaned, repaired and made custom outdoor gear. Which led me to The Wilderness Group in Ventura as a Production Manager (The first days of the Ultralight trend). LOTS of 100+ road bike rides. An ex-Holubar manager offered me a job in Minden Nevada, a startup making orthopedic knee braces. It was a bike trip to Yosemite where I was filling in as Sag Wagon driver, where I met Karen, I was awestruck by her scent. She asked me to warm her feet at the bluegrass concert that night, I proposed in six weeks. Then life happened, started an IT company, BOLDER Designs selling AutoCAD. Eight years later we had a son, who was introduced to the outdoors with many car camping and he did the Whites Presidential Traverse to celebrate graduating from 1st grade. More life, at 63 started a series of cancer surgeries and treatments. Getting back on the trail was my method of recovery. I'd be sweating bullets just walk the gentle valley loop in the White Clay Creek park behind my house. In 2019 I recover to be able to walk Hadrian's Wall from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. With my son, climbing buddy from Utah days, and a college outdoor buddy that I had not seen since 1975, and the father of my son's friend who did the Presidential Traverse 3 times. I sold my business in 2022 and retiring on 2024-04-01. Now at age 70 we are off to Spain (4 of us) to Walk the Camino Portugues, and if we are feeling good, on to Fisterra. Nothing like a good walk with friends.

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