Day 5: Zarautz to Deba 13.97 miles (22.48 Km).

Zarautz beach is the longest in the province, about 2.5km long. It is very popular with surfers. Today is Saturday, and the locals are outside exercising. I wish the SF Bay Area had corridors where we could exercise and socialize. I find this attractive in Spain: people of different ages outside walking, biking, running, etc.

This morning, we found a young pilgrim struggling to walk. Thomas from the Netherlands had a bad fall the day before, a few miles from San Sebastian, his hiking poles got stuck in high grass, and he fell, hitting one of his knees on a rock. After his accident, walking was difficult, but going down the hills was painful. We walked with him to assess how bad he was and give him some advice. El Camino del Norte was his first experience walking to Santiago. By the time we arrived in the town of Zumai, he had already made up his mind to take the bus to the next town. We said goodbye to him and Buen Camino. Maybe we’ll see him again.