Walking from Lorca to Caravaca and at once

“An unforgettable challenge.” This is how María Ángeles Heredia summarized her experience after walking, on foot, the almost 70 kilometers of the Camino del Argar that connects Lorca with Caravaca de la Cruz. More than 17 hours walking at a stretch – “more than initially planned” – she confessed at the end of the route with her adventure companions, Andrés Pérez de Tudela and Rafael de la Osa. The three left the City of the Sun at five in the afternoon on Monday and arrived yesterday morning shortly after ten thirty in the morning. The cold and rain at times were not insurmountable difficulties for these three Lorca who managed, in a single stage, to complete the entire route, a feat that they recommend for people who are physically prepared to face it. “What was most difficult for me was the last five kilometers,” admitted this hiker from the El Gigante Cycling Club.

Upon arriving at the church of El Salvador to perform the Jubilee Station, they were received by Cosme Reales, one of the volunteers of the Brotherhood of the Vera Cruz who, daily, will accompany the pilgrims from this church to the basilica. Together with them he has shared the last stretch in which they have taken turns carrying the cross that indicates the beginning of the group, in this case small, that travels through the streets of the medieval neighborhood. The three entered through the gate of San Lázaro, through which thousands of pilgrims are expected to arrive this year. After participating in the corresponding Pilgrim's Mass, they received their 'caravacencis' and their three bags of Calasparra rice. Two well-deserved recognitions for the feat accomplished. “This has made us exceed our own limits,” they agreed. To Lorca, yes, they have returned in a friend's car.