Outside the church in O Cebreiro there is an unassuming bust of a priest named Don Elias Valiña Sampedro, who served as the parish priest until his death in 1989.

A scholar and writer on the Camino de Santiago, he is responsible for reviving the popularity of the Camino Francés in the 1980s.

Beginning in Roncesvalles in 1984, Don Elias started a process of clearing the trail, restoring the markers, and painting the ubiquitous yellow arrows that show peregrinos “the way.”

The concrete pylons are sometimes far apart, but you can always find a yellow arrow on a wall, a tree, or the street if you’re not sure.

Don Elias said he was once pulled over by police, who were alarmed by the gallons of yellow paint in the back of his Citroën GS. It is a very specific yellow, and one learns quickly to spot the arrows here.

What Don Elias did may or may not have been legal, but today’s peregrinos owe the existence of the ancient route to him.

Triacastella is a small city named after 3 castles, none of which still exist. It lies beyond the Alto de Poio at 1,335 meters. A pretty good slog, it it felt fine to be carrying my pack again today.

I’ll be sleeping in pensiones (simple, one-star hotels) and albergues for the next week. Tonight’s bed is in a comfortable hostal called Casa Simon, run by a hospitalero named Johann.

Tomorrow I will hike to Sarria, the traditional start of the last 100 km to Santiago. I will need to get two sellos a day in my pilgrim’s passport to qualify for my compostela certificate in Santiago.