So, after having a couple of rest days in Santiago and having a chance to greet those pilgrims who I'd passed somewhere along the way, my feet were feeling strange. My legs felt restless, and my mind wasn't yt ready to deal with practical matters like bus or train schedules. I was in withdrawl. I'd decided the day I walked into Santiago that if I went to Finisterre, the end of the earh in medieval times, that I would do so by bus. I was SO done with walking.
But, two days later, there I was packing up my backpack (a couple of kilos lighter for sending a package of stuff to my friend Eunate's house near Pamplona, knowing I would bevisiting her again) and setting off to find those comfortingly familiar yellow arrows.
I can't really explain this need to start walking again...but I was feeling completely indecisive about my next step, and yet such a desire to move on, that Ifelt the only logical non-decision was to do what I'd become so accustomed to doing; follow the flechas amarillas (yellow arrows). It really couldn't have been simpler.
And that, I came to realize, is the real reason people choose to walkthe camino. There is nothing in this world simpler than following a well-worn path. There are almost no decisions to be made while walking. The arrows always show you where to go. Whenever you are tired, there is an albergue just around the corner and a bar just next door. The hospitaleros who volunteer there time to keep thealbergues running smoothly are quick to lay out the rules you need to follow. They'll even do your laundry at some of the private ones. Hungry? Have a pilgrim's meal for 10 euros (salad, soup or pasta to start; fish chicken, beef or pork with a side of french fries; finish it off with a desert of icecream, flan or possiblya local treat) and that concludes the extent of you decision-making for the day. Phew, that was tough.
But that is exactly what awaits you at the end of your camino: more decisions than you can deal with inyour weakened mental state. After so much time of just letting your mind go to think whatever thoughts it wants to think, the last thing it is capable of is deciding what comes next. And so, that is how I found myself following the arrows out of Santiago to the end ofthe world...my mind refusedto join the real world again. And so my reluctant feet took charge again.
**Note: Im using a tablet to write these posts, and cant be held responsible for spelling errors. Blogger refuses to let me tap in to the middle of a line to correct anything, and Im assuming the natural intelligence of my readers to figure out my true intentions. Thank you.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Monday, 5 November 2012
Pilgrim's Point of View
One month ago I was in Santo Domingo, writing my blog, with the intention of keeping it up every few days. Almost exactly one month later, here I am in Santiago already, my head full of ruminations about the experience I've just had and trying to decide what my next move is. What happened to my good intentions? Well, after walking 20km a day and spending most of that time thinking, the isn't much desire to sit at a computer (if you can find one) and compose a coherent blogpost. At that point, most pilgrims shower, wash their smelly clothes and try to take a siesta before the shops open at 5pm. Being one of the pilgrims who had chosen to disconnect a bit from technology, I was forced to find pay computers, which are becoming a thing of the past, much like public telephones and phone cards. So, all of this to say, Sorry for not writing in a while.
So where to begin? It feels like I'm in a bit of withdrawl since walking into Santiago on Sunday, November 4th, 5 weeks, 6 days after starting in Roncesvalles 800km ago! It is surreal to be sitting in a hostal (cheap hotel) room all alone rather than in a busy albergue (special pilgrim hostal in full dorm room bunk bed stylings). Another change is that I've finally reached my limit of pay computers, so I splurged and bought myself a Samsung Galaxy II tablet! Holy smokes! I've come back into the real world already! This of course is just so I can keep up my blog in a more timely fashion (yeah right). I was pretty envious of all those smartphone users on the trail who could check email and get directions without carrying a heavy guidebook! Oh how the pilgrim has changed over time.
And that might be a good segue into the topic of types of pilgrims one encounters on the trail. There are pilgrims, and then there are tourists. To me, the real pilgrims are the people who come to the trail with some sort of question they are trying to find the answer to. They are drawn to the camino because it represents the opportunity for change in their daily life and a chance to get back to a more natural rhythm, to reconnect with themselves. There are as many reasons for walking the camino as their are pilgrims, such as spirituality, illness, a convenient holiday, but I believe that the frame of mind is what separates the pilgrim from the tourist.
At the beginning, in Saint Jean for many, or Roncesvalles for others (although I did meet many on the trail who had started way before that and had already been walking for a month or so!), we were all trying to figure out what the camino was all about, to find our rhythm in the mass of walkers and bikers, still learning that we had left the race behind and we just needed to settle in. But I believe that most of us started at that point with the idea of walking for a month and reaching Santiago. That, to me, shows a commitment to the trail and an intention to submit oneself to whatever the camino puts in the path. Not that any of us were aware of that then.
After a week or two of really finding my rhythm and feeling like part of the camino community, I started meeting people who were just joining the trail in Logrono and then Burgos. That was my first time realizing that people do this for holiday too. It hadn't crossed my mind that someone would want to just walk for a week or two, but not everyone wants to quit their job to fly halfway around the world to find themself. Fair enough. But their backpacks were so small, and they didn't have walking poles, and they carried enormous cameras. They joined the trail with such levity that it brought out my inner grump (more chocolate, please). And, hey, I have respect for those people who get the idea of the camino and choose to spend a couple of weeks finding their inner rhythm again, but at the two week point, I was in no mood to hear people complain of their first blister as though it was ruining their trip. I didn't appreciate watching them gallop ahead without a trace of tendomitis from the two weeks of constant wear on you feet. But hey, we each have our own path to walk. At least they were walking.
But the "pilgrims" who really got me were the groups who had all the gear for backcountry camping, who at the end of a 5km walk would get on their fancy coachline and cruise to their 5 star hotel at the end of the day, and who got picked up at lunch to go to a nice restaurant in the next town. All I can say about them was at least they weren't staying at the albergues and stealing my hard-earned spot. They even made the pilgrims who transferred their backpacks to their next destination look like hardcore warriors.
In the last days of the pilgrimage, a whole new set of tourists show up. They are the weekend walkers who want to get the fun credential full of stamps, proof that they were a pilgrim. They show up in the last 100km (because that is what the pilgrim office requires to earn the compostela certificate in Santiago) and race to evert cafe and bar to get the sello (a unique stamp in every place) even though they rarely bought anything to earn it.
Anyway, with a true pilgrim heart, all can be forgiven, or at least forgotten. Whatevrr the reason for walking, the camino is an opportunity to think about things in a new way. The trick, I think, is to carry the lessons forward and not get too caught up in the everyday worldin which we constantly find ourselves.
So where to begin? It feels like I'm in a bit of withdrawl since walking into Santiago on Sunday, November 4th, 5 weeks, 6 days after starting in Roncesvalles 800km ago! It is surreal to be sitting in a hostal (cheap hotel) room all alone rather than in a busy albergue (special pilgrim hostal in full dorm room bunk bed stylings). Another change is that I've finally reached my limit of pay computers, so I splurged and bought myself a Samsung Galaxy II tablet! Holy smokes! I've come back into the real world already! This of course is just so I can keep up my blog in a more timely fashion (yeah right). I was pretty envious of all those smartphone users on the trail who could check email and get directions without carrying a heavy guidebook! Oh how the pilgrim has changed over time.
And that might be a good segue into the topic of types of pilgrims one encounters on the trail. There are pilgrims, and then there are tourists. To me, the real pilgrims are the people who come to the trail with some sort of question they are trying to find the answer to. They are drawn to the camino because it represents the opportunity for change in their daily life and a chance to get back to a more natural rhythm, to reconnect with themselves. There are as many reasons for walking the camino as their are pilgrims, such as spirituality, illness, a convenient holiday, but I believe that the frame of mind is what separates the pilgrim from the tourist.
At the beginning, in Saint Jean for many, or Roncesvalles for others (although I did meet many on the trail who had started way before that and had already been walking for a month or so!), we were all trying to figure out what the camino was all about, to find our rhythm in the mass of walkers and bikers, still learning that we had left the race behind and we just needed to settle in. But I believe that most of us started at that point with the idea of walking for a month and reaching Santiago. That, to me, shows a commitment to the trail and an intention to submit oneself to whatever the camino puts in the path. Not that any of us were aware of that then.
After a week or two of really finding my rhythm and feeling like part of the camino community, I started meeting people who were just joining the trail in Logrono and then Burgos. That was my first time realizing that people do this for holiday too. It hadn't crossed my mind that someone would want to just walk for a week or two, but not everyone wants to quit their job to fly halfway around the world to find themself. Fair enough. But their backpacks were so small, and they didn't have walking poles, and they carried enormous cameras. They joined the trail with such levity that it brought out my inner grump (more chocolate, please). And, hey, I have respect for those people who get the idea of the camino and choose to spend a couple of weeks finding their inner rhythm again, but at the two week point, I was in no mood to hear people complain of their first blister as though it was ruining their trip. I didn't appreciate watching them gallop ahead without a trace of tendomitis from the two weeks of constant wear on you feet. But hey, we each have our own path to walk. At least they were walking.
But the "pilgrims" who really got me were the groups who had all the gear for backcountry camping, who at the end of a 5km walk would get on their fancy coachline and cruise to their 5 star hotel at the end of the day, and who got picked up at lunch to go to a nice restaurant in the next town. All I can say about them was at least they weren't staying at the albergues and stealing my hard-earned spot. They even made the pilgrims who transferred their backpacks to their next destination look like hardcore warriors.
In the last days of the pilgrimage, a whole new set of tourists show up. They are the weekend walkers who want to get the fun credential full of stamps, proof that they were a pilgrim. They show up in the last 100km (because that is what the pilgrim office requires to earn the compostela certificate in Santiago) and race to evert cafe and bar to get the sello (a unique stamp in every place) even though they rarely bought anything to earn it.
Anyway, with a true pilgrim heart, all can be forgiven, or at least forgotten. Whatevrr the reason for walking, the camino is an opportunity to think about things in a new way. The trick, I think, is to carry the lessons forward and not get too caught up in the everyday worldin which we constantly find ourselves.
Friday, 5 October 2012
Buen Camino
Santo Domingo de la Calzada, you came into view just when my feet were about to give up, even though I´d only walked 15km this morning. I´ve found that there are only a few things that the pilgrim has control over on the Camino: footwear, how much they carry, and how far they walk in a day.
I´ve discovered that my hikers are in the mid range - they are light and breathable, but they have very flexible soles and no ankle support, making every rock and stone an obstacle in my path. Thank goodness for my walking poles (a definite asset)! In terms of how much I´m carrying, well, I´m on the heavy side for my body weight. I´m hauling around 10kg in a 55L bag. This is by no means unusual - I´ve even heard there are a couple of people carrying twice that - but I certainly am jealous when those few carrying 40L bags walk by without a care in the world! Although some of those are cheaters, and they´ve sent their real bag ahead to the next albergue! I prefer to know that I can carry my whole life on my back; when my life gets too heavy, I´ll lighten my load accordingly.
As for how far to walk in a day? I would say the footwear and pack weight should be the determining factors (not to mention the number of blisters!). I´ve met people who walk 30 to 40km each day. They must absolutely be flying. I mean, it is perfectly possible to walk that each day, by getting up early or walking later into the afternoon, but it´s dark until almost 8:00am, and it´s hot by 1:00pm. To each his own, certainly. But having said that, I find my best walking hours are between 7:00am and noon. I´ve had a few days starting out in the dark with my headlamp, nothing but the moon for company. The sunrises and solitude are worth the frosty air! I usually walk about 10km before I stop for a rest (except to take layers off or take a sip of water), but my feet are definitely sore already. By kilometre 15, my feet are protesting. I imagine I could walk more if my pack was 3kg lighter...
The farthest I´ve walked in a day has been 23km, and that was the very first day. I´ve had a few other days at 22km, and those were long, but I was so sore after I could hardly walk downstairs for a beer (now that is saying something! haha). I average about 18km a day, depending on where the towns are or if I´ve heard of a good hostel. There was one day I walked only 7km, and I must admit, it was a needed break after 4 days in a row of 20km+. It´s also tempting to try to keep up with friends you´ve met along the way, but I´ve quickly discovered that I feel better at the end of the day if I walk at my own pace rather than being swept up by someone else´s, either faster or slower. There is always a good chance that you will see them later anyway, either at the next cafe sipping cafe con leche or at the hostel at the end of the day. I´ve even met up with a couple of people a few days later when they chose to walk a short day and I walked a long one.
That is one of the most interesting things about the Camino; you start out alone in the morning and stop for a break in a few kilometres, and lo and behold, there are all of your fellow pilgrims just a few kms behind you, ready to greet you again and again with the oh-so-common "Buen Camino". It is a great thing to say if you don´t speak each other´s language. Sometimes it is the only thing you know they´ll understand! But let´s change it up a bit. How about "Happy trails" or "See you soon" or "Don´t walk your socks off"? A lovely Israeli guy I´ve met over and over again uses "Happy thoughts", which I like very much, since it has nothing to do with my sore feet, but everything to do with the reason I´m walking in the first place.
I´ve discovered that my hikers are in the mid range - they are light and breathable, but they have very flexible soles and no ankle support, making every rock and stone an obstacle in my path. Thank goodness for my walking poles (a definite asset)! In terms of how much I´m carrying, well, I´m on the heavy side for my body weight. I´m hauling around 10kg in a 55L bag. This is by no means unusual - I´ve even heard there are a couple of people carrying twice that - but I certainly am jealous when those few carrying 40L bags walk by without a care in the world! Although some of those are cheaters, and they´ve sent their real bag ahead to the next albergue! I prefer to know that I can carry my whole life on my back; when my life gets too heavy, I´ll lighten my load accordingly.As for how far to walk in a day? I would say the footwear and pack weight should be the determining factors (not to mention the number of blisters!). I´ve met people who walk 30 to 40km each day. They must absolutely be flying. I mean, it is perfectly possible to walk that each day, by getting up early or walking later into the afternoon, but it´s dark until almost 8:00am, and it´s hot by 1:00pm. To each his own, certainly. But having said that, I find my best walking hours are between 7:00am and noon. I´ve had a few days starting out in the dark with my headlamp, nothing but the moon for company. The sunrises and solitude are worth the frosty air! I usually walk about 10km before I stop for a rest (except to take layers off or take a sip of water), but my feet are definitely sore already. By kilometre 15, my feet are protesting. I imagine I could walk more if my pack was 3kg lighter...
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That is one of the most interesting things about the Camino; you start out alone in the morning and stop for a break in a few kilometres, and lo and behold, there are all of your fellow pilgrims just a few kms behind you, ready to greet you again and again with the oh-so-common "Buen Camino". It is a great thing to say if you don´t speak each other´s language. Sometimes it is the only thing you know they´ll understand! But let´s change it up a bit. How about "Happy trails" or "See you soon" or "Don´t walk your socks off"? A lovely Israeli guy I´ve met over and over again uses "Happy thoughts", which I like very much, since it has nothing to do with my sore feet, but everything to do with the reason I´m walking in the first place.
Happy thoughts, everyone.
Friday, 28 September 2012
Oh, my aching clavicle!
Hello to all! Day 4 of the Camino! I´m in Puenta la Reina, my first real stop to use the internet and send out a couple of postcards. Legs and feet and shoulders have all adjusted to the weight of my pack and the pain of the first few days has gone away with a good night of drinking wine with new friends!! Everything is great! I´m loving the lifestyle and haven´t been this happy in a long time!! The pace of the Camino is a curious thing to get used to. The first day or two was almost like a race. Everyone speeding past, trying to get to the next Albergue (hostal) before the whole pack, but by the third day, the pack has thinned out and we are all on our own pace. The first couple of days, everyone commiserated about the pains in our knees, toes, blisters, legs, shoulders, etc. Now that I´m on day 4, those issues have melted away and I´m focussing more on my thoughts, the landscape, my morning coffee and the present. The present, both in terms of time and in terms of the gift that is this period of my life. Everyday brings new and interesting people into my life, new landscapes and new adventures. It is an amazing experience. Puenta la Reina is the meeting point of two different trails of the Camino, and so the path becomes a little more crowded again, but it also brings more ideas and ways of life into contact with my own. Magnificent.
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Ay! Que rico!
Time to catch up about the first few days of my trip! It has been a solid reminder of both the things I love most and not so much about travelling. I left Regina on a morning flight on Tuesday and arrived in my destination of Paris late on Wednesday afternoon - a full 24 hours of travel and stopovers. But not too much to complain about, really...no delayed flights, no screaming babies, no body cavity searches through customs. I even sat beside a pleasant guy who chatted just the right amount to pass the time but not disturb my sleep on the way over the pond.
Paris was its usual busy and sort of smelly self, but I booked a great little hostel in the heart of Montmartre, three blocks from the Sacre Coeur, and I met a few great people right away. Dinner and drinks with strangers in Paris actually does top my list of cool things to do while travelling solo :) My first day was spent wandering the Champs Elysees and visiting the busy Notre Dame Cathedral, eating crepes de Nutella and drinking cafe au lait. I even visited the Rodin Museum, topping off my cultural events for one day in Paris. Did I mention the creme brulee at the Cafe Deux Moulins? That's the cafe that Amelie Poulin worked at in the famous movie Amelie. Let me top the day off with a little bar hopping and dancing with new friends Nicolas from Quebec, Rosy from Devonshire and Jessica from Guadalajara. I cant possibly keep up the pace for the rest of the trip at my age...but I have never been accused of being a quitter ;)
So how can I possibly top that on day two? Well, as much as I like dining with strangers, meeting up with friends is even better. I took the train from Paris to Biarritz, where my Basque friend Eunate met me with open arms. What a wonderful and generous person! Along with her charming boyfriend Pablo, we toured the beautiful beach at Biarritz, getting my first taste of the warm weather and water of the Bay of Biscay. Next we sped across the border into Spain, ahem, the Navarra - don't tell her I called it Spain!! Basque first, Spanish only when necessary - to check out the big film festival in Donostia (better known as San Sebastian). Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon were there, not that I saw them. But what an amazingly beautiful and clean city. Pinchos and cerveza were next on the list of must-dos. Pinchos are similar to their more well-known southern cousins, tapas. Que rico!
So, all in all, I can't imagine my first few days going any better than that! Have I mentioned how much I love travelling? Oh yeah, and I went to Pamplona for a crazy Basque festival last night, where I got my first look at the Camino de Santiago (no, I haven't forgotten about the 800km I came here to walk!). I will spend the next couple of days with Eunate and then begin my Camino from the Basque town of Roncesvalles, rather than crossing the border once more and starting from St. Jean Pied de Port as I originally intended. That part of the trail is supposedly one of the mas duro, most difficult, of the whole trek, and my ankle is still pretty sensitive. I see no point in overduing it my first day when I am already so close to the traditional starting point of my Spanish compadres. When in Rome...
Paris was its usual busy and sort of smelly self, but I booked a great little hostel in the heart of Montmartre, three blocks from the Sacre Coeur, and I met a few great people right away. Dinner and drinks with strangers in Paris actually does top my list of cool things to do while travelling solo :) My first day was spent wandering the Champs Elysees and visiting the busy Notre Dame Cathedral, eating crepes de Nutella and drinking cafe au lait. I even visited the Rodin Museum, topping off my cultural events for one day in Paris. Did I mention the creme brulee at the Cafe Deux Moulins? That's the cafe that Amelie Poulin worked at in the famous movie Amelie. Let me top the day off with a little bar hopping and dancing with new friends Nicolas from Quebec, Rosy from Devonshire and Jessica from Guadalajara. I cant possibly keep up the pace for the rest of the trip at my age...but I have never been accused of being a quitter ;)
So how can I possibly top that on day two? Well, as much as I like dining with strangers, meeting up with friends is even better. I took the train from Paris to Biarritz, where my Basque friend Eunate met me with open arms. What a wonderful and generous person! Along with her charming boyfriend Pablo, we toured the beautiful beach at Biarritz, getting my first taste of the warm weather and water of the Bay of Biscay. Next we sped across the border into Spain, ahem, the Navarra - don't tell her I called it Spain!! Basque first, Spanish only when necessary - to check out the big film festival in Donostia (better known as San Sebastian). Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon were there, not that I saw them. But what an amazingly beautiful and clean city. Pinchos and cerveza were next on the list of must-dos. Pinchos are similar to their more well-known southern cousins, tapas. Que rico!
So, all in all, I can't imagine my first few days going any better than that! Have I mentioned how much I love travelling? Oh yeah, and I went to Pamplona for a crazy Basque festival last night, where I got my first look at the Camino de Santiago (no, I haven't forgotten about the 800km I came here to walk!). I will spend the next couple of days with Eunate and then begin my Camino from the Basque town of Roncesvalles, rather than crossing the border once more and starting from St. Jean Pied de Port as I originally intended. That part of the trail is supposedly one of the mas duro, most difficult, of the whole trek, and my ankle is still pretty sensitive. I see no point in overduing it my first day when I am already so close to the traditional starting point of my Spanish compadres. When in Rome...
Friday, 14 September 2012
Mind over matter
Three days to go time. I packed my backpack for real today and it came out weighing 20 pounds, which is about as much weight as I would want to have to carry to the airport, let alone on an 800km trek for 5 weeks. Soooo...now for the fine-tuning! Already I have lost my conditioner (a small yet remarkably heavy bottle), some extra Band-Aids and batteries, a book for my flight, and a few other personal toiletries that I imagine I will find along the way should I really need them. I'm on the fence about carrying the foot powder that was so highly recommended (the smallest bottle I could find was still 283g, which sounds light but becomes very heavy very quickly), but I figure a small Ziploc baggie with white powder might look suspicious at the airport! I imagine I will have to put some of it into said plastic baggie and just carry a half-empty bottle around instead. Other than this, I'm not actually sure what else I might leave behind! I'd like to leave my sore ankle, but unfortunately I still need that. |
| *Not actually my foot. |
A close friend of mine gave me something interesting to think about, though. See, she is a practitioner of something called Body Talk. According to their website, www.bodytalksystem.com, "BodyTalk is a consciousness-based, nondiagnostic therapy that works with the body in its healing process...based on the principle that the body is capable of healing itself at all levels." The idea that our bodies hold on to the memories of all past physical and emotional events in our lives is one I can certainly wrap my head around. And after having a session with her for some excess anxiety before my last trip to Spain - a session where I didn't say a word, but my friend, by listening to yes/no answers from the muscles in my arm, actually got to the heart of my anxiety and helped me to express it (nonverbally - my body processed the stress and I left feeling completely relaxed!) - I fully believe the power our minds hold over us without our ever being conscious of our own issues around illness. So anyway, according to Body Talk, the ankle is connected with decision making and being connected to the earth. Go figure. Recently I've made a big decision in my life, and I'm heading to Spain to see if I can find a new path to walk, physically and metaphorically...so I guess my ankle is sore because my body is reacting to the emotional stress of it all. Very interesting.
So, I have continued my walks, trying to balance the need to rest my ankle and the need to keep my body in shape for this crazy trek I'm about to do. I plan to take it easy and not walk the suggested 20 to 30km a day, but I'm still a little worried. I took my pack out, fully packed, today and did a 2km trial...and it was heavy (big surprise!). The flat surfaces were fine for my ankle, but the short stretches of uneven ground I walked on gave me a little soreness *sigh*. From the tales I've heard of the Camino, my sore ankle will be the least of my worries about my feet, but even so, starting off this way is a little disheartening. I'm hoping that it turns into my saving grace, though, because by coddling my ankle, I might be saving my feet from the notorious blisters and hotspots that happen when walking too far in a day. And who knows? Maybe reconnecting with the earth in such a physical way is just what the doctor ordered to calm my mind and my sore ankle while I transition into the next phase of my life. Lemonade anyone?
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Finding my Way
It is September 8th already. Ten more days until I fly to Paris and on to St. Jean Pied-de-Port in southern France, where the Camino Frances starts its 800km route to Santiago. In the last ten days, I've packed up my whole world and moved it to Regina, Saskatchewan, my hometown that I haven't lived in for 10 years. That is a lot of 8's and 10's. If anyone knows anything about numerology, please tell me that I'm in for the trip of a lifetime, okay? Not that I'm doubting it, but I guess I've got pre-800km-trek jitters. Will I make it over the Pyrenees? Will I have enough moleskin and foot ointment to survive 5 weeks of continuous walking? Will I convert to Catholicism during such an epic pilgrimage of seeking out the bones of Saint James? (Kidding on the last one, but the first two are legitimate concerns!)
I've been reading a few books by other trekkers, and the sheer physical struggle is usually glossed over with tales of new friends, beautiful vistas and free pilgrimage wine fountains (no joke!). I've also been told that many people lose a lot of weight on this trip. I guess walking 20 to 30km a day for 5 weeks can do that to a person. I have to admit, that is a welcome side-effect after the comfortable life I've been living (and by comfortable, I mostly mean lazy). And I have heard tales of blistered and throbbing feet, hurt tendons and aggravated injuries from the sheer amount of walking. Am I really up for this physically? Oh, and that's not even mentioning that at my last garage sale I tripped down the stairs and sprained my ankle. The timing couldn't have been worse, but all said, it was a fairly gentle reminder that anything can happen at any time and I need to be more careful. It makes me a little nervous to start such a long walking trip right now, before it has fully healed. Do I have the stamina to do this journey? And where might I get it, if I find along the way that I'm lacking?
I guess that is the challenge. And I know I'm up for it! Right now, I am in full planning mode. I'm buying the last of my "necessary" supplies, and next week I will pack my bag and try it out. I'll go for a long walk with it and see how I fare. (Living right across the street from almost open prairie, I'll avoid the strange looks from passersby I would have gotten in downtown Victoria.) And I will test out the new walking poles I bought to see if they help support my poor ankle with all the weight bearing down.
Physical ailments and nerves aside, I've never been more mentally prepared for anything in my life. I've been thinking about this trek for more than six months now, and I believe that I have everything I'll need to enjoy it. I'm focused on taking my time and making the journey my own. I've heard of people hiking it for exercise or for personal training, sprinting through it to prove they can walk it in less than a month, or worse, forcing themselves to fit it into a holiday time period--yikes! I don't think there would be anything worse than plowing through it just to say I'd done it. I really want to experience it at my own pace, not only for my ankle, but also for mi alma, my soul. This is meant to be a life-changing experience, and I don't want that change to be coming home crippled from too much unnecessary exertion. I want to come home with a new perspective on my life and on the world around me, with a healthy new appreciation for daily exercise. There are so many ways to experience a journey like this: the physical trek; the historical path; a spiritual journey; an artistic endeavor; a culinary exploration. As fellow blogger Nancy Frey says in her blogpost, The Way: A Love Letter to Spain and Galicia, "It’s not how you do the pilgrimage that’s important but how you carry it in your heart...Everyone must find their own Camino." There is no right way to walk this path, only your own way.
For my own journey, I want to put in the time and effort, and feel like I've accomplished a small miracle in my own life. The Camino began as a spiritual path more than 1000 years ago, and the reasons to walk it have changed over time. I'm not sure what to expect on the way, but I want my spirit, as well as my body and mind, to benefit from each step I take.
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| How thoughtful! |
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| My backpack won't be quite this full! |
Physical ailments and nerves aside, I've never been more mentally prepared for anything in my life. I've been thinking about this trek for more than six months now, and I believe that I have everything I'll need to enjoy it. I'm focused on taking my time and making the journey my own. I've heard of people hiking it for exercise or for personal training, sprinting through it to prove they can walk it in less than a month, or worse, forcing themselves to fit it into a holiday time period--yikes! I don't think there would be anything worse than plowing through it just to say I'd done it. I really want to experience it at my own pace, not only for my ankle, but also for mi alma, my soul. This is meant to be a life-changing experience, and I don't want that change to be coming home crippled from too much unnecessary exertion. I want to come home with a new perspective on my life and on the world around me, with a healthy new appreciation for daily exercise. There are so many ways to experience a journey like this: the physical trek; the historical path; a spiritual journey; an artistic endeavor; a culinary exploration. As fellow blogger Nancy Frey says in her blogpost, The Way: A Love Letter to Spain and Galicia, "It’s not how you do the pilgrimage that’s important but how you carry it in your heart...Everyone must find their own Camino." There is no right way to walk this path, only your own way.
For my own journey, I want to put in the time and effort, and feel like I've accomplished a small miracle in my own life. The Camino began as a spiritual path more than 1000 years ago, and the reasons to walk it have changed over time. I'm not sure what to expect on the way, but I want my spirit, as well as my body and mind, to benefit from each step I take.
There are as many ways as Pilgrims.
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