Eating Humble Pie

Today I came to realization that my thinking that I could carry my own bag each day was stupid and unrealistic. Walking from Roncesvalles to Zubiri, the only reason why I was able to make it was because I didn't have a full pack on my back. My chiropractor tried to tell me this, but I wanted to be able to carry my bag at some point. I cut my stuff to bare bones in order to make a weight I might eventually be able to walk with. Now, I'm finding that I probably cut away a bit of muscle in addition to fat.

I've been trying to ice my feet in the middle of the day at least once, and it has really been helping, along with stretching on a semi-regular basis.

At the same time, I'm also realizing that I can probably go further each day than I thought I could.... walking 22km yesterday and 18km today with soreness, but no pain due to injury has shown me that planning for only 15km a day was very conservative. I also have blisters on both of my big toes, in spite of using bandaid blister protection, but my tendons are actually doing way better than I ever could have anticipated. As long as they continue this way, I should have days that I can use for rest periodically or maybe visiting somewhere else here in Europe when I'm done.

About a half hour before I got caught up in a rain storm, I saw this sign. Side note: my poncho is never going to be sent ahead in my backpack again. I don't like pretending to be a drowned rat.

I'm actually going to use one of the rest days that I have already stored up here in Pamplona (had I have stuck with my original plan, I wouldn't have reached Pamplona until tomorrow or the next day. So, sometime while I am in Pamplona, I will see if there is a cheaper service than Jacotrans, or a discount for booking multiple days. And, I need to buy some things while here, most of which I left back at home.

My upgraded day pack, with bladder. I'm hoping the bladder will help me drink more, as I've had dehydration headaches twice so far on my trip.

What I brought with me as a day pack. The draw strings were rubbing me on the longer days.

Me and the people I've been walking with. Teresa, Marianne, and Carma are sisters from Ireland who are travelling with their cousin Martin the P (he is celebrating his 25th anniversary of ordination later this month) And Keith and Shari are a couple from Austin. Shari is walking the whole Camino and Keith will be walking here and there with her between business trips. Martin and his cousins are leaving tomorrow to go back home. We will all miss them.

Gratitude, and letting God provide

So, I'm currently wide awake at almost 3 in the morning because I made a rookie jet lag mistake: I took a nap after finishing my walking for the day, and I didn't give myself ample time to acclimate to Spain time yet. But, that means I get to have time to write here. Part of me wishes I could write in my journal, but I really don't want to leave my bed--the blankets are quite cozy, and it would be nice if I could get tired enough to actually get some more sleep tonight.

Anyway, last night, I stayed in the Beilari, a small albergue with about 20 beds. As a private albergue, it was a bit pricey at 30 euros, but it included dinner and breakfast today, so it was very worth it. The owner, Joseph, had us play some games with an imaginary ball in order to get to know one another...kind of cheesy, but also fun. The last one was to sum up in one word what we were feeling at the moment, and I chose gratitude as my word.

See the white sign with the blue square right above the red arrow? That is what trail markers look like in France. I was so glad to see my first yellow arrow.

Once I started walking today, I realized how apropos that word is for me. My laundry didn't dry overnight because I was so late washing it, but the pilgrims office allowed me to use their dryer so that I could be on my way. This could have been very bad, since bag carrying services usually have a cut off time for giving your pack to them, but they held the transport for me so I could squeak my pack in. Just as I was getting so hungry that I thought my stomach would start to digest itself, I walked by a supermarket that had a bar attached, and I was able to spend a pleasant half hour resting my feet and drinking green tea. The list goes on...

Some of the many wildflowers I saw on my walk today... I was traveling over several hills, so seeing pretty flowers was a good pretext for stopping to rest a moment.

As I was walking, I didn't see another pilgrim, and it gave me a lot of time to think and pray--and that time meant realizing that I was also grateful that I didn't let the volunteers at the pilgrims office persuade me to take the higher route over the Pyrenees. I took the easier route, which meant walking along several rural roads--the route Napoleon is a dedicated walking trail, but is much more vertical. Cars on the narrow lanes meant stepping to the side in order to let them pass, and staying on the rural roads meant that I walked about 15km rather than only 12km, but I think I saw a total of 10 cars all day, and the walk through farmland and small towns was gorgeous.

At the same time, I started to feel a bit worried that I would not see another pilgrim tonight as well, so I began praying that I could at least be able to meet at least one other pilgrim this evening. After eating lunch by myself, I was pleasantly surprised to see the French couple from my stay at the Beilari at the albergue. Then, after my nap, I went out to explore the town a bit, and settled in a bar/cafe with wifi. While there, I overheard one of the people that came in say something about walking, so I piped up and asked if they were pilgrims...they were, and this couple at the end of the bar said they were, too. The couple is from Austin, and their son went to Blinn, where I work. The other pilgrims I met are 3 sisters and their cousin the priest walking together to celebrate Fr. Martin's 25th anniversary of ordination. They are from Ireland, and are only walking a very short part of the Camino, but we all had a very pleasant dinner and conversation. The highlight was listening to Martin and Keith (the Austenite) discuss middle eastern politics.

I made a video to add to my summer classes, and first, accidentally took a selfie with the Val Carlos country side in the background. Of course, stupid me didn't think to get pictures of my dinner friends.

One thing I didn't do today was change my socks halfway through, and I probably should have. When I finally stopped, the person at the supermarket told me that I was only 3km from my destination, Val Carlos. At that point, I thought about doing so, but decided that it wasn't far enough to make a difference.

Then, there came a choice of ways to walk into Val Carlos, and I chose the one that looked like it would wind through villages on rural roads rather than follow the local highway.  And, that is how I ended up walking a good extra 3 km. By the time I got here, I could feel some places where my feet were rubbing, and was sure that I had a blister (I didn't, but I learned my lesson--another thing to be grateful for!).

So, God has again blessed me and given me more than I needed...no rain, good people to interact with, and a hope that there will be more of the same tomorrow. Even when it is hard, I am so grateful, and that makes even unpleasant experiences more pleasant.

The long, long day

As I wait for my clothes to dry this morning, the sky is spitting a little bit of precipitation....not really misting, not really sprinkling, but still getting wet from time to time.

Last night was my first night "on" the Camino, although traditionally, one's pilgrimage starts at the front door of your house. Already, I have been lost, so here is hoping that I got that out of my system. All I have to say is that I am eternally grateful for friendly locals who take pity on pilgrims who have confused/worried looks on their faces.

The Madrid airport. I find the colors and the sunlight very pretty.

 Yesterday was a long day...it began at 7:00a, and didn't end until about 10:00p on Jun 3. In that time, I drove to Houston, flew to Dulles airport, flew to Madrid, took the bus to the train station, took the train to Pamplona, another bus to the bus station, a bus to St. Jean Pied-de-Port, and then walked to my Albergue.

An old rampart in Pamplona. It was right behind the bus station. 

I forgot about how the Camino specializes in vertical cities. My Albergue was near the top of this hill.

And, it is time for me to get walking. My pack has been sent forward, all but one of my pairs of socks are dry (they are safety-pinned to my day pack), and the day is perfect for a long walk. Ultreia!

The rip off, or everything is more expensive at the airport.

All of us know that airports take advantage of people because they are captive audiences. And, to an extent, we plan for it and/or avoid having to buy things there. I didn't think this would carry over to money exchange, though, and I should have. In essence, I spent about $17 for every $100 I exchanged into Euros, which adds up pretty quickly when you want to have a strategic cash reserve. 

And yet, it is very ok, and bumps in the road are to be expected. This IS a pilgrimage, after all, and as human beings, hardship is usually the best teacher. There is a reason that the adage, "the burned hand teaches best" exists. I'm hoping that the rest of my trip to Spain will be smooth, but who knows? That is the fun of a pilgrimage, too.

All I really need to do right now is try to keep from grinning from ear to ear like a crazy woman and keep my enthusiasm in check. They just called the first group for boarding, so the first steps have begun. 

Bien Camino to me!!!

I think this has to be my all time favorite poem...

The Road Goes Ever OnBy JRR Tolkein

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on,
Under cloud and under star.
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen,
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green,
And trees and hills they long have known.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone.
Let others follow, if they can!
Let them a journey new begin.
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

Still 'round the corner there may wait
A new road or secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

I  love this poem because it is all about pilgrimage, or quest, I think.  And, as you travel with the writer, you see the stages of pilgrimage--the eager beginning, the dudgeonly middle, and the end when you rest a bit, then beckon others to join you.  Lastly, it alludes to the eternal pilgrimage that all of us are on, and the final end that all of us must grapple with.

As I prepare for my own pilgrimage, it seems appropriate that I am reading the beginning of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy aloud so that my dogs have something with my voice to listen to while I'm gone.  I seem to take something new out of these books every time that I read them.  And, as an added bonus, I was re-introduced to this poem a few chapters ago.

Ultreia, everyone, Ultreia, until we all take those hidden paths.

Ruth

Leaving Thursday....

As it gets closer and closer to my departure, I find myself scrambling to get everything done that I need to in order to be ready for my trip, and my To-Do list fluctuates daily...Some days I find myself adding 2 items for every one that I cross off, and then some days, I am able to make a sizable dent in the stuff to do.

Even so, there will likely be things that won't get done, and that is ok.  What is really important will be completed, and the less important things will fall by the wayside: this, too is part of the pilgrimage process.  You tend to find what is essential very quickly when you are carrying everything on your back for hours on end, just as you figure out what "ABSOLUTELY MUST BE DONE" while the "kinda sorta would be nice" fall off the list when time becomes short.  I wonder if this is how people with terminal illness feel--the important things sift their way to the top.

One of my AMBD items is to ask for prayer requests.  If anyone has something that they would like me to pray about for them while I'm walking, please send them to me...only one request per person, please.  I will keep them as my intentions for my pilgrimage.

My prayer request list so far--in the front flap of my journal.

I can't promise that I will pray for each intention every day, but I will be praying for at least a few every day.  

My rock from my front yard and my journal--the rock kind of looks like a human heart.

Last time, I took rocks from all of my friends as well, and then ended up not being able to stop at the Cruz de Ferro to lay them down.  This time, all I'm taking is my own, since it will be more than enough weight for my poor feet and back, but I'm still carrying all of you with me through your prayer requests and through my thoughts of you as I go.

Please keep me in your prayers as well--first that I can get everything done that I need to before I leave; Second that I can stay fit and healthy throughout my trip; and thirdly, that the classes that I'm supposed to teach this summer will "make"--they get cancelled if there are less than 20 students in a class, and only one class is currently anywhere near that number.

I'm looking forward to walking this journey with all of you.  I hope you are looking forward to it, too.

What AM I looking for? or, "Ditch the plan, Ruth!"

This was one of my favorite songs from growing up:

At least part of the reason why I like the song is that it captures the essence of Wanderlust for me...That elusive feeling that you don't know what it is, but you are missing something.

As I'm about 10 days away from my second Camino, I'm a little perplexed as to why I'm going.  I really don't have any burning questions to ask God, and I don't really have any kind of spiritual or psychological healing that I feel I need.  I'm in my dream job, I'm part of an awesome parish, I get to go to Adoration 2x/ week, and I (and the bank) own my home.  I don't have that feeling of missing something, and honestly, that is something that I tend to feel at the two year mark of any position I've ever been in before.

I can honestly say that I'm content--or maybe blessed and grateful are better terms for what I'm feeling.  Which brings me back to the question, "Why am I going? What am I looking for?"

I know that I've been called to do this Camino, and I AM looking forward to it, even though I know that it won't be anything like the first one. For one, I will be working as I go--I will be teaching all summer long online.  This means that I will be more plugged in to what is going on in the world as well, since I have to stay on top of emails, etc.  I'm also going to be tuned into every little thing my body tells me, and I know that, if my body tells me to, I will be skipping to the end.  I don't anticipate that happening, but it is a possibility.  I also know that, if things go really south, the pilgrim's office in Santiago are always looking for volunteers, so I could very well end up most or part of the summer volunteering until my plane trip home.

Even so, I really wonder what this Camino will be like, and how it will be the same/different from the last one.  Something that many pilgrims say is the phrase, "The Camino Provides."  As a Catholic Christian, I believe that it is God providing what we need through the intercession of St. James, but, based on my experience, those of us who are Christians and doing this as a spiritual exercise are in the minority.  No matter what, you often find yourself at the right place at the right time, and you get exactly what you need to be encouraged/helped/taught along the way.  Also, the lessons you learn may or may not be the ones that you start your trek hoping to learn.

Actually, I suspect that God really wants to teach me about His provision this trip: every time I start to think about where I might want to end my stages or figure out mileage or make sure that I have enough time to finish the full Camino, I feel like the Holy Spirit is whispering in my ear, "Ditch the plan, Ruth. Trust Me."  And, that is why I think that God hasn't laid some burning question on my heart or my mind.  My job is to be open to whatever lesson He wants to teach me.

With that in mind, I'm on the lookout for a short prayer that I can pray daily while on the Camino, and which reflects that openness.  If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

And, one good song from my childhood deserves another.  This is also my prayer: