A year ago, almost to the day, I took my first steps into the mystical world of the Camino and I must be honest and share with you that not a day goes by without thinking of that amazing experience.
Although it’s been almost a year since my return, each day spent on the Camino is still fresh in my mind. When I read Lydia’s open invitation for writers to contribute to The Camino Documentary blog, I jumped on this great opportunity to share some of my experiences with others.
The Camino has always been a notion in my mind and I can’t tell you exactly when I heard or read of it. The “call” of the Camino started as a whisper earlier last year. By the time the winter was over, the whisper had become a soft calling and somehow I knew, I just knew that I was going to experience the Camino. Being a Type A personality, I started reading everything related to the Camino and the more I discovered, the more I knew this was to be.
Early March presented me with an opportunity to take early retirement from my very busy career and I immediately focused on setting myself up for a May departure to Burgos. I had opted to walk 500 km and avoid the Pyrenees based on the fact that I was carrying what I refer to as extra “consulting weight,” and I was lacking experience and training in hiking such challenging terrain.
I geared up with all the latest equipment, including high-tech clothes, poles, and backpack. Most April nights I could be spotted hiking around my neighborhood with my backpack full of bottled water. On May 11th I left Canada to start my Camino journey.
Little did I know of the pure joy, happiness, serenity, introspection, new friends, new attitudes and amazing moments I would experience on a daily basis. I hope to share with you some of those moments through my words and my pictures in a much smaller scale than what you see in the wonderful documentary that Lydia and her team has created. The film allows us to get to know the pilgrims and get some insights into their own stories. I never cease to crave pilgrims’ stories and although each pilgrim has her own personal reasons for embarking on her Camino, we as a group share many aspects of our journeys.
Next year I will once again set foot on the trails, poles in hand and a smile both on my face and in my heart! For now, I will relive my 2011 Camino with you through words and pictures. Thanks Lydia and team for providing a venue for sharing our experience with others!
¡Buen Camino!
Pilgrim Sylvie HanesCanada
www.sylviehanes.ca
Completed first Camino in 2011