Preparation seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? You buy yourself a bunch of guide books and maps, maybe a Spanish dictionary if you don’t speak the language, and save up a lot of money so you can eat along the way. What does it take, after all, to walk? We do that all the time without thinking.
That approach is what pilgrim Tomas takes. He says, “I decided to do my heavy preparation two days before I came. So, I walked in Madrid for, like, 14 kilometers … so on the day I arrived, I took my shoes off and I had a blister on each foot! On, you know, day zero. And I was, like, ‘Okay, that’s a good start!’”
My walking companion and life partner and I were not quite so lackadaisical about our preparation. In fact, she went all out researching packs, sleeping bags and boots, paying particular attention to how much each weighed. By the time we had assembled all we were going to carry on our backs, we knew to the milligram how much everything weighed. She had found on the internet Miam Miam Dodo, a French guide that gave us all the information we needed to know about the towns through which we would be walking and where we could spend the night, buy food, find a cybercafe or an ATM. We loaded up our packs with cans of soup, bottles of water and books and hiked around the dirt roads near our house before we left for Roncesvalles. We were ready! We were prepared! All was well.
There is a huge difference, however, between tromping around familiar roads with pretend weight loads and starting the Camino for real. We set out from Roncesvalles in pouring rain that caused the narrow path to become a mud wallow. The slanted limestone rock under our feet was anything but comfortable or safe. We climbed up several high hills and went back down again and up again, going through torrents of running water because everywhere on the Camino also seemed to be a stream bed. By the time we got to Larrasoaña, we were soaked.
Besides, we had to get up the next morning, put back on our wet clothes and boots, shoulder our packs (which seemed heavier than the day before) and set out again … and again … and again. Only by getting out on the Camino and walking day-in, day-out, does one appreciate just what mental stamina it takes to finish the Camino. The body may well (and does!) protest at the constant walking, but only the mind can overcome the pain, frustration, and uncertainty that set in.
As Tomas says, “You’re not supposed to have an easy time of it on the Camino.”
Maybe not, but every step is a miracle and every day a wonder.
Pilgrim Lee AlisonU.S.A.
inspirationpilgrimage.blogspot.com
Completed first Camino over four springs, from 2004-2007 Lee Crawford and her partner, Anne Brown, walked the Camino and Chemin de Saint Jacques from Le Puy, France to Santiago de Compostela (1570 km) over four springs, 2004-2007.
Yes, I remember it well, my preparation; I walked around the Lake Balaton in Hungary for 9 days, finishing up with black toenails and feet that hurt!!! I walked up very large ‘hills’ (about 350 m hgt difference) and thought O.K. – I’m ready!! BUT….. when you walk from St. Jean Pied de Port through to Roncvalles on the Napoleon Way (1300m difference and over 25 km) then there is a difference!!
And then again, and again walking every day!! Yes, I remember it well. A lifetimes experience!
A member of Trinity Ashland is currently walking the Camino with her sister; she has been preparing for months physically and spiritually for this. We get email updates as we can from her and so far she is doing well, they both are. This is a fine blog. Thank you for it and for sharing your experiences.