We’re at SFO. After much packing angst last night, the pilgrimage pack is between 6 and 7 kilos! Of course, I left behind the down pillow…oh well! Counted out Advils and decanted to ziplock bags. Decanted Liquid soap, too. Took scissors to my Rick Steve’s Spain and cut out Seville, etc. packing for the French excursion beforehand was easy!
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SFO
Categories: June 2013, Uncategorized
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Packing
Will it all fit? This pack is too small! With the help of my intrepid (and ruthless) daughter Andrea, I am getting serious about packing. We got it down to 14 lbs without the 2 liter camelbak filled with water.
Online Camino
I’m transfixed by the online Camino community! First I discovered the Camino Forum on Facebook. Everyday they post a question, (mostly about what to pack, how to train, how to get there, and how to take care of your feet) and people post suggestions and very detailed advice. People sincerely want to help and share their experience.
The American Pilgrims on the Camino site is also great. It’s a treasure trove of information about the Camino. I especially like this introduction to the History tab of the site:
“You are about to enter more than a thousand years of history and tradition associated with the Camino de Santiago. The Camino will become a multifaceted experience for you as you in turn become one with the daily flow of the life of the peregrino. ¡Buen Camino!”
The APOC Facebook page is another place where people are sharing their knowledge, and asking for the gathered wisdom of the pilgrim community.
I look forward to meeting my fellow pilgrims.
At least I know where I’m staying on Day 1
At least I know where I’m staying on Day 1
The first day of the Camino is one of the most challenging if you decide to start in St. Jean Pied-de-Port, in France, and end in Roncevalles, Spain. This first leg is 25 kilometers. Basically, you’re crossing the Pyrennes. I am so looking forward to crossing into Spain on foot. On my first day out I’ve decided to give myself a break, and do this leg in two days. I’m planning on stopping for the night after 10 kilometers, at Refuge Orisson.
Categories: June 2013, Uncategorized
Tags: Albergues, Orisson, St. Jean Pied-de-Port
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Why go on the Camino?
I went to a talk about the Camino this evening with my friend Lydia Bird, at the Lafayette Library. The presenter, Susan Alcorn, and her husband had walked the Camino many times, and have written books on how to hike long distances after 55. The room was packed with at least 50 people over 50. Her slides were juicy with the landscape of Spain: castles on hills, sheep, wide open spaces of the Meseta. By now, I’ve done enough research that I recognized several places that are famous on the Camino: the spot with the fountain of wine for pilgrims, the Cross where you leave a stone and a prayer, several of the sculptures along the Way. Lydia said, “she never said anything about spirituality, or the reason to do the Camino. It was all how to do it.”
Lydia was right. I wondered if the presenter knew why she and her husband did it? Was it too personal? Or was it mostly about the challenge?
We headed back through the tunnel towards Alameda. I wondered, “how would have I given that talk? Why am I drawn to walk the Camino? For me it is definitely a pilgrimage of discovery and faith. This is something I want to explore in more detail.
Categories: June 2013, Reflections, Uncategorized
Tags: Camino Preparation, Pilgrimage
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One Footestep at a Time 