El Camino de Thomas

Day 24 - Molinaseca to Villafranca del Bierzo

2010-04-06T20:42:00.000-05:00

Today's walk took me from the near outskirts of Ponferrada, windingly through the city, and out through a quiet, residential part of town. Walking in, we noticed all of these work zones marked along the road...except that there were no workers. It's a theme I've noticed before throughout Spain. Hitting the city itself, we stopped at a bar for breakfast...and found all of the road workers, smoking and drinking...at 10:30 in the morning.

One note for pilgrims: Cacabelos at the time only had one open albergue. I don't recall if there were others that just weren't open at that time yet. But this one was a bunch of walk-in closet sized particle board rooms around the exterior of the church. Bathrooms were not attached. It looked less than desirable (cold and clausterphobic) and made me walk more than 10 kms further to Villafranca del Bierzo (which actually was a lovely town).

How do I live a Spanish lifestyle when I'm back home in the United States? In Villafranca del Bierzo, I had to wait around for the grocery store to open...at 10 am...and it still opened 15 minutes late. Stores have a posted opening time (usually 9 or 10), but nobody is there at that time to open the place. Then they close for siesta at 2, even when it's not summer, and re-open at 5 pm. By 8, they're closed. Dinner's rarely served before 8pm, with most Spaniards eating from 10 until midnight. Nothing but bars are open on Sundays. Oh...and every other Monday is a fiesta when everything but bars are closed.

If you go to a bar in the morning to get a cafe con leche and a magdalena, you'll find all the locals...drinking whiskey, cognac, or orujo...for breakfast. The bars are completely mulitpurpose, serving "breakfast," lunch, and dinner, along with drinks (everything from zumo de naranja to cafe to cervezas). More importantly, they serve as places where local townspeople go to socialize. Drinking alcohol is very inexpensive with a glass of beer or wine costing only a Euro.

So. How do I go about implementing at least siesta at my job?

Day 23 - Rabanal del Camino to Molinaseca

2010-02-03T09:36:00.001-06:00

Today was one of those epic stages of El Camino, where not only does the beautiful scenery weigh heavily upon your emotions, but so does the significance of a cross: Cruz de Ferro. In itself, it's not a spectacular cross, rather a "plainish" one set upon a tall pillar with a tall pile of rocks strewn at the base. But it's those rocks that are so significant. For years and years, tradition has it that pilgrims bring a stone from their own home. As they walk El Camino, they "put" into the stone a burden upon their mind and heart. By casting away the stone at Cruz de Ferro, the pilgrim symbolically casts away their burden.

I brought a stone from Kansas City. I put great thought into what burdens I would cast away. But then about half way through my journey across Spain, I realized my burdens were maybe a bit insignificant relative to the burdens of others. I met a man from Austria named Markus. I never got his last name. I had heard through the pilgrim grapevine that he had left his home in Austria on foot, walked to Rome, then left Rome and headed towards Santiago de Compostela. I had picked up his pack at some point and knew it was heavy. It was about half way through my pilgrimage that he told me about how heavy his heart was and the reason for his journey.

Back home in Austria, there was a car accident that took the lives of his entire family: his father, his mother, his wife, his son, and his daughter. In his grief, he left his home and his job searching for peace in his heart. By the time I met him, he had long exhausted his money. Putting a hand on his shoulder, I realized how little money he had by realizing how little he's been eating: he was incredibly skinny and it couldn't be healthy. From that point on, every time I saw him, I gave him all the food in my pack (except nuts, his teeth were apparently bad) and took him to eat if we were near a town.

Standing now at Cruz de Ferro myself, I looked at the pile of stones, many with writing on them, many weighing down pictures, and I wondered what other burdens lay cast beneath my feet. I placed my stone, spent a moment pondering my own burdens, said a prayer for all the pilgrims before me, the pilgrims after me, and for Markus.

Peace be with you, Markus.

Day 22 - Astorga to Rabanal del Camino

2009-12-01T18:57:00.000-06:00

Rabanal del Camino. What a cool little town. I had such high hopes of staying at the Albergue Gaucelmo, but they were dashed by a bunch of bed bugs infesting the place. It was closed. Presumably by closing, they were able to fumigate the place thoroughly for future pilgrims. The albergue I did stay at was very cool all the same.

The neatest experience in Rabanal del Camino was participating in the Liturgy of Hours and Night Prayers at the local church. I've heard recordings of monks doing Gregorian chants in Latin before. I've even heard it from the depths of the church in Viana, Spain on El Camino. But to actually participate in it is a very spiritual experience. Led by the Benedictine monks of San Salvador del Monte Irago, I had to remember my decades old Latin in this centuries old church to chant along. Unique experiences like this along El Camino are what make the whole journey so unique and so memorable.

Day 21 - San Martin del Camino to Astorga

2009-11-12T20:56:00.001-06:00

This post will be in the form of an open letter to the Merrell shoe company (which will also be mailed to them with pictures).

Dear Merrell,

You'll have to excuse my bluntness here, but your shoes suck. I bought a pair of Chameleon 3 Ventilator GTX hiking shoes to do El Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile hike across Spain over varied terrain, including sand, grass, gravel, with the majority of it being paved track. The shoes were ordered from Zappos.com on July 7th so that I could have ample time to break in the shoes and make sure they'd work well (my first day of walking El Camino was September 28th). They were definitely comfortable and walked very well. I only put about 75-100 miles on them in preparation for my trip.

Merely three hundred miles into my trip, I couldn't use them anymore: both the soles had worn through and the right shank collapsed, noticeable altering the support of my arch and making a squeaking/creaking sound with each step I took. I'm not an exceedingly heavy man (175 pounds at the start of the trip). The Camino Frances route I took allows for shelter every night and plenty of food and water along the way, meaning that I only carried 25 pounds at most (including snacks and water). I certainly would not have expected both soles to wear through in only 400 miles. I would've gladly sent you the shoes to see the damage firsthand, but there was not a snowball's chance in hell I was carrying them for 200 more miles (I didn't shave for 5 1/2 weeks because I didn't want to carry shaving cream and a razor) or pay to ship them from Spain. I did, however, take pictures to show you the wear of the soles and the tear in the Gore-Tex caused by the collapsed shank. They are enclosed.

Luckily when they were finally unusable, I was very close to a town big enough to have several sporting goods stores. After spending a couple hours trying on different shoes and spending $147.89 on new ones (after converting the Eurodollars to the horrible U.S. Dollar), I had nothing but fear that I would get blisters since the new shoes of course weren't broken in. Of course there was nothing I could do about that except take excess precautions (foot antiperspirant, vaseline, thin socks under thicker socks, airing my feet out every few hours, Compeed on hot spots, etc.). Despite all of the precautions I took, I still got a few blisters.

At dinner after purchasing the new boots, I met a German gentleman who was doing El Camino for the FIFTH time...IN THE SAME PAIR OF BOOTS. His hiking boots have traveled underfoot over 2,400 miles and aside from having nearly treadless soles, were in decent shape. Your hiking shoes, the third version of the Chameleon model, I should add, didn't even last 400 miles. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Given the circumstances, I'd like Merrell to pay $147.89 for the replacement boots I was forced to buy and I'll eat the cost of the necessary blister prevention supplies and the pain and suffering I endured when I got blisters anyway.

I look forward to your reply.

Dissapointedly,

Thomas Lin

Day 20 - León to San Martin del Camino

2009-11-11T18:24:00.001-06:00

Today's walk wasn't bad. I kept it short on account of too many Calimochos the night before. San Martin del Camino is a quiet little town, as many of them have been. There were very few pilgrims staying in the municipal albergue (there were 3 of us!). It was rather cold already in the afternoon, so we knew it was going to be a cold night. The heating at the albergue was not on, so I was a little worried about the night. My sleeping bag (the Marmot Pounder) kept me plenty warm throughout the night. Getting up in the morning was difficult as I didn't want to leave the warmth of my sleeping bag.

The three of us in San Martin del Camino made me realize how my trip was really the United Nations del Camino. One guy was French, but also spoke Spanish. And the other guy was Brazillian, but spoke Spanish as well. Notice that nobody else spoke English. With my French better than my Spanish, I was speaking in my horrible French to the French guy who was translating it to Spanish for the other guy. I took several years of French in school, but the last time I did that was 1993. The last time I've tried to use French? 1993.

Here's a list of the countries of people I've met on this trip (in no particular order):

United States (VERY few)
Canada
Australia
Holland
Belgium
Spain (incl. Mallorca and the Canary Islands)
France
Germany
Austria
Iceland
Poland
Brazil
Argentina
Italy
England
Ireland
S. Korea
Estonia
Denmark
Japan
Norway
Finland

It was quite an eclectic mix of people. Generally, everyone speaks English. I noticed a lot of the Spaniards (doing El Camino) didn't speak English. But we were all able to somehow communicate our needs and they were met.

Day 19 - Mansilla de las Mulas to León

2009-10-31T12:12:00.000-05:00

A short day today...only 18.2 km, allowing me to get into León early to see what I hear is a great city. It's noticable that the meseta is ending as we're starting to get rolling hills. Nothing big, but after the completely flat meseta, it's a welcome change. I could see that they're building a new footbridge across a major highway that could very well be for El Camino and the crowds they're expecting for the Holy Year next year. Hopefully that's what it's for as the way into León seemed out of the way, taking us up the highest hill overlooking León right by radio and TV towers broadcasting to the cities (I actually think I could feel the microwaves affecting my pancreas). I will say that getting over the ridge of that hill and being able to see the city was a welcoming site. The beautiful cathedral was clearly visible. Sometimes seeing your goal is a blessing in disguise (another life lesson) as you have such anticipation of getting there that sometimes you'd rather just be there.

As soon as I got to the old part of town where the cathedral was, I could see and sense that the city had a great vibe, full of people walking around and just enjoying the wonderful weather. I decided to stick to the original plan and spend two days there, checking into the Hotel Paris (ironic) only a couple hundred yards from the Cathedral and right in the heart of it. Little did I know when I chose the place (based on location) that the hotel contained a spa and it was also for hotel guests! Saunas and hot tubs do no good on swollen feet, but they still felt wonderful on tired and weary muscles! For those staying in León for whatever reason, I highly suggest it. It was a nice hotel, a decent price, and in a perfect locaton.

As I was staying there on Friday and Saturday nights, I was able to take part in the nightlife, unlike my friends staying in the albergue, as it locked its doors at 9:30. There were several of us in hotels, so I wasn't alone. There were sooo many young people, just going bar to bar having a beer or glass of wine and the tapas that come with each drink in the evening. Then the locals had me experience a calimocho. It's half red wine (vino tinto) and Coca-Cola served in a large cup. It tastes better than it sounds, goes down like candy, and can pack quite a punch given its ease to drink! Sunday was a late and hard walk out of León after a late night on the town!

Temporary post...under the weather

2009-10-27T12:35:00.001-05:00

Fear not, I'm on the mend now. But I've had a touch of the flu. I've still been walking. But taking the time and effort to find internet has not been a priority. Updates soon, I promise!

Day 18 - Bercianos de Real Camino to Mansilla de las Mulas

2009-10-17T05:04:00.000-05:00

The anticipation of getting to León and then to start climbing a mountain again is getting to me. I hear many great things about the city of León and plan to spend 2 days there exploring the sites and just taking in the culture and people of a Spanish city. Burgos and Logroño have inspired the extra day's stay. Also, I want to arrive in Santiago de Compostela on October 31st. That way, the pilgrim's mass I attend on the 1st will be on All Saints Day and they will pull out the botafumeiro. In English, we call it a thurible, the little incense cannister that is swung during certain times at mass. But apparently, the botafumeiro in Santiago is humongous, swinging across the entire transept of the church and requiring several people (thurifers) to hold on to the other end of the rope to swing it. I can't wait to see that! They pull it out for Holy Days and apparently when they get enough pilgrim donations, but that takes a fair amount. Given that it's not a Holy Year and not the high season for El Camino, I doubt we would get enough.

Day 17 - Terradillos de los Templarios to Bercianos de Real Camino

2009-10-17T04:57:00.000-05:00

Today is more of the Meseta. Though the landscape can be dull at times, it offers a great time to think. It's also starting to get cold at night. The air is very dry here, so it can get cold quickly, but it can also warm up quickly once the sun comes up. As I walk, I've realized how a rollercoaster can be a metaphor for life...and some of you know how I love rollercoasters! Now I just have to enjoy the ride of life. When the walking is flat, I miss the mountains for their scenery and the nuances of climbing and descending them. When it's warm, I wish it were cool. When it's cool, I wish it were warm. Everything comes and goes. I just need to learn to roll with the punches.

One side note...a fellow pilgrim that I'd never seen before came up to me in the albergue and said: "I've read your blog."

"You have?"

"Yes, you used to have 'interesting' hair."

Yup...that was me. Guilty as charged. He found my blog either through a search or through a forum. But either way, if you read it again: Hi, Brian from Ireland!

Day 16 - Carrión de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios

2009-10-13T10:14:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in the previous post how flat and boring the landscape can be. Today was a better example of it. The first 17.5 km were through NOTHING but wide open fields. There was not a single town or anything. It's trying to walk through that as it can feel very hopeless when you're feet are hurting, you're hungry, you've been walking for a few hours, and all you see in front of you is fields, all harvested, some already tilled, some still waiting for tilling. But like I said before, it's in these times that I think you can get the most contemplation done. I have hardly pulled out the camera the last few days as it would be generally the same picture, over and over.

On I walk.

Day 15 - Frómista to Carrión de los Condes

2009-10-13T10:04:00.000-05:00

Today is a festival day (Fiesta Nacional de España) in Spain, meaning that nearly everything is closed. Despite that, I can't exactly take a day off. The landscape is still very, very flat and I expect nothing different for the next few days. In Carrión de los Condes, I stayed in a simple, yet nice albergue, run by nuns. I'm not sure what order they are from. I attended mass at the Church of Santa Maria next door, yet another amazingly beautiful church in Spain. I think it was because of the holiday that dinner was a little difficult to find. After mass, the only restaurant in town that seemed to serve a pilgrim's menu was completo, or full. So I went a few doors down to a bar, had a couple of cervezas with some other pilgrims, until I could get in for dinner. When I went back to the restaurant, the only spot was at a table with 3 French people, also pilgrims, who had not ordered yet. Two of them speak excellent English, but it was still fun to test the amount of French I remember from highschool and college!

On I walk.

Day 14 - Castrojeríz to Frómista

2009-10-13T09:57:00.001-05:00

I'm in a part of Spain called the Meseta Central. They are high plains full of fertile (despite being rocky) fields. Unfortunately, when walking, this means it's boring! I do welcome the lack of incline as uphill is very tiring and downhill can be slow and hard on the knees. But the lack of scenery is getting annoying. It is beautiful. Just getting to be the same thing over and over. Once I've seen something on the Meseta, I see the same exact field for the next 5 kilometers! I welcome a change in landscape, but I will admit that the Meseta is offering me an incredible time to think.

Part of the reason I came on this trip was to become closer to God. What I've realized by walking through so much and varied land and by reflecting on my life, is that when you seek God, you don't usually find Him. He finds you when He wants to and when you need Him, even without asking. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but it's just a little observation and realization I've made about God in my life so far on this journey.

On I walk.

Day 13 - Rabé de las Calzadas to Castrojeríz

2009-10-13T09:48:00.001-05:00

The walk today was dominated by mostly flat landscape with fields of mostly hay, from what my urban experience can tell. It's already been baled into these HUGE, well organized stacks over 50 feet long and over 25 feet tall! You can see the hay stacks from miles and miles away. There were some small rolling hills, nothing really outstanding or difficult. There was one neat part where the roadway I walked along actually went through the middle of the ruins of the Convent of San Anton, which was used from the 12th to 18th centuries. Only a few walls and arches still remain, including arches over the road.

Spain is a REALLY green country! And I'm not talking about plant life. I'm talking about caring about the earth and preventing global climate change. I've seen several wind farms, with enormous wind turbines to generate electricity. There have been a few under construction that I've seen. Every town, from the dumpsters that people put their household waste into, to the trashcans on lightpoles in the parks, are divided into several receptacles: paper products, glass, compostable, and other rubbish. I've only seen one incandescent lightbulb in Spain and guessing by its appearance, it's older than I am! It's nice to see that as a country, they are taking initiative to prevent the impact of it's citizens on dangerous and lasting changes to the earth and it's climate. We should follow such an example in the United States!

On I walk.

Day 12 - Burgos to Rabé de las Calzadas

2009-10-13T09:39:00.001-05:00

After 40 km yesterday, today was a short walk: only 11 km. I needed to rest my poor tired and swollen feet. I stopped at an albergue, Ospidal-Albergue de Peregrinos Santa Marina y Santiago, run by a French lady and her Spanish husband. It was a little pricey based on everything so far (€23), but included dinner and breakfast. It also looked really small and that it might be very quiet. There was one room with an incredibly tall ceiling (and a 10m deep well in which you could see the water table below) that had nearly every square inch of the walls covered with either compostelas (about 40 of them) or other artifacts about El Camino. She and her husband have been walking El Camino for over 23 years each and she opened the albergue to welcome and care for pilgrims. For a while, I thought I'd be the only one there until a pair of Australians, mother and daughter, showed up after their first day of walking. The place ended up being really nice and worth the price. She also threaded my one blister I've gotten so far (knock on wood).

There was a bar in town where I went for lunch. I ordered one bocadilla and a beer and ended up getting 2 beers, a plate of home-grown tomatoes with olive oil, yogurt, cheese, and a medallion of the Virgin Mary. He spoke no English and I speak very, very little Spanish. But he was just so friendly and talkative. I gathered he's from Cuba orginally and has done the Inca Trail as well as El Camino. Just a really nice guy. All of the Spaniards I've encountered have been really, really friendly and helpful. I wish I knew more Spanish.

On I walk.

Day 11 - Villafranca Montes de Oca to Burgos

2009-10-11T12:11:00.000-05:00

What a day! And by that, I mean what a LONG day! I walked over 40 km today in order to get to Burgos in one push. I don't think it was worth it. I stayed in a hotel that night (previously planned) to get a little me time...a bedroom with nobody else in it, a shower with hot water that I could use for more than 2 minutes before someone starts getting upset over how long I'm taking and how much hot water I'm using, and a real towel. After 40 km and wandering around the city center area for a bit just observing the Spanish people and the stores, I was exhausted. The next morning, my feet were literally swollen. If would be hard to tell if you didn't know what they normally looked like.

So apparently, in Spain, there aren't many Asians. I haven't seen but 4 or 5 that live in Spain. I have met 5 South Korean girls on El Camino (Seoul Sista's) and one American who lives in Madrid and teaches English (met him on El Camino as well). But ALL of the others that I've seen have been in these stores called "Bazars" that sell everything and everything that they sell is crammed onto shelves (and probably fell off a truck, quite honestly). I was in one the other day looking for a coin pouch since 1 and 2 Euro coins are so commonly used. Some lady started asking me something as if I worked there! "No hablo espanol. Yo no trabajo aqui." It was like that time that I wore a red shirt when I went to Target. I was asked not once, but twice, for help finding something. I actually was able to help one lady out.

Day 10 - Grañón to Villafranca Montes de Oca

2009-10-07T13:36:00.000-05:00

The route today took me through Redecilla del Camino, Castildelgado, Viloria de la Rioja, Villamayor del Rio, Belorado, Tosantos, Villambistia, and Espinosa del Camino. The towns seem a little closer together now as I travel down mostly farm roads between fields. Again today, I put on some extra distance in order to make the walk to Burgos a breeze so that I would have time to kick around.

Last night, I stayed in the belltower of the 14th century church in Grañón. What an amazing place to stay (even though the bells rang all night from what I could tell). The dinner was a group dinner that was cooked by Marco and Martini, the recently married couple from Italy doing El Camino for their honeymoon. It was delicious. After dinner, the hospitalero (he only speaks Spanish) motioned me through a door marked "Do not enter." It turned out to be a back entrance to the choir loft of the church where the altar was lit and the old wooden seats built into the choir loft were surrounded by lit candles. Most of us ended up being rounded up there. No, it wasn´t the fabled annual sacrifice of a pilgrim (just kidding). It was an evening prayer. Another hospitalero was playing the guitar and singing hymns in Spanish. She (Marta) has an amazing voice. The whole experience was really amazing and so far the best albergue I've stayed at on El Camino.

Contrast this with the night before in Najera...somebody swiped my sunglasses off my bed while I was at dinner, the showers were frigid, and there were no toilet seats (yeah...I have no explanation for this one...but you try a power squat after walking for more than 30 km that day). This one and the one in the church were both donativo, or by donation only. Take a guess which place got the (much) bigger donation! Unfortunately for the place in Najera, it's a bad Catch-22. If it's bad, nobody gives money. But without money, they can't make it better (i.e. buy toilet seats!)

On I walk.

Day 9 - Najera to Grañón

2009-10-06T11:23:00.000-05:00

Today was a long day (27 km), given that yesterday was over 30 km. Today, again, I went past the usual stop in order to a) enjoy a quieter albergue and b) enjoy a historic albergue. I'm staying in the church belltower in Grañón. Unfortunately, I think the bells ring every quarter hour all night long. But the building is older than dirt and really amazing. The stairs to get up to the sleeping area and the bathroom are a bit of a pain, however.

The walk today was long, going over gravel farm roads between fields of grapes, hay, and potatoes. There was very little shade and rolling hills, some of which were quite tiresome to climb and descend. I stopped in Santo Domingo de la Calzada for lunch and wanted to stop in the church. I heard it was beautiful and had two live chickens in it (based on some legend). Unfortunately, it was closed for siesta when I tried to see it, so I'll have to look it up on the internet when I have more time (i.e. when I'm not paying for it by the minute).

I'm busting ahead in order to try to have a shorter walk into Burgos in a few days. Since it's one of the bigger cities I'll go through, I wanted to get in earlier without being tired so that I could explore it a little, even if that's just sitting in the central square watching the locals go about their daily lives. The Spanish (and for the short time I was in France, the French) have been amazing hosts, helping us pilgrims out whenever we need it. The Irish lads got lost in Logroño and some lady stopped them, recognizing their backpacks and scallop shell symbols of a pilgrim, and walked them back to the correct path. The food here is amazing and way not good for me. If my PCP is reading this, ignore the next sentence: Everything is soooo salty and fatty...but soooooo good!

On I walk.

Day 8 - Logroño to Najera

2009-10-05T14:37:00.003-05:00

Today was LONG: 30.7 kilometers. It was mostly uphill, but gently so...nothing as annoying as some of the earlier hills and mountain that I had to tackle. The first town I went through was Navarette, a quiet farming community. Leaving Navarette, I took a break outside of a cemetery just out of town. A local farmer gave me a bunch of grapes to eat. They were amazingly sweet and a welcome treat. The portico on the cemetery was originally on a 13th century pilgrim hospital, St. John of Acre, the ruins of which were on the opposite side of town as I entered Navarette. 13th century...the Americas weren't even discovered by Europeans yet! Walking in the shadow of history like this is an amazing and humbling experience.

It seems that El Camino takes us by the church in each town we go through. They are the highest and most visible point in each town, which means an uphill walk into each town. They have been worthwhile climbs. The churches are beautiful and easily outdate any churches in the United States. If possible, I try to go in, look at the even more amazing sights inside and leave a small donation. Pictures have been hard to come by as the lighting is dim and I dare not use my flash around such valuable things that old.

The other things I noticed today was that the waymarking for El Camino has been much poorer in the state of Rioja versus Navarra where I started. The signs were plentiful and obvious before. Now they are truly subtle: I often find myself looking for signs of other pilgrims: a cairn (too easy), bike tracks, or footprints. The yellow arrows are fewer and far between. Several people got lost today. With 30.7 km today, getting lost was problematic.

On I walk.

Day 7 - Torres del Rio to Logroño

2009-10-05T14:36:00.001-05:00

I've learned that some people are trying to follow my progress on a map. http://www.caminomap.com/ is a great site for following me. It has a google map with my path already marked. Below the map is an "albergue" button...click it to remove all the beds from the map. Those are the places I can stay, but can get annoying to look at.

Today, I went from Torres del Rio to Logroño via the town of Viana. I got a late start and took my time since I put in extra distance the day before to get that luxury. The people starting in Los Arcos easily caught up with me (though they left at 6:30 am to do so). I was actually awake at 6:30 because two locals were outside my albergue with Spanish disco music cranked in their car with the windows open. As I soon discovered, they were waiting for the lady at the albergue to open the doors and the bar so they could hit on her. I walked downstairs for breakfast and they were drinking beers and talking to her. They tried to buy me a beer. No thanks.

Viana had a beautiful church, as all of them have been in Spain so far. Except in addition to the physical beauty, when I walked in the door, I immediately heard monks chanting. It was not a recording. Somewhere from the inner recesses of the church, there were monks chanting. It's not something often (ever?) witnessed in the United States. What an amazing experience to sit in the church taking time to reflect and play as monks chanted softly in the background.

Logroño is a pretty neat city with a vibrant Plaza del Mercado. It was Sunday, so everything was closed...which meant that getting anti-inflammatory cream for my knee was going to have to wait. But still, there were people milling around, enjoying a coffee or drink and their Sundays with friends and family. It seems the Spanish enjoy quite a relaxed lifestyle. Between 2 pm and 6pm, everything except bars are completely dead: siesta. I want a siesta. I think I´ll start taking them when I get back home.

On I walk.

Day 6 - Estella to Torres del Rio

2009-10-03T12:33:00.000-05:00

Last night, I stayed at the parochial albergue. It had 2 rooms with about 16 beds (8 bunks) in each. Quarters were very tight, but I was with great friends and the Camino experience here was amazing. We all started cooking dinner together at about 6:30 under the guidance of the hospitalero (the volunteer who watches over the place for a 2 week stint), who, as luck would have it, is a professional chef. So at about 8, we had an amazing salad followed by a filling and carb-loading pasta dish. In the morning, we all had breakfast together. The cost? Donativo: whatever you want to give.

The walk today was long and difficult, covering 29 kilometers. It started with a climb, that was gleefully interrupted by the famous El Camino ¨wine fountain¨where you can get not only water, but also wine! It´s put there by the local winery. After peaking at Villamajor de Montjardin, the descent was steady and slow (i.e. not horrible on the knees), but through fields of olives, grapes, and hay...without any shade. The usual stop for today is at Los Arcos, but I decided to push on an extra 7 km or so in order to make tomorrow an easier day to Logroño, a bigger city. That way I might be able to experience it a little.

Tonight, I will sleep well. The other good thing about not being at a usual stop is that it´s much quieter in the albergue. Only 4 people so far and that´ll probably be it!

Day 5 - Puenta la Reina to Estella

2009-10-03T12:26:00.000-05:00

Went to mass at the local church in Puente la Reina. The inside, like all the churches I´ve been able to go into, was absolutely beautiful! This church, the second in a little Spanish town, puts any church I´ve seen in the United States to shame, I´m sorry to say. After mass, the priest gathered the pilgrims together to give them a special blessing, something that is very common at masses along El Camino.

The day started with an early morning crossing of another great medieval bridge. Because it was dark, I´m not sure if the picture will come out or not. I put the camera on a park bench and did a long exposure. Hopefully it was still enough. Not a very eventful day or long day, something needed to rest my body.

This is the most painful thing I´ve ever done, but at the same time, already it´s the most amazing. It´s like crazy math: 2 + 2 = 5 for large values of 2. I can´t explain it very well.

Day 4 - Pamplona to Puenta la Reina

2009-10-01T14:53:00.001-05:00

Today was a bit of a bear. Leaving Pamplona in the dark was a bit hard to find markings for The Way. Typically, marking are at every place where the path forks. Well, in the city of Pamplona, that´s every block! I luckily found my way out with only a one block detour. Once the sun started rising, I could see what was ahead...a 300 m climb to a ridge which had dozens of wind turbines visible from Pamplona. Ugh...more climbing. Without a walking companion, I didn´t want to drop my bag outside of a bar (cafe) in Pamplona, so I walked on without breakfast. At the top of the ridge, there was a roach coach with sandwiches, cold drinks, etc. I bought a large chorizo sandwich and washed it down with a real Coca Cola (real as in sugar, not high fructose corn syrup). It hit the spot. The descent was treacherous and painful on the feet given the pitch and the rocky path. I made it to Uterga and washed my feet in the cold water from a pilgrims´ fountain and put on some clean socks. On El Camino, sometimes it´s the simple things that make everything better. I walked on to Puenta la Reina, where I´m staying at an albergue run by the Padres Reperadores. It´s nice...it has internet (always pay) and a washer and dryer. For dinner, several of us just made pasta from ingredients we bought at the supermercado. I bought some bread. meat, and cheese for breakfast and lunch as well.

On I walk.

Day 3 - Larrasoana to Pamplona

2009-10-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

The ¨schedule¨ has us walking from Larrasoana to Cizur Minor today. But some of us wanted to stop 4 km short of that in the city of Pamplona to kick around. So we only walked 15 km today. It was a pleasant walk and a needed relief for me seeing a ¨real¨city. We stayed in a former seminary that had great facilities including a washer and dryer for my clothes. Hand washing just isn´t the same thing. Plus, this was, I didn´t have to spend the next day walking around as a human clothesline with wet clothes hanging off my pack.

Many of you know how much I LOVE to eat. I´ve been eating pretty simply on this trip. I´ve been enjoying the daily sandwiches in the morning consisting of French bread, local ham, and sometimes queso (cheese). Lunch has been usually the same thing. Often breakfast involves a cafe con leche (a latte)...please don´t tell my doctor that I´ve been drinking unfiltered coffee! Dinner is usually a pilgrims menu (9-10 euros or so) where you have choices for each of three courses. For example, last night in Pamplona, for 10 euros, I started with an incredible Paella Mariscos (shrimp heads on), had a wonderful veal entree with french fries (I didn´t know that´s how the patatas would be served), and a flan for desert. Delicious. For that price, it included bottled water and the local wine - Tinto.

On I walk.

Day 2 - Roncesvalles to Larrasoana

2009-10-01T14:39:00.000-05:00

This day was marked by descent to about 500 m from the nearly 950 m Roncesvalles is at. Downhill is hard to do when your knee hurt. Going uphill is just tiring, but downhill, you really have to watch your footing. Not wanting to bend your knee certainly doesn´t help. Oh well: on I walk.

I´ve met some interesting people along The Way. I was in the same albergue with Antoine, from Belgium, the first 2 nights. He´s walked all the way from Belgium! He´s been on the road 55 days, though he´s taken a break to go back and take his exams. He´s a masters student in anthropology working on a discertation about El Camino. He´s gone ahead as he´s a seasoned walker now. I hope he´s well.

There´s a wonderful sense of togetherness on El Camino. I can sense it already. When someone has a blister, we all come together, sharing needles, thread, iodine, anything needed to help the injured pilgrim. I´ve already gotten some mysterious crema some Spanish ladies gave me for my knee. It might have helped. It might have been the massive dose (800 mg) of ibuprofen I took. Either way, I walk better in spurts. It feels better when warmed up. Waking up is the worse.

On I walk.

Day 1 - St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles

2009-10-01T14:33:00.000-05:00

I miss-titled the original post. That was actually Day 0 as I hadn´t started walking yet.

So the weather was perfect...high in the 70s for crossing Route Napoleon. I started at about 10 before 7 am in the dark. I was able to find my way just fine. It was a slow and steady climb out of St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I stopped at Orisson to have breakfast and grab a sandwich for lunch. More steady climbing via a road until a point where I left the road and took a grassy pass over a shoulder. Several pilgrims had stopped there to watch nature at it´s finest: about 20-30 vultures fighting over a sheep that had just died within 10 minutes of my arrival. Previous to this point, the Way had been through open fields with grazing animals (sheep, cow, and horses) wandering unfenced along the road. Crossing that crest was a descent through the forests along a barbwire fence, which I believe was the Spanish-French border. I thought I was home free. WRONG. There was another steep climb up a rock road shortly after. In total, I climbed from 163 m to 1440 m at Col de Lepoeder. This was followed by a steep descent to 953 m to the town of Roncesvalles. It was about 27 km I had to walk and climb that day. Hard going for the first day.

Sometime during the day, I also injured my right leg, more specifically, my IT Band right at my knee. I don´t know what incident caused it specifically since it didn´t actually start hurting until dinner that night. I wasn´t able to move it, but it caused me no pain when kept still. It still hurts, but I´m moving on. I´ll make it, just a bit slower than everyone else.

Day 0 - St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port

2009-09-27T08:44:00.001-05:00

I made it here safely via plane, train, and taxi. The train from Bayonne to St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port isn't running, so SCNF (the French national railway) paid for cabs for all of us to get here. For the 4 of us in the car, that came out to 110 euros! Either way, I'm here. I'm a bit tired, but looking forward to tomorrow, to walking 15 miles and climbing 4,000 feet.

I saw Martin Sheen this afternoon. The three Brits I was eating with didn't believe me that it was him. He walked by again about 15 minutes later. He waved at me when he noticed my gaze. They believe me now. It was definitely him. I asked at the pilgrims' office and they showed me a sign asking for extras for a major motion picture he's making about El Camino called "The Way." As much as I'd love to do that, I want to head out tomorrow instead of getting delayed a day to do that. Very cool that he's doing that and very cool that I saw him.

Nothing is any more sore than it was before I came, so hopefully tomorrow will treat me well. I'm a little worried about the alititude with my previous bouts of altitude sickness, but I think I'm more worried about the walk with the weight on my back. If I don't post in the next week or so, send out a search party for a very well-fed bear. (I'm totally kidding...I'll be fine.)

Just a few more days!

2009-09-22T08:57:00.002-05:00

So many last minute things to do! The worst is believing that there really isn't and I'm just making that up. I realize I can buy what I need there should I forget something, but I'd rather not have to. I was a Boy Scout...I'm supposed to be prepared, right?

I've decided to carry 4 more ounces in the form of my fleece jacket instead of my fleece pullover. I think it'll be more versatile and it's definitely warmer. I've cut my clothes line in half. It's only about 10 ft now and didn't weigh that much to begin with. Despite having hunted all over for safety pins to hang wet clothes off the back of my pack, I think there are enough cinch cords that I can probably hang my clothes over and secure enough barring a hurricane or tornado. I figure I'll learn a trick or two on the Way as well.

And now for a commercial interruption: If you haven't already, there's still time to sponsor me on my little 500 mile walk. It's for a good cause: the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I've lost 3 friends in the last few years. So, please, make at least a $5.00 contribution for a good cause and to show me your support as I begin this trek. The website to make a tax-deductible contribution is: http://www.firstgiving.org/thomaslin. And now back to regularly scheduled programming...

I hope I can find everything I need. In Paris (within walking/train distance), I need a post office to mail my stuff to the destination. In Pamplona, I need a mobile carrier (Yoigo look cheap) to sell me a pay-as-you-go/prepaid SIM card. And hopefully they speak English so this isn't a nightmare for both of us!

Too much stress. Too many worries. I'm hoping El Camino teaches me to do less of that. It's time to start letting go.

I leave a week from tomorrow!!!

2009-09-17T13:25:00.005-05:00

HOLY COW that's close! I *think* I have everything that I need. I think I'm as prepared as I can be with only 2 physical therapy appointments, 2 accupuncture appointments, packing, and making sure my friend living in my house while I'm gone is situated.

Weight Guidelines for El Camino

2009-09-16T20:47:00.000-05:00

I made an interesting realization. Everything that I've read says that, as a guideline for doing El Camino de Santiago, you shouldn't carry more than 10% of your body weight. I HAVE THE SOLUTION: GAIN BODY WEIGHT!!!! For some reason, I'm up to 185 pounds despite walking a whole lot. And while my skinny jeans prove to me that a lot of that is muscle, my midsection tells me he's keeping pace too. Regardless, that means I can carry 1.5 pounds more than when I first started planning this journey! :D

The haircut...

2009-09-16T20:33:00.000-05:00

So a special thanks (again) to Kelley Blond, the owner of Lady Luck Hair Parlour in Kansas City (Westport area for the locals). I went in and gave her a blank canvas to work with and this is the end result:

Yes, a striped multi-colored mohawk. :) I actually kind of like the cut. I'll probably not do the colors again, but who knows about the cut? Next week, I buzz it all before I leave for Spain.

Hair today, gone tomorrow...

2009-09-14T08:37:00.002-05:00

Like many people going on El Camino, I'm cutting my hair SHORT (like maybe a #2 guard on the clippers). It's just easier to not have to carry as much soap, to not worry about greasy, gross hair, to not have to pick the bedbugs out, etc. Well, if I'm cutting off my hair, I might as well have fun with it, right? :D Here's what I look like right now:

Knowing that I was lopping it off, I'm about a month overdue on a haircut. It's in my eyes and bugs me. But tomorrow, it won't be anywhere near my eyes. I'm getting a Mohawk. Yes, you heard me right, I'm getting a Mohawk! Thanks to Kelley Blond, the owner of the Lady Luck Hair Parlour in Kansas City, MO, she's gonna do me (and my hair) up right! I go in tomorrow to get it bleached, cut, colored, and spiked. For one night only. For fun. I'll be making an appearence at some event called Tuesday Boozeday at reVerse on the Plaza at 9ish if you're local and want to see this. I'll be easy to recognize...I'll be the one with the Mohawk. :)

So thanks to Kelley, a fabulous hair dresser, a wonderful, fun, and kind person. If you're in need of a new stylist, give her a call: (816) 931-5825‎.

T - 16 days and counting...

2009-09-09T19:29:00.002-05:00

I only have 16 days left until I leave for Paris! Crazy! I'm doing some walking still, but really am tapering, favoring instead the stretching my physical therapist taught me. My hip already feels better. It still pops, but I don't feel ANY pain with it any more. The muscles behind my left knee still bother me. Hopefully that takes care of itself soon!

I've modified the orthotics I put in my hiking shoes by ripping off the foam covering it and replacing it instead with Spenco insoles that have no shape to them, only cushioning. They're merely flat rubbery insoles that feel like a dream. I've tried air-cushioned insoles, gel insoles, etc. The Spenco ones are the most comfortable ones I've tried. The only downside is that they are hard to find! I had to order them off Amazon as I couldn't find them anywhere in stores.

T-25 Days

2009-08-31T14:01:00.004-05:00

I only have 3 weekends left before I leave for St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port. Trying to make sure that everything is in order: myself, my pack, my house, etc. A friend is coming in from out of town to live in my house for the entire duration of my trip. His job affords him that luxury. And it makes my life easier as that's free petsitting as well. :)

Here's my plan for walking in the next few weeks: I'm not. I keep reading about people who complete El Camino de Santiago with little to no training, that are out of shape, and that are carrying too much weight. I'm going to go with the hope that I'll make it just fine (or at least just make it!).

I'm going to focus on my physical therapy. I visited a physical therapist on my doctor's advice on Saturday. Aside from the assessment, I was given some good stretches for my legs, and ultrasound therapy (with the steroid, dexamethasone). I feel a little better and will make a few more visits before leaving for Europe.

ONE MONTH!

2009-08-25T08:11:00.002-05:00

I leave for Paris in one month. I'll start El Camino de Santiago in one month and 2 days. That's CRAZY. Now all those thoughts go through my head about inadequate training (physically, mentally, spiritually), about where I'm going to sleep every night, about the weight I'll be carrying (literally and metaphorically, though only one will probably lighten on The Way), etc. I've done a lot of preparations: everything from buying things I didn't already have to walking sometimes as much as 6 hours per day. My body already hurts (I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, though I'm not sure what he can do). But one way or another, I already have a non-refundable plane ticket that departs one month from today.

A pretty slideshow of all the random "El Camino de Santiago" pics on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=el+camino+de+santiago. I was totally planning on getting a picture like the one on the first page that's in black and white except for the yellow arrow. I guess there really are no good ideas left. :)

How cool would it be to get Swine Flu from St. James?

2009-08-21T11:24:00.003-05:00

From an AP news wire article:

Spain: For sake of swine flu, don't kiss the saint

By DANIEL WOOLLS (AP) – 2 hours ago

MADRID — Spain's Catholic Church has new advice for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela: Don't kiss the saint.

For centuries, pilgrims have visited one of Roman Catholicism's holiest shrines — the cathedral holding the purported remains of St. James the Apostle, Spain's patron saint. It was customary for them to hug a statue of St. James and even kiss it.

Now, thanks to fast-spreading swine flu, the church is urging the faithful not to pucker up. It has even removed the holy water that worshippers use to bless themselves in the cathedral in the cobblestone old quarter of Santiago de Compostela, in Spain's northwestern Galicia region.

The cathedral's dean, Jose Maria Diaz, said Friday the campaign has been discreet.

"We have not put up any signs or anything," he told The Associated Press.

Rather, an usher stationed next to the statue — located behind the main altar — quietly passes the message on.

"They are asked at least to refrain from kissing it," Diaz said.

He said the measure stems from a new Health Ministry campaign offering hygiene hints on how to curb the spread of swine flu, one of which is to halt Spaniards' deeply ingrained custom of greeting each other with kisses, one on each cheek, even when meeting strangers. Spaniards are now supposed to shake hands.

Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez goofed the very day after announcing the drive this month, receiving a colleague with two kisses prior to a meeting on swine flu.

At the cathedral, people are generally receptive to the idea of not kissing St. James but they still trade pecks during the Catholic Mass for the kiss of peace, Diaz said.

"As we say in Spanish, this is like trying to put a fence around the countryside," Diaz said, using an expression for a task deemed impossible. "What about all the kissing in the nightclubs and pubs?"

Santiago's cathedral is not the first to rein in worshippers' lips, just the most prominent, visited each year by hundreds of thousands of people. Earlier this month, the cathedral in the central city of Toledo urged people suspend their habit of kissing a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Swine flu has killed 12 people in Spain and is spreading so fast the Health Ministry has stopped trying to count the number of confirmed cases, shifting instead to a weekly estimate. By that measure, it says Spain is seeing more than 10,000 cases new cases of swine flu per week.

Luis Alemparte, a 67-year-old man from the Canary Islands, said he had embraced the statue of St. James rather than kiss it, but in any case he was not afraid of swine flu.

"If you come down with flu, either you get better or St. James is here to take you to heaven," Alemparte told the Spanish news agency Efe.

17.8 Pounds

2009-08-19T22:56:00.002-05:00

That was the dry pack weight...everything except food and water. I'd like to knock at least 3 pounds off that, but I'm not sure I can. This was the weight of everything in my BACKpack, not including the front pack (which will be mostly electronics and less than 3 pounds...something easy to bring into a tienda while leaving my backpack outside).

Here's the packing list. It does NOT include what I'll actually be wearing. It DOES include things that'll be in my front pack.

Backpack

technical t-shirt

long sleeve base shirt

fleece pullover

liner socks * 2

outer socks * 2

flipflops

soap

contacts

toothbrush

toothpaste

contact solution

sewing kit

2 oz bleach

iodine

convertible pants

underwear * 2

clothesline

carabiner * 2

water sterilizer

2l camelbak (to clean camelbak)

rain jacket

rain pants

travel towel

solar panel

phone charger

outlet converter

phone

camera

spare batteries

shoe laces

trekking poles

hat

sunglasses

glasses

compeed, bandaids, gauze

bodyglide

dry sack

fanny pack

passport

pilgrim's passport

wallet

credit cards and ID

sleeping bag

travel toilet paper

zip lock bags (gallon and quart)

earplugs

sleeping mask

pocket knife

head lamp

ibuprofen

loperimide

nail clippers

diaper pins

watch

CSJ guidebook

journal

pen * 2

money belt

neosporin

sport tape

lip balm

fleece pants

SD Card --> USB adaptor

long sleeve shirt

plastic laundry pins

scissors

Res-Q Ointment

contact case

Any suggestions? Thoughts on what I'm bringing?

Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!

2009-08-18T18:55:00.000-05:00

No...really. Bears: http://www.pilgrimage-to-santiago.com/2008/10/29/bear-between-ponferrada-and-o-cebreiro/. I like bears. I used to adopt the grizzly bears at the St. Louis Zoo. But I don't think that I want to run into one on El Camino. Since this is a trip I'll be taking alone, the old adage: "I don't have to outrun the bear. I only have to outrun you...." doesn't hold true. I actually DO have to outrun the bear...with my backpack. Maybe he'll eat the emergency Clif Bar I'm bringing and be satisfied and not chase me. Gosh I love a good adventure! I leave in 38 days!

T-40 days and hit my first snags

2009-08-16T16:35:00.003-05:00

1) The minor snag: do they not make diaper pins anymore? Did some baby take one and go ballistic with it or put his eye out? Couldn't find them at Walmart or Target.
2) Either the contact form on the Refuge Orisson website doesn't work or the guy doesn't read his email very often. Either way, it took 2 form submissions and one email (which I found on a forum) to get a reply. And the reply is that they're booked for 9/27. Of course, that's the day that L'Espirit du Chemin closes for the season too. Zoiks.

So...I need to either hop off the 9:39 am train, get my stamp, and head all the way to Roncesvalles, spend $226 for a night in the hotel in St-Jean-Pied-de-Port and head for Roncesvalles early (and well rested), or ... ? Suggestions anyone?

Who wants to go to Europe???

2009-08-09T15:51:00.002-05:00

A few people have expressed interest in meeting me in Europe at or near the end of my walk. Awesome. I thought I'd fill everyone in on the details of the end of my trip in case you want to see if it fits your schedule. Given that I'm walking 500 miles, the exact timing of the end of my El Camino is a little tentative, but I do have a couple of days of padding in there to catch up or spend extra time in Burgos or Leon if I'm on schedule.

For those who are interested in completing the last 100 km of El Camino with me (the minimum required to receive the Compostela), I should be in Sarria on the 27th of October and walking out of there the next day. It's actually 112 km from there, but it's the closest city to the 100 km minimum on Camino Frances. It's 4 days of walking from there to Santiago de Compostela.

I arrive in Santiago de Compostela on October 31. I will stay for the Pilgrim's Mass on November 1 (at noon, I believe). Following that, I will be getting to Barcelona by some currently unknown means. After a few days there, I'll go to Paris for a few days before departing for home on November 8th.

SO...if you can come to Europe and hang (no walking tours...unless you want to push me around in a wheelchair!), there's the schedule. Be prepared for me to be limping into Santiago de Compostela a few days late (i.e. be self-sufficient if I don't make it in on time!). I'll have a local phone number that I'll publish when I get it in case you need to reach me.

Hope you can make it! (That's code for: I'll believe it when I see it! )

"Building up Stamina etc"

2009-08-07T17:22:00.001-05:00

Reposted from http://www.pilgrimage-to-santiago.com/board/miscellaneous-topics/topic6663.html with the author's permission:

Well, thought I would open this topic ... I wasn't really ready for my first Camino so this year I am building up my stamina.

I have located a supermarket that sells quite good cheap Rioja and after three weeks of sustained, and sometimes quite painful, practise, I now am able to drink about two-thirds of a bottle each evening and still get out of bed in the morning - now I know that this isn't quite enough, especially once I am deep into Spain, but I am working on it (hic).

with coffee, I've failed miserably as I have given up caffiene - what I've been doing is going into coffee shops every morning - a different one each day - buying a double strength coffee (to show machismo) then, when no one is looking, tipping it into the nearest plant pot - I don't know if I am ready for Spain yet with this ... not quite sure what I will do if it doesn't work.

In my bathroom I have broken the bracket that holds my shower head up and hidden the sink plug and I now pay a neighbour to bang on the door and tell me to hurry up after I have been in there for three minutes - I can now shower, shave, and launder my underwear in 3.25 minutes on average - which should be fine ..

I have fitted a timer in my bedroom and at 0535 every morning it switches on, turning on a bright light and a radio set to a loud talk station (usually Radio Munich) ... it is only a fortnight since I have rigged this up but already I can now get up half an hour later without having bitten a hole in my pillow, which I think is quite good really, though I do still scream a bit ... unfortunately I have been unable to reproduce loud rustling noises and I am hoping that this doesn't catch me out on the Camino, but I've done my best ....

Every other evening I go to a cheap restaurant and order a very thin and overcooked piece of unidentifiable fried meat, with some thin half-cold chips and maybe a scattering of cheap peas, and for dessert I have a small ice still in a tub with a plastic spoon embedded in it, then another cup of coffee which I have to tip into a plant pot. I find that this is fairly similar to every cafe pilgrim meal I have ever had - it is quite good to get used to chewing the strange meat and actually not getting indigestion at night again. I had thought of paying them to laugh in my face if I ask for a vegetarian option, but it wouldn't really work without the moustaches and the cheap white shirts ...

A special thanks

2009-08-06T22:32:00.003-05:00

I wanted to take a post to thank Greg Niver from Optic Nerve Sunglasses (http://www.opticnerve.com) for the Banshee interchangeable sunglasses. While I must reveal that they were given to me for a significant discount, I actually REALLY like them. They are by far the lightest sunglasses I've ever held...surprisingly so. They are extremely comfortable, especially since I have a weirdly shaped face. The other problem I've seen with glasses is that they fog up quickly and often with the sunglasses sitting so close to my eye. With the venting system, the Optic Nerve sunglasses have yet to fog up on me. So, thank you, Greg, for getting me the great deal. But I actually do love the sunglasses!

Too hot to train

2009-08-05T07:29:00.000-05:00

Ugh. The forecast in Kansas City for the next week has temperatures consistently in the 90s. And we're not just talking the low 90s...there are a few days forecast in the upper 90s. Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know some of you live in Texas or Arizona. But all the same, it's hard to train for a couple to 5-6 hours a day when it's that hot. And because of the length of time it takes to walk (since I am training for a 500 mile walk), I can't really do it in the morning without waking up at 3 am. It's entirely too boring to do it on a treadmill. I'm not sure I'd last an hour on a treadmill without getting bored and walking away from it (no pun intended).

While I feel pretty confident in my conditioning, a little more never hurts as long as I'm cautious of injuries. In the meantime, I'll continue to work on flexibility and stretching and a couple of the p90x workouts that don't kill me (abs, cardio). That plyometrics one just hurts with the things that are (still) sore on my body (right hip, knees).

Wish me luck and wish for some cooler weather!

This shouldn't be legal...

2009-07-28T08:20:00.005-05:00

I went to purchase my train tickets from Paris to St.-Jean-Pied-du-Port yesterday and stumbled upon an interesting discovery. Depending on where your credit card billing address is, there are different rates for the EXACT same thing.

Purchased with a French billing address: 68.6 Euros ($97.87)
Purchased with a English billing address: 66 Pounds ($109.05)
Purchased with a United States billing address: $167

Just doesn't seem right.

P.s. purchasing it there doesn't help. These are prices on the 10+-day advance ticket.

UPDATE: Only the UK site checks your billing address. I was able (after much labored translation and then help from a French-speaking Canadian) to make the purchase on the French site: 68.60 Euros. Score.

Time out!

2009-07-20T17:57:00.002-05:00

My left leg is a lot sore. It feels ok after walking for 10 minutes, but with more than 2 months left before I leave, I'm going to use this injury as an opportunity to take a week break from training physically. That doesn't mean I'll stop training mentally or planning!

If anyone's a physician, physical therapist, or knows a bunch about anatomy and physiology...I have muscle/tendon/ligament soreness on the back of my knee towards the inside. If you bend your knee 90 degrees and feel along the back, you'll feel a few stiffer "bits." Ligaments maybe? The inside one on my left knee hurts. It doesn't hurt when I don't bother it and it's not terrible. I can easily bear weight on it and walk fine, but I definitely can feel it. I figure ice, ibuprofen, and rest are in order until at least the weekend.

Packing Trial

2009-07-16T18:57:00.003-05:00

I decided to throw some things in the backpack I'm bringing. I wanted to get an idea of volume and weight. I have a Osprey Kestrel backpack that's 48L. With all my clothing for the trip in it (and a few other random items), but notably without food, water, my toiletries, camera, phone, or a pair of spare AA batteries, the bag weighed in at only 12.2 lbs with PLENTY of room to spare if I let out the side straps. If 10% of my bodyweight (175 lbs) is the benchmark, I think I'll do just fine coming in under that.

Included in the 12.2 lbs:
2 pairs of liner socks
2 pairs of outer socks
2 pairs of underwear
1 pair of shorts
1 pair of zip-off legs off my convertible pants (that I was wearing)
2 t-shirts (the wicking variety...there's NO cotton going with me on this trip)
1 fleece jacket
1 softshell jacket
1 rain jacket
1 pair of rain pants
1 travel towel
1 solar battery charger
2 AA batteries
1 flashlight
1 sleeping bag
1 dry sack (to bring valuables into the shower with me)
1 rain cover (for the backpack)

I want the extra space because I'll be sending some street clothes and shoes ahead to Madrid for kicking around Europe with any time I have left after El Camino and before I have to head back to the States.

Temperatures/Rainfall in October

2009-07-14T16:57:00.004-05:00

Here are the average temperatures (in Fahrenheit) and rainfall amounts (in inches) for October in various cities along the way:

	Average	High	Low	Rainfall	Rainy Days
Pamplona	56.5	65.7	47.1	2.9	8
Logrono	57.4	66.7	48.0	1.2	6
Burgos	51.6	61.7	41.5	2.0	8
Leon	52.5	61.5	43.5	2.2	8
Ponferrada	55.2	64.0	46.2	2.9	9
Santiago	56.1	63.9	48.4	7.6	13

Comfortable walking weather me thinks!

FAQ: How many pilgrims are there?

2009-07-14T08:16:00.004-05:00

This page shows statistics on how many pilgrims complete El Camino on a month-by-month basis. The site is in German, but it's easy to figure out what's what. The years 1993, 1999, and 2004 (and next year in 2010) are Holy Year's with the Feast of St. James (July 25) falling on a Sunday, explaining the large number of pilgrims in those years. Also note that these numbers represent all pilgrims coming from all directions and all starting points, not just the Camino Frances route from St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port that I'll be taking, though that is the most popular.

What does this mean for me? Clearly, the number of people completing El Camino is increasing rapidly, but with a finish at the very end of October, it shouldn't be very crowded at all. Although there are fewer pilgrims competing for beds in the albergues, some of them might be closed with the slowness of the season. It also means that part of the reason the numbers are lower is due to weather: more warm clothes = more weight to carry.

First donation!

2009-07-13T22:59:00.005-05:00

I received notification that an anonymous donor has donated $100 to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention through my page. THANK YOU. It means a lot to me and to the AFSP. Hopefully that's the impetus necessary to get more people to give for a very worthwhile cause.

On a completely different note, someone informed me that the comments on my blog weren't being accepted. I've fixed that. I have no idea how long they've been down. Sorry about that!

Reality sets in.

2009-07-12T14:55:00.002-05:00

I bought my plane ticket. That makes it as real as it's going to get short of actually leaving. With this reality comes excitement and trepidation. I walked 15 miles yesterday. It went well, but I'm really tired today. How I'm going to average 15 miles day after day has yet to be seen. I guess once I get out there, I won't really have any choice.

Here's a neat map of nearly my exact route. Click on the "Roncesvalles" link on the right to display that city on the map. This map starts in Roncesvalles, Spain which is actually one day into my actual route. I'll be starting in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France, 15 miles and 4,000 vertical feet of climbing away to the northeast.

Revised Stages

2009-06-30T08:59:00.011-05:00

Here are the revised stages, taking into account advice from DG, someone who's done
El Camino before. The godesalco.com website had me enter where I was starting and
where I was planning on spending each night. It then generated the following spreadsheet (along with elevation profiles and a .gpx file for a GPS unit) for all my stages. Note that the godesalco.com website doesn't let you start in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port, so I added it. Also, I did convert kilometers to miles:

Date	Start	End	Distance (in miles)
9/27/2009	St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port	Orisson	5.0
9/28/2009	Orisson	Roncesvalles	9.3
9/29/2009	Roncesvalles	Larrasoaña	17.1
9/30/2009	Larrasoaña	Pamplona	9.1
10/1/2009	Pamplona	Puente la Reina	14.5
10/2/2009	Puente la Reina	Estella	13.7
10/3/2009	Estella	Torres del Río	17.7
10/4/2009	Torres del Río	Logroño	12.3
10/5/2009	Logroño	Nájera	18.0
10/6/2009	Nájera	Santo Domingo de la Calzada	13.0
10/7/2009	Santo Domingo de la Calzada	Belorado	14.5
10/8/2009	Belorado	San Juan de Ortega	14.8
10/9/2009	San Juan de Ortega	Burgos	15.9
10/11/2009	Burgos	Hornillos del Camino	12.6
10/12/2009	Hornillos del Camino	Castrojeriz	12.5
10/13/2009	Castrojeriz	Frómista	15.3
10/14/2009	Frómista	Carrión de los Condes	11.6
10/15/2009	Carrión de los Condes	Sahagún	24.2
10/16/2009	Sahagún	El Burgo Ranero	11.0
10/17/2009	El Burgo Ranero	Mansilla de las Mulas	11.8
10/18/2009	Mansilla de las Mulas	León	11.3
10/19/2009	León	Villadangos del Páramo	12.5
11/21/2009	Villadangos del Páramo	Astorga	17.5
11/22/2009	Astorga	Rabanal del Camino	12.7
11/23/2009	Rabanal del Camino	Ponferrada	20.3
11/24/2009	Ponferrada	Villafranca del Bierzo	13.9
11/25/2009	Villafranca del Bierzo	O Cebreiro	17.7
11/26/2009	O Cebreiro	Triacastela	12.9
11/27/2009	Triacastela	Sarria	15.3
11/28/2009	Sarria	Portomarín	13.9
11/29/2009	Portomarín	Palas de Rei	15.5
11/30/2009	Palas de Rei	Arzúa	17.9
11/31/2009	Arzúa	Santiago de Compostela	23.9

Just a little stroll

2009-06-28T15:34:00.002-05:00

I walked 15 miles today. I would show you the track, but right after I turned around at the 7.5 mile mark, I accidentally hit the wrong button and deleted it. I started at Nall Park and walked west/south down the Indian Creek Trail. Yes, my feet hurt. This trip might prove to be quite painful. I'm not muscle sore, just joint sore.

Here's how the scheduling looks. Either I leave on the redeye on September 25th or 26th. I get to Paris early-ish in the morning. I kick around for the day, then take the overnight (non-TGV) train to Bayonne. From there the next morning, I take a train to St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I spend the night there, then start kicking it. I'm a little worried about sleeping on two vehicles two nights in a row...wondering if I'll actually get any sleep. I sleep well on planes and plan on staying up late the night before to help me pass out.

Anyone done it before? Is that a bad idea, trying to get down there and started that quickly?

Mimosas are bad news bears.

2009-06-21T19:09:00.002-05:00

I intended to walk 12 miles today. Between more than half a bottle of champagne's worth of mimosas (after a Bloody Mary) and temperatures in the 90s and a dew point over 75 degrees, I only did 7.25 miles. The heat was really, really oppressive. It's not supposed to let up in the next week. I'm not sure how I'm going to get my training done like this. Oh...and it's only June. It could be a long summer.

The (Training) March Goes On

2009-06-15T09:49:00.006-05:00

I did 12 miles yesterday on the Indian Creek Trail again. This time, I followed it on the trail that has mileage marked, thinking this was the main trail. It's the last time I do that. I had to actually cross traffic (ramp traffic to/from I-435 at Antioch). Yes, there were sidewalks and crossing lights, but still annoying since the rest of the trail doesn't cross traffic and barely even goes next to traffic.

It's no matter. Now I downloaded the MotionX GPS application for my iPhone. I should've known: there's an app for that. It tracks my progress using the iPhone's built in GPS. It's not quite as accurate as a true GPS device, but it's close enough and a whole lot cheaper at $2.99. The other nifty thing it does is exports a track that can be shared. So here's where I walked yesterday. It was 6 miles one way, so 12 roundtrip.

Training continues

2009-06-09T08:38:00.005-05:00

After walking 12 miles on Saturday on the Indian Creek (IC) Trail, I walked 4.3 on the Trolley Track Trail and along Wornall. I live a block off the Trolley Track Trail making it super convenient, though I really love the Indian Creek Trail.

For those who live in Kansas City and aren't familiar with the IC Trail, it's 17.5 miles one way and doesn't, for the parts I've been on, cross any streets. It's 8 feet wide and paved the entire way. It does continue into Missouri, but I can't speak for it on that side and can't seem to find much about it on the Jackson County Parks and Recreation website. Here's the portion of the trail with the part I walk: http://jcprd.com/parks_facilities/pdf/trlgd-ne.pdf. I usually park my car at Leawood City Park and start heading west from there, following the path with the miles marked on the map. Since it usually follows Indian Creek, wherever a road crosses over Indian Creek, the trail just goes underneath the road alongside the creek, making it a lot safer and not requiring you to stop and look for traffic.

All of my mostly-daily walks will be kept near me for convenience. But most, if not all, of my weekend long walks will be on the IC Trail. I'll probably start driving to different trail heads so that I can get some variety. If anyone local wants to tag along on any walks, just let me know!

Nature update: Last week, you saw the picture of the monster snapping turtle that I saw. What you didn't see was the picture I didn't get of a doe and her fawn. As hidden into the woods as they were, my camera phone would not have done a good job. That and the velcro I opened to get to it scared them off. Well, this week, I saw another deer in the same place. I don't know if it's the same one and didn't see the young one this time. I also saw a great blue heron standing in the middle of Indian Creek waiting for lunch to swim buy.

I'm still going...

2009-05-31T21:39:00.004-05:00

I know. It's been a while since I've updated my blog. I'm still planning on going. A small (yes, that's sarcasm) set back occurred known as replacing my house's furnace and air conditioner with super high efficiency units (95% furnace, 16 SEER AC). I guess there's always a reason to not go, so I'm still really planning on going.

What's left to do?

Buy a plane ticket (looking to be about $830 right now)
Buy a watertight stuff sack to take my valuables into the shower with me for security
Buy a couple more articles of necessary clothing
Look into custom orthotics
Train, train, train.

Today, I hit the trail for the first time this season. I've been busy. I know. It's a crappy excuse. Hopefully this blog will help to keep me honest going forward. I went down the Indian Creek Trail here in Kansas City, going from State Line to Metcalf. With a detour due to construction on the trail, I figure it to be about 10 miles round trip based on the mile markers. It took me about 3 hours to walk.

I did have to stop for about 10 minutes when I came upon a big (probably a 16" long shell) snapping turtle trying to cross 5 lanes of traffic. A cop stopped to block traffic and a couple guys from a nearby lawn center loaned me a shovel and let me load the guy into the bobcat. They took him to the creek along which much of the trail goes, well away from the road. I also got to see a doe and her fawn along the trail. I reached for my camera phone, but as I opened by velcro pocket, they took off.

The walk itself went really well. I had no problems during the walk. My feet started hurting a bit, but just sore. There are no signs of blisters or even the start of them. A few hours after, both of my knees started hurting a little. Nothing too serious. All the same, it's making me lean more in the direction of getting custom orthotics from a podiatrist.

I figure I did a little less than half of what's planned to be my longest day on El Camino and well over half of an average day. Granted, I did it carrying only a water bottle, a far cry from a ~20 pound pack on my back. But given that it only took 3 hours and felt really comfortable, I'm optimistic.

More updates, more often...I promise!

Dedication

2009-02-25T10:08:00.004-06:00

A lot of people have asked why I'm doing this. El Camino is something I've known about for years, but never really had the opportunity or enough desire to do, for lack of a better term. I have a lot of personal reasons for doing it.

The last couple of years have been interesting for me. Between a divorce, working entirely too much in 2007, and just being in a general "funk," I needed to do something to shake things up. It will be good to spend this time with myself, prioritizing my life, exploring my thoughts and feelings, and, most importantly, seeking a closer relationship with God. In regards to these goals, I have no expectations, but only hope, prayer, and an open mind and open heart.

I'm dedicating my journey to those who have lost their battles with depression and to finding better detection of and treatments for the disease. About three years ago, I lost one of my best friends, one of my beloved "Godsisters", to the disease. Also in that time frame, a couple of my highschool classmates also took their own lives. With a small, closely-knit graduating class of 99 people, that seems to be statistically entirely too high. But maybe it's all just a sign to show us the impact that depression can have on all of our lives and how very real a disease it is. So it's to them (Carri, Jason, and Meiling), that I dedicate my journey and will remember fondly each day.

What's the practical implication of that dedication? I'm hoping to find a not-for-profit organization that researches, treats, or in some other impactful way deals with depression. I'm hoping to setup an online means of taking donations for the organization. So if anyone has any ideas on these fronts, please let me know.

Kaching!

2009-01-28T11:19:00.003-06:00

The costs are starting to add up and I haven't even purchased a plane ticket yet! There's a bunch of equipment and clothing that I've been purchasing. Yes, I'm going to do this first class (if there is such a thing on El Camino!). What I mean is that I am planning on having top notch gear. That way, I won't have to worry about the gear being a point of failure. I have an incredible, light, perfectly sized backpack. I have moisture-wicking clothing that will wash and dry easily and quickly. Etcetera.

Now there's a flip side to this. Without going out to eat or drink or having any concerts, clubs, movies to go to, I think think I'll actually save a small amount while I'm over there...despite the cost of the plane ticket, "eating out" every meal (most will be cheap, some will be free), and staying in albergues every night.

Another thing I realize that I'm going to be saving money on: clothing. I'm not going to be a consumer/brand whore until I get back because I fully anticipate losing weight (and clothing sizes) as an accidental side effect of El Camino. A friend of a friend said something interesting after doing El Camino last year: "Man can't live on bread alone...except on El Camino." Most of you that know me know how much I can/do eat. This should be interesting.

Back on track...

2009-01-19T18:51:00.002-06:00

After nearly a week in Salt Lake City hitting the slopes hard, I'm back training and preparing for El Camino. The ski trip was fantastic. My knees ended up sore, but that was kind of expeccted. Other than that, my stamina was great this year and the skiing was amazing.

I've already put in a long workout on the bike and am about to start another. Today in Kansas City historically proves to be the day that the average temperature starts rising until July. Hopefully this means that I'll be able to actually put in some mileage outside soon! But not too soon...I have one more ski trip in 2 1/2 weeks, so I don't want to think that winter is ending quite yet.

I think I almost have everything I need purchased for the trip. Things I've had to add to my collection of crap:

A smaller backpack than my 60L or 75L ones
2009 guide to the El Camino (published by the Confraternity of St. James)
Trail running shoes (x2)
Coolmax socks
Moisture wicking short sleeve shirts
Rain jacket
Zip off shorts
Hiking shorts
Money belt
Permethrin
Travel towel
A better pocket knife
Trekking poles

Hmmmm...it's starting to sound like I've had to buy EVERYthing for this trip. If nothing else, it'll help me be motivated: I don't want to not go now after having spent all this money on stuff. :)

http://www.overlander.tv/camino/. Sweet video about El Camino. It's an entertaining and straightforward look at El Camino from the perspective of a pilgrim (who had to carry the extra weight of camera equipment). He seemed to not have really prepared physically for the trip at all, so I'm a bit encouraged by the fact that he finished it carrying 18+ kilos. If you're thinking about doing El Camino, this video is well worth the AUS$10 (like $7 USD).

Planned Stages of My Camino

2009-01-07T14:20:00.002-06:00

Here's a breakdown of my planned trip, day by day with some stats at the end.

	km	mi
St.-Jean-Pied-du-Port
Roncesvalles	25	15
Larrasoana	26	15.6
Pamplona	15	9
Puente la Reina	25	15
Estella	21	12.6
Torres del Rio	22	13.2
Logrono	21	12.6
Najera	29	17.4
Santa Domingo de la Calzada	21	12.6
Belorado	23	13.8
San Juan de Ortega	24	14.4
Burgos	27	16.2
Castrojeriz	39	23.4
Fromista	25	15
Carrion de las Condes	19	11.4
Sahagun	38	22.8
El Burgo Raneros	18	10.8
Mansilla de las Mulas	19	11.4
Leon	17	10.2
Villadangos	22	13.2
Astorga	26	15.6
Rabanal del Camino	21	12.6
Ponferrada	33	19.8
Villafranco del Bierzo	23	13.8
O Cebreiro	28	16.8
Sarria	39	23.4
Portomarin	21	12.6
Palas de Rei	24	14.4
Arzua	29	17.4
Santiago de Compostela	39	23.4

Longest Day	39	23.4
Shortest Day	15	9
Average	25.3	15.18
Total Distance	759	455.4

Random People We Meet

2009-01-07T13:29:00.002-06:00

Last night, I'm at reVerse, one of my favorite bars where I tend to be a bit of a regular. A very petite middle-aged lady walks in and prepares to sit near me. She's miniscule...maybe 5'0" on a good day. As she turns, I notice the beret she's wearing says "Pays Basque" on it, the French side of the Pyrenees. I mention to her that I'm going to be there in September to do El Camino de Santiago de Compostela. It turns out that she did it in May of 2004!

I have been trying to find someone I know or a friend of a friend who has done El Camino and she has yet to find anyone else who's even considering doing it. So of course, this turned into a major conversation as I still have much I want to learn about the trip. In all the years of her life with all the world travel she's done, she said doing El Camino de Santiago de Compostela was by far the best trip of her life. That, of course, makes me want to do it even more.

Here's some of the things she said:

It's cheap. Refugios are only a few dollars a night. Some are free.
About once or twice a week, she stayed in a hotel to get her own space to truly relax and recover. We'll see how the finances look.
Buy a pilgrim's walking stick in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I'm still thinking 2 high tech trekking poles might be the way to go though.
She did not encounter any bed bugs.
The first day is the hardest with 80% of it being uphill through the Pyrenees.
Fisterra (literally, "end of the world") is worth it...even if taking the bus after making it to Santiago de Compostela.
"You will get blisters, they will hurt, you'll keep walking." Swell. I think I'll start giving my feet a battery acid soaking every night starting now.
She (at 5'0" and maybe 100 lbs soaking wet) did it carrying 25 lbs in her pack. I'm hoping to do it with less than 20 lbs. We'll see.

Anyway, I got her number in case I have any more questions (which I'm sure I will!). It was amazing to speak to someone face-to-face about El Camino, but even more amazing was the random way I discovered she had done it.

Prospero Año Nuevo

2009-01-02T09:40:00.003-06:00

Well, I don't know how prosperous mine will be with expenses related to and for El Camino. But that's just money. It'll be prosperous in experience and personal growth. :) This shouldn't come as a surprise, but doing El Camino this year is my New Year's Resolution (barring serious ski injuries).

I decided my 60L bag is too big, so I bought a 40L bag yesterday. It was on SierraTradingPost.com. While I am saying that I only spent $70 on it (Mountain Hardwear Sortie), that's gonna start adding up, I'm sure. The real challenge will be getting everything I need in there. I'm used to carrying my backpacks on ski trips for convenience because it's easier to wear a backpack when carrying skis, a bootbag, and a Camelbak. Weight isn't a factor for such short distances.

Training goes on but has tamed down a little with the upcoming ski season...don't need injuries before I throw myself down an ice covered mountain.

Happy New Year!

Ow.

2008-12-29T18:08:00.002-06:00

I've taken a two-day hiatus from training due to knee pain. I have crappy knees. My right is hurting. Ow. I'll be ok. I'm still determined to do this thing called El Camino.

A couple of friends are thinking about meeting me in Madrid after my Camino. How cool would that be? So if you're bored in October and feel like going to Spain (they might kick around Paris first before heading to Spain to meet me) ...

I think my backpacks are all too big (or way too small). My smallest non-day pack is 60+15 liters. I have one bigger than that even. I've only ever used them in the winter and winter gear is of course much bulkier. I'll be shopping for a 50l-ish bag. So much for keeping costs down.

A lazy Saturday after Christmas

2008-12-27T16:09:00.004-06:00

So I was keeping this under the radar for a few weeks so that there would be a little content (even if it is superfluous) before letting people know that it was here and could be followed. Seems Rachel is very observant and noticed that I added a link to it on my Facebook page. Kudos to my one reader. :)

Yesterday, bought a pair of trail runners...running shoes made for unpaved trails. Given that most of El Camino is well marked, well trodden, and even paved, I'm thinking the ankle support offered by boots isn't needed. I won't be carrying more than 20 lbs if I can at all help it, so again, hiking shoes/boots not needed. I'm hoping these are lighter, better balanced, more comfortable, and more breathable. Cheaper, they were not. Either way, this pair will be shot training. I'll need a new pair to break in a month before I go anyway, so we'll see how I feel about these after doing some long hikes in them. I stationary cycled 90 minutes in them today. They're a little weak in arch support, so I put orthotics I had in them. Otherwise, they're comfortable so far.

I'm going to add some bold-faced sections intermittently with questions or issues I think of in case anyone can comment with an answer/solution.

Questions
Will I be able to find LITHIUM AA batteries along the way? They last a LOT longer in my camera than alkaline batteries. Of course I don't want to carry a lot of batteries.

Will my AT&T (more specifically, iPhone) be useful? Or will it mostly be dead? I have an extended external battery (4400 mah vs the 1150 mah the factory battery holds), so I should be able to go a week without charging it if I turn it off between towns.

Issue
I guess I don't bother shaving much? I'm not carrying the weight of an electric shaver or shaving cream. I have *really* spotty facial hair...this should be interesting. I'll gladly pay for a nice shave at a barber shop upon arrival in Santiago de Compostela!

I found a nice forum at http://www.caminosantiago.com which is very active, including posts by people currently ON El Camino. One thing that I hadn't thought about but I see in the forums (though some people say they see no evidence of it) is bedbugs. YUCK! I'll have to figure something out (e.g. permetherin) before I go!

Welcome!

2008-12-26T11:33:00.006-06:00

Welcome to my first post about my upcoming journey. For those of you who don't know, El Camino de Santiago de Compostela is one of the three main Catholic pilgrimages, the others being to Rome and to Jerusalem. One of the most common routes is Camino Frances from St.-Jeans-Pied-du-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela. This is the route I plan on taking next September.

Why have I chosen to do this? I've kind of been in a fuzz the last year: emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. I hope that spending a little more than a month hiking and meditating a historic trail in the footsteps of St. James will help me find what I'm looking for, even if I don't know what that is right now.

I think the hardest part right now will be training for the physical hardship of completing the trip. I'll have to carry almost everything I need for the trip, so I'm going to try to keep it under 30lbs. Today was my first El-Camino-modified workout. Instead of my usual 30-40 hard minutes on my ergometer or on my stationary bike, I did a much slower pace for a little more than an hour and a half.

Keep reading for more updates on my training, planning, and updates on things I'm having to buy (ugh).