We’re now only 5 days out from our flight to Madrid, on to Pamplona for one night, and then a ride to St. Jean Pied de Port in France on the 12th. We begin our Camino on the 13th! Reality is beginning to kick in…
Packing, Very Carefully
When you’re carrying all the things you need on your back, every ounce—never mind pound—matters! Minimal changes of clothes…only three (2 for warmer weather, and 1 for cooler), and 4 pair of socks. Wear and wash, and wear again. Rain poncho/jacket, hat, sunscreen & sunglasses, and bandanas. Plus, basic first aid items, basic toiletries (nothing fancy here!). Oh, and Ibuprofen! One additional thing…a make-it-yourself WC (water closet) in a bag. Ah…yes, well—emergencies happen!
With backpacks filled and weighed, we’re looking for any small way to reduce the overall weight. Mine topped out at 13 pounds, not counting water bottle and back up pouch. I’m at the limit. My husband, Dale, is carrying his Microsoft surface laptop (God bless him!), so we can more easily continue blogging and posting photos. Keyboarding from the phone? No. Though I’m sure there will be evenings with very short blogs once we start our walk. By the way, Dale hasn’t weighed his backpack yet.
The Way
We decided to watch “The Way” last evening, which has had a mixed effect. Interesting to see some of the places we’ll be—recognizing names, landmarks, and even a couple of the albergues (hostels). And beginning to anticipate the people we’ll meet as we walk the Way. Sobering to take in just how long and (at times) difficult the journey will be, as well.
The entire concept of a “true pilgrim” has set the wheels turning in my own mind as I begin to think about and discover what kind of pilgrim I hope to be, and what my pilgrimage may mean. There are a few personal intentions I’ve established, but am remaining open to the unexpected. God does move in mysterious ways, after all.
When we started planning, I wasn’t really viewing this as a pilgrimage. In fact, we joked that the first thing we were going to do in retirement was “take a really long walk.” However, as we move closer to beginning, it has begun to feel more like that’s what it could turn out to be.