long walk

We Made it! Day 10 of our Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage

June 18, 2018 by Shelli

This is a couple of days late because we’ve been celebrating. Also, I think it’s hard to articulate what I was, and am feeling, post-pilgrimage. I’m feeling a lot, and it will take some time to unpack and process. But for now, to keep up with my travel blogging, here’s a Day 10 (and final) pilgrimage report.

Greetings from Santiago, and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Even though one’s emotions can feel mixed when you reach the end of such a meaningful experience, it was certain that we were all ready to stop walking, and to wear something other than hiking clothes! We hit the trail early again, and had a couple of miles without many other pilgrims on the trail. But with about 9 miles left to go to Santiago de Compostela, it was like someone opened a gate and pilgrims entered the trail seemingly out of nowhere. It was an amazing experience, though, to be sharing “The Way” with so many pilgrims. All of us had self selected to do a pilgrimage, and the air was rich with a shared meaningfulness. We all walked with purpose. It was a great procession. The boys hiked hard and fast. They didn’t request as many snacks today as they have the last 9 days, and Jerry and I stayed right on their heels. We were all eager to reach Santiago de Compostela.

After 10 days of walking on the Camino, we got to know the familiar faces of the many pilgrims who were on a similar timeline and schedule. A kinship was formed, and we often greeted each other at lunch or on the trail, or in the village or town at dinner each evening. It was fun to share in each other’s anticipation of the grand finale today. I only met and conversed with one pilgrim today, but it was a good one. Meeting Gisele today was something I think God, or the Universe facilitated.

We were hiking up a big, long hill at about 10am, when I passed Gisele. I smiled, and said the customary “Buen Camino” to her. She smiled and returned the pleasantry, and added, “Are those your boys up ahead? Is that your family?” Yes I told her, and she complimented me, saying “It is beautiful to see your family out here. How wonderful.” We walked and talked for most of the uphill, and a little more. Gisele is originally from Columbia, but has been living in Miami for 23 years. She told me she used to be a nanny for three boys, and seeing my sons reminded her of those boys and that experience.

She shared that she owns a few properties in Miami, which she manages, and she recently quit a job where she worked with about 150 people. She has been walking the Camino for 6 weeks. I asked her what drew her to the Camino. She said one day she just realized she was racing. Every day felt like a race, and all around her at work, people were “like robots.” She said she, and all of the people she worked with/around came to work every day and they worked fast and furiously, often with headphones on or staring at their computers, and often not even looking at or seeing each other. She added before she knew it another day had gone by.

She explained, “One day I just decided I needed to stop. I just needed to stop my life. Every day was so busy and about doing as much as possible and the pace was so fast, I just needed to stop.” She said she also hoped to be closer to God. Next thing she knew she was walking the 720-kilometer/500-mile Camino de Santiago.

I asked her if her experience on the Camino has been successful in helping her to stop time. “Yes!” she exclaimed. She explained that her days have been reduced to literally just putting one foot in front of the other. Every day. She shared how when she started, it took her 10 hours to climb the mountain on the first stage, and she questioned her decision to walk the Camino. She said she has met so many wonderful people, and heard and experienced so many interesting and personal stories during the journey.

About halfway through her experience –in the middle of her 500-mile pilgrimage– she was walking along the path when a shepherd crossed the road right in front of her with about 500 sheep. She said she, and other pilgrims, had to stop in the road and wait and watch as the shepherd herded the sheep across the road. She explained that right in front of her on the road, one of the sheep in the back collapsed, falling right in front of her. “It looked at me with its brown eyes. It was dying.” She said one of the other pilgrims who saw it, chased down the shepherd and told her about the fallen sheep. The shepherd came back to see what was wrong, and looked at Gisele, and explained, kindly, “Death is part of life.” The sheep died right in front of Gisele.

With some other pilgrims’ help, the shepherd moved the dead sheep to the side of the road and carried on about his business. When Gisele got to an albergue that night she was still a little shaken, and when she was sharing what had happened with the sheep on the trail with a person at dinner, the person told Gisele, “That is a lesson for you. That life can change in an instant. You don’t know when your time is up. One minute you’re alive, the next minute you’re not… All you have is your next step, this moment you’re looking at right now.” (This reminded me of a passage in the book I started reading, and finished, during my flight to Europe, called The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion, which has been on my mind since I read it: “Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant.”)

I asked her how she would return to her life in Miami, after the Camino pilgrimage. “I will take what I’ve learned here and apply it to my life in Miami. It will be hard, but I will do it. I know a different a way to be now.”

Gisele also told me about a 94-year-old French woman she met who started walking the 500-mile Camino de Santiago in early April, and who is still walking, behind her, somewhere along Camino. “I said to her, ‘Gosh! How do you do it? How do you walk for so long, and at your age?’ And she told me, ‘What do you think I should do? Sit in a chair and knit? I would rather walk on a trail in France and Spain that sit in a chair and knit.’” Gisele shared how that inspired her to continue her own walk, and how to live her life upon her return. I am so glad I met Gisele. Jerry, who was walking near us, took a photo of us that Gisele asked me to send her, so I will be in touch with Gisele again.

We eventually entered Santiago, and I would be lying if I didn’t report that we were disappointed when we viewed a street map that indicated we still had about 1-1/2 miles to walk (through the city) to get to our final destination! About a quarter-mile before arriving, Wolf offered to hold my hand, and we walked for some blocks that way, before he traded my hand to Hayden, who I walked with for a some blocks, before he gave my hand to Fin, who I walked some blocks with. Then, eventually Jerry! We practically ran into the great plaza where the great Cathedral is located. Yes, I cried. I was overcome with emotion, mostly gratitude. It was a most fulfilling experience, and it was even more meaningful than I imagined it would be.

After some hugs and a prayer and some photos, we went to the office to get our Credencials validated, and received our Compostela certificates. We had a great night of eating and celebrating and taking in the “Pilgrim” atmosphere of Santiago de Compostela. (I will share more personally and extensively about our family’s Camino de Santiago pilgrimage experience in a future blog post, after we return from this trip and I’ve had more time to reflect on and “unpack”/process the experience. As I write this, we’re on a plane headed to Barcelona, where we’ll enjoy the last few days of our trip.)
One last thing, though… Most people really are wonderful. All of the people we met or greeted or were greeted by in our 10 days on of pilgrimage were wonderful. We made so many new acquaintances and friends.

Two couples from Cincinnati became our fast friends as we saw them often at dinner along The Way, and ran into them one final time on our last night in Santiago last night. We’ll be keeping in touch. What neat people they are.

We also reunited with Amy, from CA, who I look forward to keeping in touch with. As soon as I met her, I knew she was my people. I look forward to keeping in touch with her and hopefully finding a way to make our paths cross again one day. And also, we ran into Jorian, from Holland! I had shared her story in an earlier post. A day before us, she completed the entire Camino and had celebrated the end when she was met by her Father, who flew to Santiago for the occasion. We had big hugs, and it’s a real possibility that we’ll do some work together in the future.

We also made friends with Peggy and Ian, a retired couple from Vancouver. They walked the entire Camino in just 29 days. It was something Peggy said she always wanted to do, and when her brother passed away last year and left bucket list items unchecked, it inspired her to not hesitate. Given the ambitious schedule they kept, they have 7 days to “spare”—and we again bumped into them on yesterday’s Muxia and Finisterre bus tour.

Thanks again for following along. Your thoughts and support have meant so much to us. Truly! Love, Shelli, Jerry and boys

Next up –and last stop on our Epic trip itinerary: Barcelona.

A rare moment on our final walk with no other people in it.

What the hand-written note on the tunnel says, as Jerry the boys round one of our final corners…

Our backpacks, with their personalized scallop shells attached to them, by one of the final Camino markers on our pilgrimage.

Once we reached Santiago, we had to walk through the city for about a mile and a half to reach our destination-Santiago de Compostela and the Cathedral.

Getting closer and closer… We were almost running at this point.

Yeehaw! We made it! Posing with our official compostelas and our stamped credencials in hand. Our pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago was 260 kilomenters/161 miles.

Our painted scallop shells from our packs, along with our “Credencials” with all the stamps we collected along our journey.

Our boys, earning some hard-earned “chill time.” (Or, E.P.I.C. EPIC PILGRIMAGE-INSPIRED CHILLAXING.)

Related blog posts:

Spain or Bust: Camino de Santiago Here We Come

Day 1 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 2 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 3 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 4 of the Camino de Santiago.

Day 5 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 6 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 7 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 8 on the Camino de Santiago.

Day 9 on the Camino de Santiago

We made it! Day 10 on the Camino de Santiago

Day 3 of our Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage

June 11, 2018 by Shelli

(To read the pre-Camino de Santiago blog post, which explains in detail why we’re on this pilgrimage, please click here.)

At the start of day 3, a 21-mile rainy effort.

Today was Day 3 of our Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. I went it alone today. The trek was 18 miles, which included lots of miles of hiking in torrential rain, quite a bit of walking on pavement, and almost 3,000’ of elevation gain in the last four miles. Because the boys are dealing with some sore/tender achilles tendons and knees, and given the 90% chance of rain in today’s forecast and the significant climb that wouldn’t come until after 13 miles were on their legs, Jerry and I opted to give them the day off. The boys slept in, and then Jerry and the boys caught a cab to our next stop, O’Cebreiro, a quaint village at the top of a mountain. They met me at the “finish line” of today’s hike, which was my favorite part of the day. I would have preferred to have my family with me today, and yet I am certain we made the right decision to give them a rest day, especially given we have 7 days of pilgrimage left. (If you want to go directly to the fun stuff – about the pilgrims I met, feel free to skip past this next, more personal bit… )

I had a meaningful hike. Fitbit says I walked 45,000 steps, and most of them were introspective, especially because of the fog and low clouds and pitter patter of rain on my umbrella. I hike alone a lot, and it’s not because I can’t find anyone to hike with. I just love Solitude. While we can learn a lot about ourselves when we’re with others, and based on how others respond to us, I learn the most about myself when I’m alone, listening to my thoughts, and processing and reflecting.

I often have tears of gratitude, in front of people and alone, but the other kind of tears (from sadness or struggle) are usually saved for my solo hikes. That was certainly the case today… First off, the top of my left foot was killing me. (I have had this issue before—when we visited Europe two years ago and walked miles, day after day, on concrete sidewalks and stood for long periods on marble floors in museums, etc.)

There is a lot of concrete walking on the Camino, and add to that we walked on cement and marble floors in Paris before arriving to the Camino. My foot has been protesting ever since… For the first few miles I couldn’t distract my attention from the pain in my left foot. So that was a bit of a rough start…

To help direct my attention away from the pain, and to bring purpose to today’s solo hike, I worked on memorizing something I’ve been meditating on a lot lately – On Children, by Kahlil Gibran. If you aren’t familiar with it, here it is:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them,

but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children

as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,

and He bends you with His might

that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

By mile 6, I had it memorized. It is such a beautiful essay. I am completely sold on its message, yet struggle with implementing it.

Since the beginning of this year, I have been memorizing my favorite poems. This is not only so I can recite from memory my favorite poems whenever I want, but also because I find solace in the practice of reading and re-reading favorite poems. Doing so serves as a sort of prayer-like meditation for me.

I mentioned in my post from Day 1 the Cruz de Ferro – the iron cross on a hill where pilgrims bring a rock from their homeland and deposit it at the base of the cross as a symbol for a burden or habit they want to shed and leave behind. The thing I’m working most on, personally, is letting go. Because our oldest son, Wolf, will leave “the nest” next year, and Hayden the year after, I find myself grasping more. I’m trying to hold tightly to them, and their time. I sense myself doing this, and I don’t want to… I know when I grasp that it’s self-absorbed. But they’re young men and they want and need their independence. I know I need to grasp less, but it’s hard for me to do… So, that’s why I focused on, and worked to memorize, the words from the On Children essay. It made for a rich journey today! But enough about that…

I should mention I met some really neat people on today’s trek!!! During my third mile, as it rained, I walked on a path for the Camino that parallels the highway. It was raining softly and I was listening to the abundant bird song and trying to distract my attention from the pain of my left foot when I heard whistling. The whistling was professional! It was spectacular. I seriously wondered if there was a flute player hiding in the shrubbery I walked by. :)I looked behind me and all around me, but could see nobody. The whistling continued and sounded almost as if it was playing on surround sound. But I couldn’t spy a single soul anywhere. There was a river to my left, and a highway to my right and I couldn’t see any other pilgrims.

After about 10 minutes of hearing whistling, I began to wonder if I was losing my mind. I pulled over to remove my raincoat in exchange for my using my umbrella to stay dry, and I needed to drink some water. Soon, a man passed me. A pilgrim. I asked him if he was whistling, and he said “Yes! I am a whistler!” We walked together for about a half of a mile. His name is Zole (sp?), and he’s from Hungary. He is doing the entire Camino – 720km/500 miles –- and is on Day 23. He hopes to finish in Santiago de Compostela in 6 days. He’s an electrician and just finished a big project in Black Forest, Germany, and explained, “Right now I have money and time.” He’s turning 45 this year (in October), and decided to walk the Camino as a birthday gift to himself. When he realized I am an American he excitedly asked me if I am a fan of Western movies. He grew up watching John Wayne, and is a big fan of American movies. He speaks German, Italian and Spanish, and his English was pretty good too.

Zole said the song he was whistling is called Katyusha, a Russian folk song. Zole explained that he’s not normally a walker or a hiker. He prefers road cycling. He says he’s so hungry from walking that he’s always eating, and yet he never feels like he gets enough food. Since the start of his pilgrimage, he’s lost about 20 pounds, despite eating all the time. As we walked and talked, we passed an adorable dog that was too lazy or unimpressed to get up or even wag his tail or notice us. We both laughed at how mellow, and uninterested, the dog was. Then, Zole said, “Three days ago I walked by three little dogs who tried to bark me.” LOL.

I also met Mary, from Denver, who is 61 and bought a one-way ticket to Spain. She is trekking the entire Camino and doesn’t want the pressure of a deadline so she hasn’t booked a return ticket. She told us she is going to visit Paris, and then Italy, and possibly Greece after she completes the Camino, and that these trips are serving as an incentive for her to continue her trek. She took a photo of our family because she, like me, is the mother of three sons.

On the muddy uphill today, I walked for a bit with Paul, who is from Toledo, OH, and recently graduated from college at University of Pennsylvania. He’s walking the Camino and then he’ll go to Italy. Then, he’s going to do a “work away” at a winery in Italy. He explained that he’ll work 5 hours a day for 5 days a week, and in exchange he’ll get room and board. “I just graduated and I know once I take my first job, time will be short.” He added he is Catholic, and wanted to do something that might bolster his faith. He said he’s never said so many rosaries in his life, and each day, he prays for his family and all of the pilgrims he met the day before.

Jerry and the boys greeted me at the end of my hike – at the top of the mountain, and that was wonderful! We then checked into our amazing rooms in this quaint village that has a population of 50, and is situated on top of a mountain. As I write this, Jerry is reading, and the boys are watching Netflix. Chilling, which is something we don’t do often, and is needed and appreciated right now. Even though we’re trekking many days and logging lots of miles, we have enjoyed da lot of down time every day, which is wonderful. As I look out our window right now, I see we are in the clouds… It’s magical, really. I prayed a lot today for all of my family and friends and blessings. I know life won’t always be this amazing, that life has good times and bad.

But for now, I’m taking it all in. Which calls to mind a favorite Walt Whitman quote: “Happiness, not in another place, but this place, not for another hour, but for this hour.”

Thank you for following along.

NEXT: Day 4 on the Camino

I said a prayer as I passed these graves in Pereje this morning.

About to enter a favorite section of today’s epic trek.

An espresso at Las Herrerias is just what I needed to fuel me for the last four miles and 2,500′ of uphill.

There were other hardy walkers today who, like me, had thee most valuable piece of equipment with them – the umbrella.

The best part of my hike was having my family waiting for me at the end–the top of the big climb and end of my day’s trek.

RELATED BLOG POSTS:

Read about Day 1 on the Camino de Santiago.

Read about Day 2 on the Camino de Santiago.

NEXT: Day 4 on the Camino

Video of me reciting, from memory, the On Children essay referenced above, during an epic hike in Wyoming, about one month after the above day’s trek on the Camino.)

VIDEOS FROM DAY 3:

NEXT: Day 4 on the Camino

Day 1 of our Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage

June 11, 2018 by Shelli

(To read the pre-Camino de Santiago blog post, which explains in detail why we’re on this pilgrimage, please click here.)

We had our first day of pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago today! It was magical and difficult. We started at sunrise (6:45) in a mist and above the clouds and walked for miles with wildflowers on either side of us. We could smell the perfume of the flowers, hear birdsong, and the cool, damp air was perfect for today’s 22-mile effort. Our time at the Cruz de Ferro was special. We had each brought a rock from a training hike at home, and left it at the base of the cross as a symbol of leaving/shedding a burden or habit. Then we continued, for a while leap-frogging a family who was saying a rosary as they walked. (That was beautiful to witness)

After about 10 miles, we stopped in a village for a sit-down snack at a cafe, which restored some energy for us. We then walked another seven miles or so before enjoying an epic lunch in Molinaseca of pizzas for the boys, and tapas for Jerry and I. BTW, when I’m leading my Epic clients on adventures in the wilderness, I often joke and say that there’s a beer cart up ahead but of course I’m only joking. Here, however it is not a joke! There really are beer carts—or even better—bars along The WAY, with Spanish wines and sangria and cervezas. (#yeehaw)

After our lunch break, our day got more difficult. It was a really hard last 4+ miles because they were mostly on cement sidewalks or streets, which was very hard on all of our knees and feet, especially with 17+ miles on the legs already. The boys were champs though, and we were feet up in our hotel by 3:15. We met some interesting and wonderful people. Iris, from Taiwan, who is 30, and quit her corporate job to walk the Camino and “meet God.” She said it happened on the first day.

We met Nicoli from France, who is walking the Camino “to push the pause button on my life.” (Nicoli told us of a 75-year-old man who is walking the Camino for his 12th time who walks 40km day after day.)

The people were fabulous and the scenery, beautiful!!!

It was a day full of meaning and I will never forget it. I am so thankful for my family, and feel blessed to be doing this! Up next: a 16-mile day tomorrow that will mostly be flat to rolling. Rain is definitely in the forecast so it may be more mental than today and not as photo-worthy… Glad we have some hours to rest!

Here are several photos captured along today’s trek, along with two videos.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll check back for a blog about tomorrow’s trek, which will be one of our most ambitious days.

NEXT: Day 2 on the Camino