My day started at 6 am when the dorm lights were turned on and two older Dutch men walked through the halls playing a guitar and singing Morning has Broken. Had to laugh because it brought back memories of Sunday mornings when my dad (also Dutch) would wake us up playing  the same song on the organ! The Dutch do love to sing! It is surprising how quickly connections are made on the Way. There are certain people whose paths you keep crossing, though you made no plans. The first couple I met were Canadians from Ajax who like myself, narrowly missed our train due to long customs line ups in Paris. We shared a cab to St. Jean, and met up numerous times along the trail, the first day, although walking at different rates and taking different breaks. Met them on the trail again today and unplanned, we all ended up going an extra 5 km to meet again this evening. I also met an Anglican Priest from Ottawa ( ironically, all 4 of us Canadians were wearing Maple Leaf Blue ( even though he is a nasty Senators fan). We ended up finishing our walk at the same time and then ended up sharing the same bunk bed. Wow,  that  probably sounds somewhat risqué, but I promise you it is not! The dorms aren’t segregated by gender, so beds are on a first come first served basis. A bit unsettling and  strange,  but it is only day 3 and the novelty wears off quickly! Anyway, that is the way it is. Introductions are quickly made and in no time you feel like a family, talking politics, religion, making jokes and eating a communal meal at the end of the day. The wifi here is slow and I am having trouble saving these blogs, so it may be a few days in between. The sun is shining here and all is well. This is how we celebrate communion, Camino style! 

Plane, trains  and automobile got me to my starting point at St. Jean Pied du Port yesterday and to a very welcoming auberge (hostel) where I met an international crew of fellow pilgrims and enjoyed a communal dinner. Dorm room sleeping is a challenge- mostly for me because, I’m embarrassed to admit, I snore and I’m so concerned about keeping others awake that I sleep lightly, and snore more! Oh well, pilgrims are forewarned about this so it’s not really my problem. Left this mornining at 8 am and walked about 7 hours through the mountain trail. The sun was warm, the wind at my back and the scenery spectacular. The company and the red wine are good and I am exhausted. Hope to have more to say tomorrow but exhaustion calls. I haven’t lost my way yet- my theme of the day was just to follow those who had gone before me- nothing new  as each of us pilgrims are really just following those who have gone down this ancient path before us.

One week until I’m leaving on a jet plane ✈️.  I have jettisoned the cat food, dumbell and blankets that filled my knapsack for training purposes and have now packed, weighed, unpacked, removed items, repacked, and  still am second guessing what I think I will need to get me through the trip. The challenge is trying to predict the weather and deciding if I need  to go heavy on the clothing that will keep me warm in the cold, or cool in the heat. Reality is, I hate extremes. I am built for 20 degree (Celsius) temperatures.  A little like Goldilocks, I like things not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Unfortunately, I don’t get a say on that and have thus loaded my bag with too many “just in case” items. I recognize this as my fear- my fear of discomfort. A fear that I need to contend with in order to lighten my load and not be carrying a knapsack that presently looks ready to burst, like an oversized, overcooked Octoberfest sausage! Bare necessities only. Time to rethink and repack!

I can’t believe the day is almost here! Two weeks from today, on April 18, 2017, I will fly to Paris, then take a train to St. Jean Pied de  Port to begin my pilgrimage. I have been conditioning physically since January, yet part of me is concerned about not yet being ready. My longest walk to date has been 19k, but I will be doing 25k per day, every day.  Sounds a little daunting. I think I have everything I will need, equipment wise, but need to amalgamate it all into my knapsack without going over my 20 lb limit. How many socks, bras and underwear will I really need is the pressing question of the day. Tomorrow it will be what medical supplies should I pack for blister care?  Rain gear, warm clothes and things to wear on a sunny spring day add to the challenge. Do I take the Crocodile Dundee hat that I am sporting in the photo above? One daughter tells me it is not exactly a “fashion forward” accessory, while the other daughter, fearing for her mother’s virtue, thinks it is a good idea to look as unattractive as possible while away. No worries there, as my hiker-to-shorts convertible “man pants” (none of the women hiking gear fit me) and hiking boots definitely fall on the unattractive end of the fashion spectrum. I am also taking an English/Spanish bible that I liberated from a hotel room during a recent trip to Costa Rica. My limited Spanish indicated it was “libro” which I translated as free, so I didn’t feel bad releasing it from its captivity in the nightstand next to my bed. I noted that it had incurred a little water damage (at least I hope it was water), so a replacement was in order. I say all this to justify to myself that I did not steal a bible, because that would probably be seen by some as a “bad” thing to do. Or perhaps I say this all to confess that perhaps I do feel just a little guilty. Oh well, I’m going on a pilgrimage, so there will be lots of time for contemplation, confession and perhaps even redemption!

It’s difficult to say when the idea of walking the Camino de Santiago first appeared on my horizon. I do recall that I first heard about the walk about ten years ago at a “Women at their Best” evening, where guest speaker Sue Kenny shared her personal experinence of walking the thousand year old pilgrimage route through Northern Spain. Her story was the spark that lit my imagination and inspired me to follow the well worn pathway of those who have walked before me.

Now my time to walk the Camino is fast approaching. Several years ago, I determined that the walk was definitely a “Bucket List” item (something I want to do before my time on earth expires). I flippantly decideded then that I would walk it the year I turn 50. And so it was that on my First Annual 49-and-holding Birthday Celebration, I publically announced to family and friends that this is the year I will walk the Camino, DV (Deo volente- Latin for God willing). When I made the annoncement, a voice from the crowd shouted, “Why?” Good question, difficult to answer. I think responded with something like, “Because I can.” What I meant  to say is because I still can, and I don’t know how long I will have this opportunity. Having been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis two years ago, I never quite know if, when or how the disease may show itself again. Thankfully, I haven’t been symptomatic since my diagnosis, though there was some permanent nerve damage after the  last bout. I think I have put my MS on the shelf for a time. I recognize that it’s partially denial, but also a choice not to live my life defined by an illness, a label. And so, on April 18, 2017, I will fly to Paris and then make my way by train to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to begin my 900 km walk. However, the journey for me truly began the day I first heard the call of the Camino from a fellow pilgrim.