Random...

1. I love the Camino when I simply get to walk alone for miles and miles 2. People who smoke along and on the Camino make me crazy, They collectively appear to have no respect for themselves the Camino or the other pilgrims 3. Why do many of the Spanish speaking Pilgrims joining at Sarria scream and yell at one another when they're simply walking down the Camino? 4. Not all Albergues are the same Or have the same standards for cleanliness and hospitality. 5. If Pete weighs just over 30 pounds and with Pete I have injured my ankle by overcompensating for Baby; what how much better would I be if I could simply lose a Pete or two?! 6. You can get stronger simply by walking 7. The human courage factor is unparalleled 8. Someone is always struggling more than you are. 9. Everyone has a story 10. You control absolutely nothing but your attitude! 11. You don't need all the stuff the Camino books tell you to bring. If you are going call me I will tell how to get there with 20# or less! 12. There is always one or two friendships forged on the Camino that stick far into the years. 13. You need hiking boots not tennis shoes. 14. 100s of 1000s complete the Camino in (give or take) 5 weeks 15. I will do another Trek, I will take all the lessons learned here and apply!

Days Fourteen (& Fifteen)

Well the ankle is no longer completely raspberry colored but is still too swollen to put my Hiking shoe on and continues to hurt; so I bid adios and adieu and have headed to Santiago to fly via Barcelona to Paris and from Paris to home. I will arrive late Sunday night Note: do not expect me in the office on Monday ;). My Camino certainly did not turn out as I had planned but it's in the lessons that we learn and someone recently told mw that "L" is not for loser but for learning. And it is the ability to grow and learn that we find the joy. Buen Camino Side note: met a woman from Australia at the airport who had just completed the Camino via the Portugese Way and has hiked all over the world, returning to the Camino for the 4th time, perhaps this too will not be the end of my Camino story; but rather only the first chapter... Love, -dawn

Days Twelve and Thirteen

I woke today and thought My ankle is really starting to swell so I made the decision to send Pete ahead as it was pouring rain and i did not want to risk slipping down a hill ;). Although my ankle hurt it did not take me more than 4 hours to complete the 16 mile trek to Palas De Rei. Upon arriving for the day, I saw Pete and took out my flip flops waiting to be checked in. The guy at the reception desk took one look at my ankle and told me I had to go to the hospital and he pointed to a small building across the street. My ankle had turned a strange raspberry color and part of my shin was also turning the same weird color. He insisted on carrying Pete for me to my room. I showered did my laundry and went to have some lunch, At this point 2 nurses came in Angela from Scotland and Maria from Ireland who were traveling together. They had seen me the day before so sat at my table as is the Pilgrim way. I showed them my ankle and my leg and they insisted I get over to the hospital immediately apparently I had Cellulitis. Here is where it gets kind of fun when I arrived at the clinic (As I struggle to call it a hospital) nobody there spoke a single word of English. I would write down what I needed they would type it into the computer and it would translate it for them into Spanish. The nurse took one look at my ankle and took me back immediately to see the doctor. My limited Spanish does not span medical terminology. The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics as well as a steroid cream to be filled at the pharmacy he then told me I was not to walk for two full days and not with Pete for 10 days And with a big smile he said Buen Camino. Lol. When I returned back to where I was staying the very concerned Raphael at the front desk drove me to the pharmacy to make sure I got my medicine. He also took care of making reservations for me up in a pension for the next leg of the Camino as well as made arrangements dor Pete to be slack packed. Off topic: Met some older ladies from Australia who informed me it was called executive packing and not slack packing. They were on their fourth attempt to complete the Camino. Lol! I walked a mile to the bus station and took the bus to Ribadiso. The bus dropped me off in the middle of nowhere, I thought now what do I do and where do I go? Eventually I found the road for the Camino And followed it into the town about 3 miles away. I am at a pivotal spot in my Camino do I take the bus another day forward and try to walk to Santiago from there without Pete or head home? I realized a very valuable lesson and my Camino that it is not my ego that I need to honor but rather the spirit of the Camino, As I sit and ponder my now what I see a young woman walking with her blind father he has got his pole attached to her bag and he is holding the other end and she is guiding him along the way. Is the goal the certificate or the goal the experience at this time I believe the goal for me was the experience. As I sit here resting my ankle and looking for Pete he currently is nowhere in sight.. I believe if I wake in the morning and my ankle feels better I will continue my trek, if not I will take the bus to Santiago and try to change flight and head home. This was not the Camino I had expected for me but perhaps in that is the lesson. Side note: wouldn't it be funny if all Cellulitis could be cured by antibiotics, ice and cream. ;). And Baby is peaceful at this time not a peep or complaint ...sigh

Day Eleven

One word sunflowers! Sunflowers are planted everywhere in patches along the way And their bright sunny faces add a lot of character and fun to the Camino. The second thing I wanted to mention where the footprints what this means to me is when I start to get lost and I cannot find the yellow arrows which guide us along the Camino I look for the footprints and the tracks of the other pilgrims who come before me. Pete, Baby and I arrived in Portomarin today after hiking alongside Oak and Apple trees full of fruit. Quaint little village I am staying in a Pension just above the small town. Started at 115.2KM, finished at 92.8KM to get to Santiago. Did my laundry under a grape orchard today. Amazing to see so many grapes! Baby threw major temper tantrums today, causing me to slip on the decline and twist my left ankle. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...has been mantra today. Hoping tomorrow brings a lighter feeling Pete and a happier Baby and I continue to hobble to the goal of getting to Santiago or bust ;)

Day Ten

So after leaving Burgos and arriving in Leon this morning, I made the decision to not have Ego in needing to do the entire Camino or fail but rather embrace the plan to go to Sarria and complete the last 75 miles with Pete. The train was late leaving Leon which meant I would miss my connection to Sarria, The folks at the train station took pity on me and asked the folks in Montforte To hold the train until i arrived to make the train to Sarria and they did!!! I then fell asleep on the train to Sarria and one of the gentleman came and not only woke me up but also helped me put Pete on my back. As I left the train Station in search of a hotel I saw a shooting star... And I knew I had made the right decision. Although Baby feels better today having had a break I expect the next five days to be somewhat difficult. I have made the decision to be content with the miles I did/will complete (230+) and not be disappointed and not being able to do all 33 days in the 20 I had expected. This has certainly been extremely humbling but I know that I want Baby to still be a happy knee able to support me when I return to Colorado and my health is more important than my ego. Tomorrow starts the last 5 to 6 days to Sarria and I am still truly grateful for the experience.

Day Nine

Yesterday evening and throughout the night i am no longer able to straighten out Baby, literally my leg will not straighten. I contemplated what to do and decided last night to take the bus from Najera to Belerado. This allowed me to skip the walk from Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada and from there to Belarado. I had to say goodbye to Rosa, Bernd, and what I called the Fab9 (4 best friends from Winnapego, father and daughter as well as 3 others from Australia) who traveled as a pack, literally inseparable. I left Donal and Hazel 2 days back..I think of them each day and hope they are finding great joy on this adventure shared by 2 best friends! I met Isabeta at the bus station- her feet are infected and she is no longer able to go on and was going to go ahead and try and rest one village ahead- my heart goes out to her!! After arriving, I dropped my pack at the Albergue to be taken to Burgos forcing me to trek past San Juan de Ortega and end in Burgos. The day was very long just at 30 miles but I kept thinking I could walk the stiffness out of me; mitigating Baby's temper tantrum. The good news it was beautiful for most of the day walking in the mountains of oak and pine before the endless trek through the city of Burgos. The blisters who are my companions are no longer quiet. I sat at a crossroads as I can no longer walk without my sticks, even to cross the room...I then met Petra a German woman working as an occupational therapist in Switzerland, who left 8 weeks ago from her home town and has logged more than 1000KMs. She has a fever and the start of blood poisoning from an infected blister, she is going to have to finish on a bicycle only after she spends a day or two recovering. I was awed by her spirit to continue (total side note: there are more than 30 hospitals dedicated to the Pilgrims here). I cannot decide what my now what looks like as not getting my Pilgrims Passport in Santiago seems inexcusable, therefore I will see how far Pete, Baby and I get tomorrow before determining if I must just simply proceed to Sarria (the place closest to Santiago to still get a passport) and complete the last 100KMs. I am sad that Baby is simply not having fun and walking for the absolute joy of it...my heart is heavy.

Day Eight

So...much to tell from last night and today...first I wanted to mention this incredible woman and her family from Wales. She lost her daughter this year and made the decision to take her ashes to de Vicente (or as it known, the end of the World) via the Camino de Santiago. Her Son in Law (who lost his wife), granddaughter and her husband also came along to walk with Granny who will turn 80 next week and walks with slow precision and purpose and with a chronic smile - she is a true inspiration!! There was a festival in town last night with many folks in the street celebrating, many of us joined for tapas and to watch the fun, great night. Isabeta was with is with her many (more) blisters and a smile-not sure I could be that strong. Today was a long day, after not sleepimg due to the wine induced snoring of the gal in the bunk next too (and perhaps her sleep apnea) I started out exhausted. Made the decision to 'slack pack' a second day and finished the 30KM+ (approx 18 miles) in about 5 hours and tonight I will stay in a hotel to ensure I can go again tomorrow. Now in Najera and Baby has started to calm down and not fuss as much, she does not miss Pete during the day (at all). Pete here: I hope she does not go for a trifecta of days away. 2 should be plenty, I did not sign up to be simply carried ahead! And Baby needs to just deal with my being here too!

Day Seven

Today was fun in that not only were there the acres and acres of grape orchards today there were many olive trees and most of the trail was full of wild dill, helping the day fly by with the great smells. I have to admit that today I took advantage of the offer from the Hotel Monaco; a very upscale 1* hotel and a huge improvement from the Albergues...I digress...to carry Pilgrim backpacks ahead to Logrono for 8 euros. I took advantage of the service and completed 18 miles in just over 4 hours. Pete here...she left me!! I was put into a closet, then a van and again in a closet! I hope this is not going to be a habit, as I am not pleased! This slack packin thingy is for wimps!

Day Six

Today I Passed the fountain that actually has wine and water. There was quite a few pilgrims in line to fill their "water' bottles at 7:30 in the morning, thismade me laugh. I came to a crossroads today where I could travel up a mountain to see a monastery or around the mountain and as I stood there deciding Three older women from a nearby village asked me to come with them so we went around the mountain as they walked with me I understood about one in every 300 words. Essentially it brings them good luck to walk with a pilgram for a while so they took me to their village where they pointed the fountain out so I could refill my water it was actually quite fun. I am now in Lowes Arcos and will go get dinner soon thank you for following me have a great day. I am in Los Arcos... For most of the day and most days the path is lined with raspberries, blueberries and BlackBerry bushes as well as small-and large gardens. The Stones and gravel are white leaving your shoes covered in a white dust most Albergues do not allow the shoes in the dorms. I have seen many pairs of crocs and some folks attempting to walk the Camino in their crocs due to multiple blisters. Blisters are certainly a plenty here and often times very difficult to see the amount of pain people are in day to day due to blisters. Many of the villages we pass are very sweet lined with flower boxes of reds and oranges as well as often times with the real grapes growing along the windows

Day Five

I have decided to name my right knee BABY. This is due mainly to the fact that it yells screams pinches cries whines and throws full temper tantrums at me all darn day. Today I was struggling to come down a steep area when a 'gentleman' Pushed me aside to continue down the hill In front of me let's just say Baby protested loudly! I started to laugh when a very nice much older Gal from Germany was so worried she stopped to help me. Needless to say I passed the 'gentleman' just a little bit further down the trail. I am now in Estella, It is a very nice town and I will take time today to walk around and see the old part of the village. I am tired this is much harder than I had planned and baby is acting up something fierce I hope tomorrow will be a better day. I find many parts of the Camino to be very peaceful and other parts very frustrating. Walking alone along the trail in the woods on leaves so thick that when you start to walk back on the trail the crunching of your boots sounds so loud was very enlightening. Watching people smoke and toss their cigarette butts along the way makes me crazy. Yesterday I saw a larger German woman hobble in to the Albergue, Behind her was her husband caring not only his pack but hers set perpendicular on top of his I was amazed. The other fun fact for me is when someone behind you sees you going the wrong direction they holler hey hey hey and when you turn they point you back to where you should be going. I have been the one to say hey and I have been the one to hear hey. Also everyone passing each other always says Buen Camino! One thing I realized today is you cannot tell the ability of someone based on appearance ...I have seen fit folks unable to finish the day and stop early, large folks who look like the walk to the mailbox might send them for a nap rock the day with energy to spare. I embrace the idea of letting folks prove in lieu of assumptions!

Day Four

Arrived in Fuente La Reina early this afternoon. Day had a long very difficult downhill descent full of many loose rocks. I am getting much faster but saw several people fall today due to the descent. Walked up to the windmill farm could not hear anything because of the windmills. It was very Cool to be so close to them. Weather held Which I am very grateful for tomorrow is supposed to be very hot. Walked alone most of the day nice to just have the quiet. Tomorrow brings another hill to climb guess that's what happens when you decide to hike across a mountain range. Pilgrim dinner at 7:30 then off to bed. Hoping to finally get some sleep hard to share With so many people in the same space at night Until tomorrow...