The Beginning of the End

Tomorrow we arrive in Sarria. Sarria is an incredibly popular starting point on the Camino, because it is about 115 km from Santiago, which meets the 100 km minimum requirement to get a Compostela (pilgrim certificate). It takes four to seven days, meaning you can complete it during a short vacation. Tour companies make it easy to do by arranging hotels and shipping luggage, so from Sarria forward you can expect it to be really crowded on the path. For many people, it’s the start of their pilgrimage.

For those of us who started, well, anywhere else, it’s the beginning of the end. Especially those of us who started in St. Jean Pied de Port. We’ve walked 665 km (413 miles), so “just” 115 more (71) really does feel like the home stretch. Thirty-two days behind us; five ahead.

In the beginning when someone would ask if you were going to Santiago the standard answer was something along the lines of, “That’s the plan!” Rarely did anyone say yes without some sort of qualifier. A lot could happen. After the Meseta the answer is almost always yes.

After I got my new shoes I strapped my hiking shoes to the back of my pack. When I started carrying my pack again I made the comment about how much heavier it is with the shoes, and someone said, “Why don’t you just ship them ahead to Santiago?”

That’s something you can do. In addition to shipping your pack stage-to-stage, you can ship things straight to Santiago to be stored and waiting for your arrival. All that heavy stuff you realized early on you don’t need. Non-hiking clothes for vacationing after the Camino. It’s easy and relatively inexpensive, yet my initial gut response was, “I can’t do that.”

Which is when I realized that, in my head, I’m still qualifying my answer. “That’s the plan.”

I got myself over the Pyrenees.
I walked over 18 miles in one day — while carrying my pack.
I have averaged over 13 miles a day for 27 walking days.
I managed the Meseta with a twisted ankle, shin splints, and a massive blister.
I hiked up the rocky path to the Iron Cross and didn’t bust my ass on the way down.
I hiked up to O’Cebreiro sans horse.

And here I am, at the beginning of the end, still qualifying whether or not I’ll make it to Santiago.

Walking the Camino is considered a journey of faith. Perhaps I need to have more faith in myself.Read more