Six days to go.

5.47 miles in 2 hrs.
Today I hiked down to The Puget Sound. I needed to choose a stone for The Cruz Ferro. If you don’t know what that is, you need to watch the movie The Way with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. The Spanish word for rock is Piedra, which comes from Peter who was the rock of the church. You carry your rock on the Camino and when you get to the Cruz Ferro you lay your burden down both literally and figuratively. It is a small mountain of rocks with a large pole with an Iron cross (Cruz Ferro) at the top. I also got my scallop shell set up. Thank you Michelle Fitzgerald. The scallop shell was used to prove that the pilgrim reached Finisterra….the end of the Earth. It is said that when St. James’ remains appeared on the Galician shore, it was covered in scallop shell. It is the symbol of the Camino Pilgrim and of the Camino. Anyone harassing a pilgrim displaying the scallop shell is excommunicated by Papal decree.

It comes from near an ancient oyster pen kept in The Puget Sound by the Duwamish First Nation. This nation freely welcomed and supported white settlers to the area, but has never been recognized by the US government. Seattle is named for the Chief who decreed the welcoming and support. I pray the federal government will right this obvious wrong and carry my rock and their burden to Cruz Ferro.

It’s is common to wish a peregrino “Buen Camino”.
Buen Camino in Lushootseed is “haʔɬ sʔibəš” pronounced “Ha_LL Ts Aybash”Read more