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I have made it to Estelle. I feel a little guilty (but only a little), as I have my own room and bathroom. I couldn’t find a bed in any of the aubergues (pilgrim hostels), but found this beautiful B & B. Of course it cost me 68 euros, as compared with the 14 I’ll be spending tomorrow.

I have been walking 15 miles/ day for the last 3 days in some major heat.

The people I’ve met have been amazing. They say you create a pilgrim family, and now I get that…. There’s Sherril, my main person - from southern CA. She is so incredibly funny - and so kind. We have laughed until my face hurt! There’s Miguel - originally from Portugal, now living in Germany. There’s Steven, the retired ER doctor from Austin - everyone’s favorite because we’ve all gotten a little sick. There’s Sheri and Bryan from Atlanta, and Tom and Peg from Chico, CA…….. And there are countless others that you just have brief encounters with. But ALL of the encounters are so meaningful. It’s such a personal journey for each person, and it seems that there’s just no place for small talk or surface-level anything. One of the coolest things is walking for hours alone, coming into a small town, and finding members of your “family” at a bar (cafe), as if they were waiting for you.

As you might expect, I have found myself lost several times……. However, I now have a new app on my phone - Camino Ninja - it’s saving my feet. I’ve also managed to get reduced to one pair of pants - that’s it. I had some shorts and another pair of pants, but somehow I don’t anymore. And I have managed to terrify a group of students. I was on the path and decided to bushwhack through the woods to find the river I could hear - I really wanted to soak my feet. I got there (with difficulty - which I needed to add to my life while I was walking 15 miles carrying a heavy pack….). As I emerged from the dense woods onto the Camino, I stumbled out with branches stuck in my hair right into a group of pilgrims. I imagine they’re telling this story differently right now…..

More to come….Read more