Flight to Spain

I’m in Charlotte, soon to board the flight for Madrid. My backpack got pulled for inspection at TSA. But it was the baggie of instant coffee and not the hiking poles that caused concern. After they tested it for explosives, I went right through. Everything went fine till we landed in Charlotte and found we were trapped on the jet bridge. The magnetic door stopped working and wouldn’t recognize the employees’ PIN numbers. When we finally were released, I started to get into that relaxed, copacetic, camino mindset.

I walked my first Camino in 2000, to celebrate my 50th birthday and to prove to myself that I was not going to slide into decrepitude without a fight.

25 years later, I’ve walked a Camino almost every year, and I’ve hit another major marker. 75 years old, entering the 4th quarter. I look forward to my annual Caminos, revel in the self-sufficiency, the solitude, the physical challenge, the natural beauty, the ancient architecture, and I wanted to make this year special. So I’ve decided on a route with a lot of mountains. But I knew I should have a Plan A and a Plan B. There’s no doubt my body is not what it used to be, but I don’t want to give up on myself either. I wanted to have a Camino with lots of mountains, but I am not so sure about my ability to climb them! So…

I have spent many hours researching routes, mountains, alternative routes, castles, monasteries, and alternative routes to the alternative routes. I have good information, good GPS tracks and I can make decisions based on how my body actually feels when I’m walking. If I can’t do it all, I won’t be stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Based on last year’s Camino and some Camino walking in Lisbon in October, I am fairly optimistic that a good day for me is 28-30 kms with 600-800 m elevation. We will see what I find out when I start walking, though!

I am going to start in France, in a town called Urdos, which is one day over the border and gives me a good mountain day into Spain. From there, the Camino Aragonés (hopefully with a few detours for castles and monasteries) to Pamplona, and from there on the Camino Viejo till I get to the point where I will hopefully cut things a little short to go meet my son and grandson in Oviedo. I am approaching this entire Camino with the open mind of wait and see and don’t push yourself.

Only one more plane ride to go, the long one! Tomorrow, I hope to sleep in Zaragoza.Läs mer