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  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    1
    Day 22

    Day 19 - Camino Suspended

    September 24, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Well I am on my way back to the United States. The knee is just not getting much better. CJ arrived yesterday and we took a trial walk and before we got to 3 miles the pain was back and at about the same level, if not higher, than what it was when I stopped. CJ and I made the decision together and he will continue on to Santiago and I will live vicariously thru him!

    I am sure those that had read my daily notes understand that the Camino is just a wonderful experience. I say suspended as I will be back and I will finish what I started.

    I have met so many people that have done 2,3,6,7 Camino’s and I can understand why. This has a gravitational pull that will bring you back to it.

    I completed 213 miles which is about 45% of the pilgrimage. I know exactly where I ended and will come back and start at that very place!

    So many things of true value happened on this trip that I am a bit overwhelmed when I think about it. The freedom it provides, the people from all over the world that come here for much the same reasons, the time with CJ, the physical and mental challenges that it presents, the people in the towns and villages that support the pilgrims…The list just goes on and on.

    While I am sad that I could not complete the pilgrimage , I am so glad that CJ and I did what we did together and I will cherish that time for the rest of my life. Thank you CJ for being you!

    As I travel back to the States I think it will be tough to transition out of this “hiking with everything you need on your back” style I have fallen in love with. However I haven’t seen the love of my life in over 5 weeks and I can’t wait to see Susan tomorrow!!!

    I can’t disappoint those that have enjoyed the photos so my last post will be pictures from the Cathedral in Leon that CJ and I visited this morning after our last croissant breakfast together in Spain.

    Lastly, thanks again for all of the words of encouragement from all of you. It’s been great to share this extraordinary experience with all of you!

    Farewell Camino…. We will be seeing each other soon!    Read more

  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    Day 20

    Day 17- Healing in Leon

    September 22, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    Just a knee update.
    As you see from the picture I have been icing my knee . I am doing it 5 times per day .keeping it elevated most of the day. Had the knee brace on day 1 and did not have it on yesterday.
    Today will be my 3rd complete rest day. First day I needed to go out to the grocery store to get food and walked about 3000 steps that day. There was pain in the knee when I walked and I had the brace on.
    Yesterday came in at 250 steps:)
    The funny thing is that new watch I bought kept notifying me to get moving throughout the day:)
    Also on day 1 of rest I did extensive googling on knee injuries. Probably wasn’t a good use of my time but did get a lot of info. One thing I read about that surprised me was the use of NSAIDS with soft tissue injuries. Seems like there is some debate about whether they slow the healing process. As a result I decided to stop taking the anti inflammatory meds I have and just see what happens as I am not in pain when not walking and the icing should help the internal inflammation which I assume I have. There is no exterior swelling.
    The knee has felt different yesterday morning as well as this morning. Yesterday it felt completely fine with ease of movement. No soreness or pain when I poke around with my hand, did a few squats and no issue. This morning the knee feels tighter and a bit contracted.A little feeling of soreness but mostly just feels tighter. I am assuming that these are good signs that healing is occurring. I plan to do my 250 steps today as well as I have enough supplies.
    Tomorrow I will need to go to the store again so that will be a good test of whether I have made any progress or not. After today I have another 4 days of complete rest so fingers crossed!
    Yesterday I mapped out a plan for the rest of the trail if I can begin walking it again. While they say this is an easy walk there are still quite a few elevation changes that one must navigate . The plan I concocted would have us stopping half way down the two largest mountains so that I can split the downhills into 2 days as my downhill walking is more of an issue that flat or uphill. Using this plan would have us arrive in Santiago on 10/9. We do want to go to Finisterre which is 51 miles from Santiago ( it is also called the “ end of the world”) and is the coast of Spain on the North Atlantic Basin . There are bus trips there and back so that will take a day. I ain’t waking 51 more miles:) Our flights are set for 10/10 so will need to push them out a day but did the research on that and should be easy to arrange but we will need to leave from Madrid instead of they Paris as it is difficult to get a flight from Santiago to Paris but easy to get a train to Madrid not to mention that everything I read is the train trip to Madrid provides great views as well!
    CJ is crushing the trail. First day he did around 14 miles and then yesterday he did 40km which is just under 25 miles! Also yesterday morning he had rain and 20 mph wind till about 11am. He said he only saw 10 hikers and 2 bicycle hikers in the morning. In the afternoon it was sunny and he was rolling along! Said it has all been flat and the views are not particularly grand as it is in the middle of the Meseta . He and I talk several times a day so he is keeping me connected with his journey . He has about 55km left to get to me so he should be here tomorrow afternoon. He will have great hiking weather today although it is 48 degrees right now and will only have a high of 65 today and partly sunny all day!
    So in conclusion I am doing the RICE approach, hopefully healing and trying to keep my sanity, Thank goodness for the internet and the 2 streaming services I have that work internationally( Apple TV and Netflix)! Many thanks to all that have reached out, I am hopeful that I can get back to the trail and so far so good so we shall see!    Read more

  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    Day 17

    Day 14- Hontanas to Boadillo

    September 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 64 °F

    So today we hiked from Hontanas to Boadillo de Camino a 28.5 km walk (about 17.5 miles) . Not only was it a bit chilly this morning but a heavy fog greeted us for about 90 minutes. It was definitely an eery feeling as our headlamps would cut through the fog!
    Hontanas sits down in a bit of a valley and the valley is rather long so until we walked up and out of it, we had the mist. As such the sunrise was uneventful so no good sunrise pics today!

    The Meseta is true to its form in that it is a flat plateau but today we did have a peak to deal with. 1100 foot rise with a 12% incline. It was the first time we have seen an incline sign ! We marched up relatively easily and the views were just stunning as you could just see forever! With that said the decline was marked as an 18% decline which with my knee I considered unfair:) I hobbled down it literally one step at a time!

    The odd thing that happened while hiking this mountain was after we rested at the peak and started to approach going down, a police vehicle drove up the path onto the top of the hill. We were already 400 yards away but we could see the police get out of their car and start talking with the other pilgrims. I was hoping that they had come up the hill to offer rides down however no such luck.:) After we descended they did drive down the path and the car was marked civil policia so not sure what that was all about.

    I have forgotten to mention in the past but often the Camino path acts as a road …for farm tractors especially. Those guys come rolling along on machines with tires that stand taller than me and they don’t slow down for pilgrims:) it is either get out of the way or be smushed!

    After we came down the mountain we had about 10k to go and then I asked CJ about whether I should continue on with the pilgrimage or hop ahead and get the leg some rest. He said “ Dad I have watched you limp along for 30 + miles in the last two days but you got to give that knee sometime to heal and it isn’t going to heal while you are walking all day every day. I have calculated and planned it out so that you go to Leon now and I will continue to walk and be there in 4.5 days. I would like a few days rest after I get there so we can pick back up in Leon after that which will give you 7 days to rest that knee and we will still be on our schedule . Yes you will miss 75 miles of hiking but the rest of the trip will be that much more enjoyable for you. I know you can and want to tough it out but you just shouldn’t.”
    SO that is what I have done. Here we are in the middle of freaking nowhere but I got a phone and cell reception. We had already gotten a number of a taxi driver who serves the Meseta area so sent him a note using the What’s app platform and got him to meet me at the albergue we were headed to and take me to Leon( 75 mile trip!) Then found a 1 bedroom apartment in downtown Leon to hole up in , and confirmed that my pack that I had shipped this morning to the next albergue would be there by the time we were so the taxi could pick me up when we arrived. All told took about 30 minutes…you gotta love the internet!

    While I am seriously depressed about missing that section with him, I can’t help but admire his knowledge and logic not too mention how he has learned to handle me:) he is a pro!

    I know I will be bored to tears but I will stay off this knee except for food runs and I hope that this will enable me to carry on to the finish line in Santiago with CJ at my side. I will not miss that even if I have to do it in a freaking wheelchair!

    So this will be the last update for awhile but I would like to thank everyone who has sent notes of support. They have meant a lot to both of us!    Read more

  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    Day 16

    Day 13- Burgos to Hontanas

    September 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    We traveled from Burgos to Hontanas today…our longest day so far at 31 kms or 19.25 miles. We have entered the Meseta which is a long and relatively flat plateau.

    The Meseta is about 180 km long and is reported to be dull and boring . As you will see from the pictures it is a rolling hill landscape of basically grain fields so far. I can see why people may say it is boring but there are still portions that create great contrasts and good pictures!

    We left early this morning and it was a bit chilly so we started in long pants and jacketed . By early afternoon the sun warmed us up but the winds kept us from over heating.

    We met several new friends today and also some that we haven’t seen in quite awhile. In fact 1 gentlemen we haven’t seen since day 2 appeared today and it was great to catch up and hear about his journey!

    On the physical front, not so good. My knee held up for the first 7 miles but after that it became a bit of an issue. As it was clear that the weight of a pack was aggravating things, at 15 kms CJ switched packs with me and as his is lighter that did help. We also began a more regimented system of rest periods . So I was able to make it the day 19 miles but there were periods where that was in jeopardy.

    Our new strategy is two fold. First , there is a service that will transfer your pack to your next location so that you only need to travel with what you need for that day so I will send my pack forward and will carry very little. If that helps the knee than we are good to go.

    If that doesn’t work then I will leave the trail and go forward to the next large city and rest the knee while CJ continues to walk the Camino and we will connect when he reaches that city. We will than try to continue together from there. If that doesn’t work then I may be faced with the decision to suspend my Camino and travel home.

    I will tell you that these plans and decisions are excruciatingly hard to work thru. Despite the knee , my experience has been and continues to be one of the most profound experiences in my life. To not walk into Santiago with CJ at my side is just to hard for me to accept so will do everything in my power to not have to leave the Camino without having finished. We have a long way to go and I am hopeful that I can modify my routine to allow my knee to propel me to the finish line! Some pain is ok, long term damage I will avoid…in the end I am hopeful that the Camino will provide!    Read more

  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    1
    11
    Day 15

    Day 12- Rest in Burgos

    September 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    This is our first rest day. Was kind of ancy this morning as I was at a cafe and watching pilgrims start their day but now have settled into the day and enjoying the rest and getting used to the knee brace and letting the meds do their thing. CJ and I toured the cathedral and I have a few pics from that. Will spend the rest of the day relaxing as our hotel room is right across from the cathedral and we have a terrace that makes people watching enjoyable. It has been raining a bit and the pilgrims are beginning to arrive in the city. They are a bit soggy:)
    Tomorrow we will start the second third of the journey !    Read more

  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    Day 14

    Day 11- Ages to Burgos

    September 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    We traveled from Ages to Burgos today. It was about 14 miles.. As we were staying out of town, the owner of our hotel for the night drove us back to Ages at 7am for a very reasonable price. He was a very nice guy.

    Our walk started in the dark and for the first time, I was actually cold as it was 58 and windy. The terrain is mostly flat except for this one section with a steep up then a steep down. The steep up went great, the steep down…. Well that was really tough on my knee.
    After that I decided to use the ace bandage I had bought a few days ago and it helped a bit . As the day progressed it was hurting a bit more so I kept adjusting the wrapping to find what would work the best.
    So during one of my wrap sessions a man from another pilgrim group , we had been passing them or them us for the last several days, came over to me and pointed at my knee and then his knee. He had a knee brace on . He does not speak English so I smiled and said yes we both have a knee issue. He took off his pack and rummaged thru it and found an extra knee brace he had and handed it to me! I mean how great is that!
    I put it on and it was a bit big for me but that combined with the ace bandage got me to Burgos. Just a great example of pilgrims on the path together.
    As we were nearing Burgos, CJ mentioned that there was a hospital .25 miles from where we were and he had read a post that it was relatively inexpensive in Spain. He went on to advise that his was the last big city we would be in for awhile and perhaps it was time to find out if something was really wrong with the knee. When did kids get so smart:)
    I walked into the ER, used google translate to communicate my problem. 150 euro price. I sat in the waiting room for 30 minutes and they asked me to come back. Using google translate talked with the doctor. He played around with the knee for a bit and sent me for an X-ray. He walked me to the X-ray center. I sat there for 5 minutes. They came out and said that they need 2 X-rays and the second one would cost more as my fee allowed for one. I said fine. They did the X-rays.
    I was sent back to the doctor in the ER. By the time I got there he had already reviewed the X-ray and said everything is fine it is just inflammation. Gave me a prescription for an anti inflammatory drug, a cream and said get a sports knee brace. He did mention something about rest as well:) I was done in 45 minutes. Went back to the desk to asked how much I owed for the X-ray……13 euro…

    Went to the pharmacy and handed the front desk person my prescription. She walked into the back and came out with the drugs and cream. I used google translate to ask for a knee brace. She came out and measured my knee then walked over to where the braces were , selected the right size, price for all three…29.50 euros…..
    I think they have health care nailed in Spain!!!

    So rest will be rest of today then all day tomorrow then hopefully back on the trail. Will do a bit of sightseeing with CJ tomorrow as he has become a fan of the old churches and Burgos has a very large cathedral.

    Not many pictures today as I was a bit fixated on the knee today

    The Camino sure did provide today. What a wonderful experience!    Read more

  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    11
    Day 13

    Day 10- Belorado to Ages

    September 15, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Well today we went from Belorado to Ages . 27.5 km ( 17 miles) we started in the dark and then had a decent climb ( about 1000 feet) then walked along the mountain ridge, mostly wooded , until we came down the backside of the mountain to arrive in Ages. Didn’t take many pics as we were on the woods quite a bit.
    This is the first time we were not able to get a room so we had to take a taxi to a town off the Camino and tomorrow morning will taxi back to Ages and head to Burgos.
    We are going to take our first rest day in Burgos!
    After Burgos we have the Meseta which is mostly flat plateau for like 180km so we plan to have some large mileage days . From everything we read on this stretch it is dull and boring. It is also out in the open so hopefully the weather will remain cool. The forecast is for the highs to be in the mid 70’s so we should be good. So far we have also lucked out on the rain as we have only had periodic showers on 2 days. As of now the meseta forecast isn’t showing a ton of rain so fingers crossed.
    During our walk today we stayed mostly between the bubbles of people. CJ is diligently placing rest stops along the way for me to keep the knee rested. We also did a better job on food and water today. Yesterday was a bit tough and I had some heat exhaustion/ dehydration problems last night but today felt much better.
    lastly the Camino is described as having 3 sections. They are : The Body, The Mind and The Soul. Tomorrow we reach Burgos which is the end of The Body Section. Now since my body has been a bit beaten up in the section, I am hoping I won’t be robbed of my mind in the next section!
    BTW we are still having a blast!    Read more

  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    Day 12

    Day 9- Santo Domingo to Belorado

    September 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Today was another rather short one at 14 from Santo Domingo to Belorado. We started at 730am and walked a 6 Kms to the next town and had a delicious breakfast at a food truck at the entrance of the town. BTW most towns have a breakfast place right. At the entrance to the town and just about all pilgrims will stop there. Pretty much a gold mine. Usually the second place in town has no one… you kind of feel sorry for them!
    The weather was great for walking this morning at 59 degrees and overcast. Got a good sunrise despite the cloud cover.
    We have left the La Rioja region and are now in Castillo de Lyon/ Burgos
    Most is the scenery was grain fields with sunflowers patches intermingled. Grain has been cut already and the sunflowers are dead so ….outside of the rolling hills pretty bland. About halfway thru we ended up on a path next to a highway so that didn’t increase the ambiance!
    What I have been confounded with is property lines. I see none throughout the fields and the natural landscape doesn’t seem to work either . Must be a way cause it can’t be owned by 1 person:)
    We met several folks along the way, New Zealand, Hong Kong and , Brazil were the new countries . It is amazing how many countries are represented.
    We are staying in a really nice albergue that actually has a pool!
    There were many signs along the way today. My favorites sign was “Walk with pain, find your mind”, That kept my mind busy for most of the trip today.
    It is amazing how you can focus on an issue while you walk . In addition it is clear that doing a walk like this you will always have some pain somewhere but you adjust , accommodate and move on. In life that holds true as well. your mind is a powerful thing that can propel you to deal with most anything that arises…..
    2 more days of relatively short segments will land us in Burgos and then the messers is not far away where we will be turning on the afterburners and knock up some high mileage days!
    Injury update: brown knee holding steady some pain but manageable, CJ having some shin issues and hoping that a few more short days will help!    Read more

  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    Day 11

    Day 8-Najera to Santo Domingo

    September 13, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Today was our first slow day…. Only 13 miles:) We walked from Najera to Santo Domingo de la Calzado. We are still in the La rioja region and we started with miles of grapes and then all of a sudden it went to grain fields. Inter mingled with the grain fields were sunflower fields as well.
    Apparently La Rioja is a smaller region so at the end of the walk tomorrow we will be out of the region. CJ has been gobbling the grapes for two days now so he is bummed about leaving the region
    We have entered a new bubble of people on the walk. It is kind of odd where you see people for a few days and then you find yourself in a new group of people. Some of our old acquaintances have speed up and some slowed down. When talking with people we seem to be about a day ahead of normal.
    We met several new people today and the funny story is at some point CJ and I started talking politics and it went on for about 45 minutes or so. In front of us was a man who after listening to us the whole time slowed down and joined us and said “ Boys that is the most spirited debate I have heard so far on the Camino!” We then explained that we were father / son and he said well that does explain it.
    He was from Southern Ireland and a nice guy. He and Cj continued to lament the stage of politics for the next 30 minutes or so. Then he says “Gents I must take a rest as I normally don’t walk this fast but I couldn’t stop listening to your conversation so I kept walking fast and now I need to slow down before I have a heart attack:). “
    We continued on and we were a bit in front of him and started talking about the sunflower fields and he yelled out “ are you guys going to talk about sunflowers or something important!” It was hilarious!

    So this part of the walk is rather flat or perhaps we are getting our legs in shape so the up and downs don’t seem to phase us. We are planning out the next several days and we will have another short day tomorrow followed by longer days after that.
    We arrived in Santo Domingo around 130ish, checked into our accommodations , hand washed our clothes and then set out to find some food. Afterwards we turned tourists and walked around the town including a tour of their cathedral. Every town has one here:) you will see some pics from there but try to identify the one that is a box with a skull in it. Apparently that is St Jerome’s skull. Will need to research who St Jerome is:)

    No pondering today as for some reason CJ and I had the same pace today so we were chatting the whole day. BTW we did run into the Irish man once again and let him know we solved World Peace since the last time we saw him. He got a good chuckle out of that!
    In terms of health both of us are holding up well. CJ has had a few blisters but nothing major . I got some CBD cream for the knee and that is helping quite a bit and today was mostly pain free . Thanks to Karen Thurber ( former pilgrim turned advisor:)) for that suggestion as she sent me a pic of the cream and I walked into a pharmacia and they immediately knew what it was. Both of us have some minor shin related things going on but 2 short days should help that.

    I will end with , for the record , prior to this trip I have walked 10 miles or more like maybe 5 times in my life all of which were in the month before I left for this trip. I now refer to 13 mile days as short days…. Go figure! As they say “ The Camino Provides! “

    Ps I forgot to post a video yesterday so am posting today. We went up a rather steep hill and there we and other pilgrims were treated to a nice guitar player!    Read more

  • Brian SmithCamino Frances
    Day 10

    Day 7- Logrono to Najera

    September 12, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    So today we ventured 28km from Logrono to Najera. Logrono is a very large city so took us a bit of time to exit the big city and get back to the countryside.
    So in the La Rioja region the soil is a red clay which apparently is great for growing grapes as they were everywhere today. I would guess 14 miles worth:)
    At this juncture there aren’t as many small towns we travel thru instead larger towns with more distance in between. Today a little less than halfway to Nájera was Navarrete. Has about 3000 residents and is the pottery center of the region. Would make sense based on the clay there! BTW red clay when it is wet is really soupy and sticks pretty heavily to shoes. We were lucky to avoid the rain but many puddles showed the thickness of the soil when wet.
    The views continued to be amazing along the way and we made good time as the terrain was easier today and the weather was perfect. not the hot afternoons that we had had. Looking at the weather app this may continue into next week as well!
    Nájera has about 8000 residents and dates back to as early as 923. It is known for the production of furniture. The town is nestled next to a mountain that has many caves throughout and has a very cool looking side that looks like jagged red rock!
    I think I will name today “ milestone day”
    We crossed over 100 miles walked( we are at 117.5) and we made it 7 days walking without any major injuries , a few blisters and tweaks of things but nothing major! Two good milestones to reach!
    Oops almost forgot to mention, a common picture on the Camino is one that is your shadow. You walk for hours “into” your shadow, got to admit it’s kind of cool!    Read more

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