Three weeks, two days to go....

Sobering thought triggered this morning by waves of dizziness and nor feeling very well...this amidst the excitement and plotting and planning for the Camino. How precarious it all is.... no matter how well we plan or train...how little it takes for all our agenda to be swept aside. Guess it helps to recognise that there is a difference between a long walk and a pilgrimage....hopefully I am a pilgrim. The difference?....everything that happens or doesn't seem to happen is part of the happening...the process of pilgrimage. Not just a destination but a process of being.

Anyway, a lovely walk up a local hill yesterday with full backpack and poles. Not so long....just about seven kms....so less than half a short Camino day. It was steep though and there were detours around mud and tree roots. An important lesson learnt when I was toppled by the unaccustomed pack weight attempting to scramble up a small ridge.

I'm loving the walking poles...certainly they help with stability. And the hills and my fitness level?? Slowly, slowly. I am no more tired climbing the hills with the pack than I was without....and I haven't lost the 5kg as intended to help compensate for the weight of the pack on my knees.

A small change from the Camino ten years ago. Last time mountains were approached in increments of fifty steps: "ONE, two, three....fifty! One, two...". This time they will be approached thus: " ¡Uno, dos, tres....cincienta. Uno...."

Today a rest day and hydration.Read more