So like a million other people I watched the movie "The Way" with Martin Sheen the other day. It was an excellent and beautifully portrayed movie about a father grieving the loss of an estranged son and his impulsive decision to walk the 800km Camino de Santiago a religious/spiritual pilgrimage across the top of northern Spain to finish the trek started by his son.who had tragically died trying to cross the Pyrenees on the first day out on his own pilgrimage.
After the movie ended I started thinking ... wow Northern Spain is beautiful ... it'd make a really neat vacation ... Martin Sheen's character was 71 and HE did it ... with no training ...albeit in a movie ... ponder ....I wonder if I could do it? Ponder some more ... I CAN walk now ... I can even hike ... 2 miles anyway ... that's 5 km already .. on the flat, I could probably handle twice that without even thinking if I gave myself the time ... and I had good shoes ... with training I bet I could do even more! I could probably even handle hills if I took it slow ... I don't have to keep up with those fit young kids ... I have all the time in the world ... I could just start walking in the morning and stop at the closest refuge when my feet got too sore. Wouldn't take long to toughen up if you take it easy at the start. The Camino is a walk with a refuge in just about every village you cross and the villages are just a few km apart ... services are readily available, you aren't in the middle of the wilderness ... if things got real bad, help is close. The path is well maintained for the most part, it is well travelled and safe. All you need to carry is a change of clothes and a few sundries. To walk far, travel light! If you stay in the pilgrim's refuges along the way this trip is also very inexpensive, often a night's lodgings is 10 Euro's or less (by donation) ... private hostels are a little more but not much, maybe 15 Euro's. The cheaper lodging is however dormatory style, if you want a private room you'll have to pay more.
The el Camino is a VERY long walk (800km) but there are no timetables. The first day (if you start in France) is pretty tough and is in fact the hardest day of the entire walk (long and steep both up AND down a mountain) but you can actually skip it if you like and start in Spain, or you can break Day 1 into 2 part, stopping half way at a small refuge 8 km up the mountain called Orrison (reservations required). However, after the first day walking over the Pyrenees, the villages are relatively close together, the grade is more or less level and easy going ... the idea is to walk every day (with the occasional rest/sightseeing day) to your next night's lodgings. You can walk as far or as little as you like, this is YOUR camino, you do it your way! Stop and smell the roses, sight see along the way, have lunch in a little cafe in a picturesque village, have a picnic breakfast of fresh bread and cheese in a meadow by the trail, take a siesta nap in the grass beside a river, dine out and socialize with your fellow travellers at night in a local bar. Stop when you get tired, sleep in a bed at night or camp out under the stars. Heck you can even stay in a 5 star hotel in the major cities along the route if you want to pamper yourself ;)
I began to research the Camino to see what it was all about and I started to find myself planning it as if I were ACTUALLY going and not just a "what if" scenario ... I figured out what backpack I'd take (under 700g) I found the sleeping bag I'd like (under 700g) I called my husband and told him of my plans and asked if it's something he'd be interested in doing, if not I was seriously considering doing this solo (Wow THAT'S out of character) Luckily this is something that is right up his alley, he was on board, if not as obsessed as I was, and I was rapidly becoming obsessed. When could we go? I wanted to go RIGHT AWAY but realized I'd need to work up to something this big, especially at my age, weight and fitness level (none) ok so next summer? Hmmm I wanted to go in May and hubby doesn't retire til summer .... fall? Could I wait til the following spring? Sigh ... ok ... I'll be 2 years older but on the other hand it gives me 2 years to start walking. Alrighty then, May 2014 it is ... unless I decide between now and then that 2 years is too long ... Then I'll aim for September 2013 ;)
Sooo last week I went out and bought a GOOD pair of mid height hiking boots. Some hiking sneakers and a lightweight pair or walking sandals. Time to decide what I want to wear on my feet and to break in whatever I decide to take. Right now I am waffling between light weight boots or heavy soled trekking shoes. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. The terrain on the path is quite varied from wooded paths to rocky hills to paved roads ... the last 100km is almost all paved and can be a killer without good shoes but you also want something with some support for the more rugged bits ... I think for the most part the walk is fairly flat but there are some rather steep ascents and declines along the way in between the flat bits so you should be prepared for just about anything ... and I am not sure a shoe is enough even though I am reluctant to go with a clunky boot. I'm hoping the decision will be made clearer with a lot of local hiking on varied terrain using both types of footwear for comparison ... but whatever I do take it will be something that FITS, is long enough so that my toes don't bump into the end on a steep decline (I'd rather keep my toenails), and is WELL worn in before I leave.
I guess I AM doing this ... it's kinda scary when I think about it too much ... hope I'm stubborn enough not to quit at the first sign of discomfort. I KNOW it will be the hardest thing I've ever done and I really am not sure I am strong willed enough to succeed ... that's part of the reason I want to try. I need to know. The Camino de Santiago is NOT an easy walk by virtue of it's length. It is doable by any age group and fitness level however as long as you pace yourself accordingly and have the time to take it slow. You can even do it in bits if you like ... 2 weeks a year if that's all the time you have, until you finish. I want to do it all in one go however. Age is not a barrier and many many people do this in their 60's and even 70's. I have read accounts by quite a few who have done this in their LATE 70's ... I'm still in my 50's, I should be able to do this. Most fit folks can do it in 5 weeks but I am not fit, nor am I young. I am giving myself 2 months and leaving the end date open in case it takes even longer but who knows maybe 5 weeks is doable even for me ... can I stand walking almost every day for 5 weeks ... for 2 months? Will my feet, legs, back hold out that long? Maybe ... we'll see ;)
This journey is a religious pilgrimage for many. I am not religious in any sense of the word, nor am I particularly spiritual, whatever that means. I am not doing this for those reasons. I am doing this because 3 years ago I could not walk more than 5 minutes without severe pain. I was grossly overweight, unfit and staring death in the face. Then I lost 100 pounds. I am still overweight but no longer grossly so. I am more fit but hardly FIT if you know what I mean. I can walk without discomfort now and a 2 mile hike is just a walk, I am neither particularly tired nor sore afterwards, I go home because it's time and I am done the trail ... I am not entirely sure where my limit is ... can I walk twice as far without trouble? Three times as far? What about hills? What about STEEP hills? Can I walk 8 km up the side of a mountain? Can I walk another 8 km DOWN a mountain? These are the questions I want and need to have answered. THAT is why I want to go.
This is a journey to celebrate losing 100 pounds. To test my limits and my mettle. Three years ago a journey like this was out of the question, today it is possible. At the very least this gives me the excuse and inspiration I need to get out there and to get walking! Dare to Dream!
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