Zubriri to Zalbadika

A wonderful short walk down the valley toward Pamplona.  The small Arga River, about the size of the South Platte as it goes through Denver, followed us - or we followed it.  Our sleep last night was typical, one cyclic snore coming from the next bunk, and even when the young ladies began with their lights at 5:30AM, it did not disturb the snorer!  So we got an early start, stopped for cafè con leche mid-morning, and arrived mid-day.  A church of about 900 years, with never a major renovation, but a modern dorm attached is our home for the eve.  We climbed the bell tower where the smaller of the two bells is said to be the oldest in the province, from about the 12th century.  A young couple, Andres and Estel, are our hosts.  Pilgrims blessing in the church later, supper at 7:30.

Also Medieval Sign?

8:00AM delivery to restaurant. No answer at door. Leave bread in window. Witnessed by us.

Horses in the morning mist.

Feeling good, but knowing longer days are ahead.

Buen Camino

Today was our first long day, from Roncesvalles to Zubriri, about 13 miles.  There was not much very remarkable, so we thought we would write a post about the traditional Camino greeting.  The people along the Camino develop close relationships very quickly.  Even those who do not get to know each other well, try to find a way to wish each other well.  The one obstacle that exists is the language barrier.  Even though many people do speak english, we normally cannot tell who does and who doesn't (there are people from almost every country in the world).  All of these factors result in the traditional greeting: Buen Camino.
Literally translate, "good way".
Because we did not see many other pilgrims the first two days, and we saw dozens today, we were struck by how easy it was to both give and receive a quick blessing no matter what language we speak.
Here are a few random pictures from the last few days that are fun.

Graffiti joke on the stop sign.

Seriuosly???

Quite a selection for such a small "tiende".

One Euro to turn the church lights on for 8 MINUTES!!!

Valcarlos to Roncesvalles

We left Valcarlos with gray skies and a steady breeze. The first 5 km was along the main highway. We had to don our rain gear about two hours into the trek, although we could have probably gotten by without it. We left the highway and headed down a trail to a creek bottom, only to head up (and up, and up, making me very grateful for the training hikes all summer).
We had planned to arrive in time for the noon mass, although we were 10  minutes late. The  church is a gorgeous gothic style. We later attended the 6pm mass in which the pilgrim blessing was given.

Sheep grazing in the high meadows.

The church where mass was said.

Making my way to the top of the ridge.

St. Jean to Valcarlos

We are starting with "easy days".  Only 8 miles today, but most of it either up or down on steep asphalt.  As you can see in the photos below, it was beautiful country, with dairy cattle and sheep scattered across the hills.  Ruth says it was so green it almost hurt her eyes.  Started out foggy and about 52F, but the sun burned through and warmed to 77F.  We are staying in a very nice municiple refuge, with a great kitchen.  We are planning spaghetti for supper.

Leaving St. Jean

Near the France-Spain border

Looking up the valley into Spain

The town of Valcarlos, Spain

Looking out the window of our one-night home

Twas the night before

St. Jean Pied de Port is a beautiful French town. Not too small, definitely not too big.  Our trip over was fabulous, if also a little tiring.  We planned it so that we did not get good sleep for over 30 hours.  This gave us the most sight-seeing in Ireland, and also got our bodies adjusted to the European time zone very quickly.  We landed in Dublin at 5:30 am local time, and were on a tour bus by 8 o'clock.  We arrived at our B & B at about 7:30 that evening (the Airport Orchard Bed and Breakfast).  The bed felt wonderful, and the breakfast was such that we did not need lunch!  Our Ryan flight to France was fun, as there were a number of drunk youths who provided some entertainment that they are unlikely to remember.  We are in a great little private albergue, the Le Chemin vers l'Etoile in the heart of SJPdP.  We start the Camino in the morning.

At the Wicklow National Park, Ireland

One of several couples having wedding photos taken at the Kilkinney Castle.

The river in St Jean Pied de Port, France.  We cross over border into Spain in the morning

Why the Camino de Santiago?

In the movie "The Way", Jack from Ireland is taking a survey of his fellow pilgrims to chart the various reasons why they are walking the Camino.  He says he found many reasons given: health, religious, cultural,  historical, looking for a miracle, etc. (Jack says he is walking to cure his "writer's block".)

We find it to be a bit of an odd question.  Does anyone ask why you are going on a particular trip? Mexico? England? Seattle? Glacier Park?  We know some travel does have specific purposes, such as visiting family or friends, or charity work, or missionary efforts.  Those are great, and there is a time for those.

But much travel is done for something that we broadly refer to as "the experience".  This term can mean almost anything.  Will you have fun?  Will you make new friends?  Will you deepen existing relationships?  We you overcome challenges?  Will you see beautiful scenery or classic works of art?  Will you visit important religious sights or worship in ancient churches? 

For the Camino, the answer to all of these questions is, hopefully, yes.  Our walk in 2012 definitely gave us a taste of all these things.

But this trip is different.  We are in a different place.  We are closer to each other.  We feel closer to God.  We feel more a part of the world community, rather than just Americans or whatever.

One of our fellow pilgrims was given this advice as she began the walk in 2103: "You will not know why you are walking the Camino until you have completed the journey".

For now that is the only answer we have.
 

Jack from Ireland asks Joost "Why are you walking?"

Shoes

"I could walk a mile in your shoes, but I already know they're just as uncomfortable as mine. Let's walk next to each other instead." Lynda Meyers.

We thought a few musings about the most important pieces of our "stuff" would be appropriate.

You don't need hiking boots to walk the Camino.  We just find them best for us.  Ruth has new Oboz Bridgers. She calls them her Ruby Slippers (see the picture below). We've read good reviews, and on several hikes this summer they have performed excellently.

Mike is planning to wear the 2012 Vasque Breeze boots he walked in then.  He could not find any he liked better.  They have new inserts in them to provide a little more cushioning.  They are a little worn, but no signs of eminent failure.

Both sets of boots will be treated with "camp-dry", a silicone spray, to repel the water.  The rain and mud of the Camino is the main reason we choose light hiking boots instead of tennis shoes or trail runners.  Even with hiking boots our feet will get wet, but we found they stay dry much longer in the boots (compared to regular shoes) and in a brief rain they will not get wet at all.

As her second set of shoes, Ruth will take Crocs. Mike will take a set of flip-flops, and a light set of tennis shoes.  After walking all day in the boots, it is very nice to have another set of footwear.  In fact, most albergues will not let you wear your boots past the entrance area (due to the mud).  Both the Crocs and flip-flops can also be used as shower shoes. Some of the refuge showers are less than cleanly.

People walk the Camino is all sorts of footwear.  If you ever do this, be certain that whatever you wear is well "broken-in".  Every evening there will be pilgrims tending to painful blisters.  We are confident that our feet will be safe in these boots.

Training for the Camino

"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation." - Arthur Ashe

In 2012 we over-trained for our Camino.  Or maybe Mike just wasn't quite in tune with his body.  He developed tendonitis about 1 month before the trip and had to cut back on walking almost completely until we got to Spain.

This year we might be under-training.  Mike's knee required minor surgery in June. An MRI revealed that there was a small piece of bone behind his knee cap (it obviously did not belong there).  The "loose body" was removed and the 3 months from then until now have been more difficult than expected.  Mike has only gradually been able to increase the distance, elevation, and the weight he is carrying on our training hikes.  In the last few days his knee is feeling much stronger.

Ruth has done very well both in 2012 and in 2014.  She has done several hikes throughout this summer with a few friends and has not developed any serious injuries.

Our advice concerning preparing for the Camino is to try to find a balance between too much and too little training.  To be specific, we would say you need regular short walks, almost daily, for several weeks.  Then at least a couple of hikes in the 10-12 mile range shortly before you leave for Europe.  See the next post about feet and boots, as blisters cause more pain on the Camino than any other single problem.

We feel very good about our preparation and are very confident about a successful Camino!  No matter what the future holds, we have completely enjoyed our Colorado hikes this summer.  Here is a picture from our recent walk in Staunton State Park west of Conifer.

And below is one from Ruth's last big training hike with Bobbie and Pam

We do live in a beautiful state.

 

 

Ruth's Stuff

Ruth's stuff is very similar to Mike's stuff. As stated in the previous post, he is planning to carry the Tablet and charger. She is planning to carry the first-aid kit, the hygiene items and a few other light household items such as clothespins and safety pins.  She will also carry a roll of press-n-seal plastic wrap for bread or cheese or similar food.  Mike has a few items that are somewhat heavier than Ruth's, most of this difference is in the boots and extra footwear.

Ruth will wear 4 lbs. 6 oz. and she will carry 14 lbs. 5 oz. for a total of 18 lbs. 11 oz. from-the-skin-out.

We have made only minor changes from our packing list from 2012.  The Tablet is the biggest change, taking the place of the guide book and the camera.  Mike took sandals in 2012 and is taking light tennis shoes and flip-flops.  We are both taking smaller water bottles this year as we found water to be available very often on most days.

Much of the time we will have some food, which is not included in the total weight of our stuff. This is normally just a few ounces of high energy or high protein items such as nuts, chocolate, bread, boiled eggs, cheese, and fruit.  The small towns have food available at least a couple of times a day.

Here is Ruth's gear:

 

Mike's Stuff

This is a list of the things Mike plans to carry. We call it "stuff" because most of it is not needed.  It is a short list, certainly less than we normally have in life.  But even as simple as it is, we have chosen most of these items for reasons other than survival.  It is the most basic lesson of the Camino - how little is really needed.

To Wear:
Shade hat, shirt, pants, briefs, socks, boots.  Total weight = 5 lbs. 2 oz.

To Carry:
Pack, sleep sac, jacket, rain jacket, 2 extra shirts, long underwear (top and bottom), small towel, washcloth, 2 pair of extra socks, 2 sets of extra briefs, 1 set of extra pants, pillow case, sheet, small rock, two small water bottles, belt pack, Samsung tablet, tablet charger, extra day pack, stocking cap, flip flops, tennis shoes, pilgrim credential, ear plugs, toothbrush, small light, spork, credit cards, IDs, small notebook and a few paper items, pen.  Total weight = 14 lbs. 12 oz.

Total Weight From the Skin Out: 19 lbs. 14 oz.

A few details.  The pack is an Osprey Kestrel 38 liter pack. It is a bit larger than is needed, but it is nice to have a couple liters of space left over for bread or cookies.  We have decided to take a tablet this year. It replaces both the guide book and the camera from the last trip, and it gives us the ability to take along a few books - electronic versions from the Kindle store.  It also gives us access to WIFI, and contact to home, since we are not taking phones.

Both of us are taking fitted sheets that are treated with permethrin.  This is in the hope that it will reduce the odds of an encounter with bed bugs.  The local expert says it will at least help us sleep better!

Mike is planning to carry the tablet, and Ruth is planning to carry most of the hygiene and first aid items.  Ruth's stuff will be detailed in the next post.

With all the stuff gathered up, we are both getting very excited!

New Beginnings

The title of our blog comes from a quote by Pualo Coelho: "A boat is safe in the harbor, but this is not the purpose of a boat."  He was a Brazilian author who walked the Camino in the mid 1980s, wrote about it, and inspired others to do the same. Of course, the boat must be prepared before it sails. This theme of risk vs. reward is on our minds as we step into the next phase of our lives.  We are so thrilled and a little apprehensive at the same time.