👣 Noire Pilgrim: A Bad Day is A Bad Day

But it’s not the end of the world.

One bad day or two. The world -and I – are having quite a few. I have been presented with difficult circumstances in the past and overcame them. I thrived, even. So will the world. If I didn’t believe that there would be no reason to walk the camino or do anything else.

Here is a glimpse of some of my not so best days on the camino. Just when I think to myself that this moment is the worst moment of my life, something reminds me that I am here to learn a lesson about my humanity. I am thankful that I get to live and walk another day.

An average stage or daily distance on the camino trail is about 20 kilometers. The camino Mozárabe has a few consecutive stage lengths measuring 30 or more.

What makes a bad day?

At first step, the distances seem doable until you realize that the path may not be a straight line at all. For instance, a mountain climb may measure over 1000 meters and includes several dozen dizzying switchbacks. Or a steep incline is covered entirely by granite boulders imbedded in the walking path. Etched muddy ground created by mountain rain runoff clogs hiking shoe lugs and increases the likelihood of slips, trips, and falls.

Camino trails are located in national parks, farmlands, orchards, public and private lands, places where cows, toros, pigs – domesticated and wild – sheep, chickens, and horse roam. Yes, the smell of live animals on the farm is overwhelming. Walking on these properties requires respect and appreciation for the opportunity to be so close to nature each day.

Barking dogs (most are fenced in) and wandering cats are ever-present. I’ve had encounters with creatures who escaped from their enclosures. They were a little too curious and aggressive. Simply raising my walking stick stops some. Others are aggravated just seeing a stick. That is scary.

Another source of a bad day is waste matter (manure or fertilizer) in various states of decomposition deposited over the path by livestock.

There is a lot of it in the wild, in the villages, and even in the cities. It does not take long to identify the “offending” animals… cows, sheep, dogs, foxes, even birds. Watch where you step!

I could be there by now

I had to learn how to read the yellow arrows on the trail. Yes, I have missed a few and had to retrace my steps. That increases distance and time walked. Increasingly, markings are being updated or improved. Stage distances are more or less accurate depending on a number of factors. Bike trails for the camino might meld with the pilgrims’, then diverge. Bikers speed through with a “buen camino” or two or three. If you are on a camino bike trail, that can add distance and time, too.

When a pilgrim or biker speeds away on the trail, it leaves me feeling like I’ve lost a friend.

Praying with my feet

Blisters began to form on my feet in the first few days of my walk. The hot weather, weight of my backpack, the mountain climbs and my shoes all contributed to this malady.

I’ve accumulated medical supplies along the way to nurse my feet back to health. I am determined to complete my pilgrimage to Santiago.

It is teaching me a lot about the importance of self-care and mindful sacrifice.

A look down the road

This is what I think to myself: I am walking on the camino as millions of humans have done for over a thousand years. This very path where people slept in sparse monasteries or on the ground and hunted or scrounged for food was not always safe.

Think about it: humans fought wars, engaged in slavery, genocide, and internment. We have witnessed civil wars, atomic and nuclear crises and accidents. We, the living descendants, exist to tell the tale and benefit from the lessons….. if we choose.

Certainly, we have a lot of work ahead of us. Some of that work includes retracing our steps and continuing efforts to defeat the major challenge and threat of the ages – man’s inhumanity to man.

But you know what? I believe that goodness in the world will triumph over evil. I believe that there is a future being planned and I want to be part of it. Don’t you?

Falling falling gone

I fell a few times already. Trying to find or keep my balance on a steep incline or rough ground is difficult with a backpack. My shoes and walking stick slip on certain surfaces… in dry river beds, mud, and the rain. My hip flexor was strained. I felt the pain immediately while climbing a mountain incline. I continued up the mountain until I could find a safe spot to remove my backpack and tend to my injury.

There is nothing to do in the moment except rest a bit and hope there will be no domino effect of related injuries to my leg. Every move requires a special balancing skill to stay upright. Each surface presents a new challenge: walking on dirt, sand, sharp river bed stones, granite, asphalt – each requires a specific technique.

Thinking about giving up is only an exercise. I cannot stop or give up because I planned for a long time to walk the camino. I want to do this. I need to do it, too. It is not foolish pride that keeps me on the trail. It is the incredible (anticipated) feeling of joy from completing the pilgrimage.

I am making my best effort to continue the trek – one step at a time… one kilometer at a time… one day at a time…

The situation is hopeless. We must take the next step. – Pablo Casals

Sun bathed

I am ever vigilant about the health of my brain. The sun is beaming down on my head. It is intense. I hope there are no detrimental long-term effects on my scalp and brain. I have a hat to cover my head and shade my face a bit. The path to Santiago is northward and westward.

The sun bathes the right side of my body with its scorching, radiant heat. Yes, I do apply sunscreen on my face and hands. My clothing covers much of my body but my right hand which wields my walking stick is considerably darker than my left.

The change came swiftly!

Where there is no vision, there is no hope. – George Washington Carver

🐞

When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.
– George Washington Carver

Baadaye and Buen camino

Shirley J ♥️

This and several posts this summer will chronicle my pilgrimage in Spain where I will walk the 1400 kilometer-long camino Mozárabe. Read my announcement here.