Day One El Aeropuerto

The trip to Madrid was fortunately uneventful. The plane left promptly and all of our things arrived on time. Unfortunately though, I did not get much sleep. You would think that a teenager who can fall asleep in any class she wants(just kidding, Mom) would be able to sleep on an airplane but apparently not. I watched the movie Juno twice (it was a toss up between either that or American Gangster) and tried to look out the window for the rest of the trip. Dad, on the other hand, was happily asleep in the seat next to me with eyeguards and ear plugs.

After we got to the Madrid airport, we had a four hour layover waiting for our plane to Leon. We either had the choice of taking a plane or a train to Leon so my dad said he wanted to take the plane, because it would get us there faster and we would have more time to tour around. Unfortunately the way the Madrid airport is set up, once you pick up your things from the baggage claim you have to leave. Having four hours, Dad and I figured we would get some little snacks and then hang out in the terminal. We then realized that since we were out of the airport there were no nice little shops to look at (no buying things, of course, because weight is everything) and there were no chairs to sit in. We could not check in because we were so early and there was no one at the check in station. Needless to say, I now know the outside of the Madrid airport like the back of my hand and can take you anywhere you want as long as you don´t have a ticket.

The company that we flew with was so small that they did not have their own gate, but made us walk outside on the tarmack to get to the plane. Finally, we did get on the plane though. The flight attendants had the best outfits ever-lime green suits with dark blue trimming and dark blue felt high heels with lime green trimming. While we were on the plane, we met a very nice woman from Brazil who will also be hiking the Camino, but starting at a diffent place than us. Of course, she compared notes with Dad, and they intensely discussed their expectations of the trip. After an hour ride, we got off at the smallest airport I have ever seen, and had to use the phone for the first time to call a taxi, who dropped the lady off at the train station and us at our first refugio.

Now I have to say the alberges, refugios, or hostels (whatever you want to call them) are all that I expected. They have big rooms filled with bunkbeds and a bathroom with showers, toilets, and sinks. This first one we stayed at had two floors one for men and one for women so my dad and I got split up. My dad met a man who is a funeral motorcylist that directs funerals on a motorcyle (not the average Joe´s career).

We saw the cathedral which has some of the most beautiful stained glass in Europe and visited the library and cloister at San Isidoro. Afterwards, we went to eat where I got to try out some of my spanish and order paella. I thought it was neat to see the brass symbols for the Camino all over the city because the trail passes right through the center (knowing my dad and me, I am still scared we will get lost). I am excited for the rest of the trip; the next day is walking.
Caroline

We are leaving now........Buen Camino!

A Combination of Blisters and Cupcakes

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! We are going to die!!!

24 hours left and I'm so nervous. I'm not quite sure if it's nerves about the 20 miles a day, or the sleeping in a big room with 20 to 200 of my closest new friends, or maybe it's just not being at home with my friends and family for almost a whole month (this is the longest I have ever been away). But if I did have to pinpoint why I am so nervous, I would have to say that it is probably none of those but the fear of blisters. My feet are very blister prone. You would think that after 12 years of ballet having to go through pointe shoes, 4 years of lacrosse, and running, my feet would be hard as rocks; but that would be a negative.
In fact, my feet have gone through the mill and come out baby soft, but my Dad is trying to change that (this is the part where you think "Uh oh, what is he making her do now?").

I have been soaking my feet in tea and putting lanolin cream (yes, the one for breast feeding moms) on them. He has also tried to make me put on Tincture of Benzoin, this nasty smelling stuff that you paint on the bottoms. But that is where I drew the line and flat out refused to turn my feet green (There were a couple of days where my feet looked and smelled like they were rotting).

I really hope at least some of this stuff has helped my feet at little bit, and I have not done it all in vain.

I have to tell ya'll about my hiking trip last Saturday on the AT. This training hike consisted of 20 miles from Woody's Gap up and around Blood Mountain. Anyone who has ever hiked Blood says that this whole trip should be done in two days. I think we should have taken a hint when the hikers on the trail laughed and shook their heads as we told them what we were planning to do that day. In the beginning, I would have said that we were just a little overzealous, but after about the first 12 miles I seriously questioned our sanity. I know that we will be walking 20 miles some days on the Camino but at least it is not like hiking in the Georgia mountains. My favorite part was when my dad said "Man, I really don't remember this trail being so rocky!" and about 3 minutes later I took a tumble over a rock and cut and bruised my knee.

Well Bennett, all I really have to say is "I'm sorry!" Poor Bennett, my best friend, came with us thinking at first that we were just going on a fun little 10 mile walk in the woods. Unfortunately that is not exactly the way it turned out. By the end we were betting fishing lures on what time we would get back and swore that we had passed the same tree at least 5 times. Finally, we got back exhausted and purely terrified of what we will come up against in the next couple days on the Camino.

So to calm my nerves about the trip I have decided to bake cupcakes. Yes, I know it is the day before I am leaving and I should be packing. And yes, I know that to eat 24 cupcakes in 24 hours I would have to eat one per hour, but I am cool with all that stuff because I love cupcakes and baking them gets my mind off the omnipresent trip and calms my nerves. Well sort of. Here is a picture of me and my creations.

A Blessing from Father Dye

We were fortunate to get a wonderful send off from our home parish, Mary Our Queen, today. Father Dye blessed us at the end of mass, using the pilgrim blessing given in Roncevalles, Spain. Many people came up after mass to wish us good luck and find out more about our plans. Father also made sure we knew that it was part of our duty to pray for the Parish during our pilgrimage. We promised we would.

Blisters and Boy Scouts and Snakes! Oh My!

Our final practice hike was an adventure in itself. We went on the Appalachian Trail and hiked a 20 mile loop trail starting at Woody's Gap. Caroline's friend Bennett came with us. This first half of the day was great. We walked quickly and enjoyed the cool mountain weather. On top of Blood Mountain, we ate lunch and met several groups. one was a scout troop on their "shake-down" hike for Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. This is the Mecca for US Boy Scouts. The boys were carrying 60 pound packs that made our 20 pounders look tiny. As we continued, the trail became much rougher with rocks. Caroline fell and bruised her knee pretty badly. We were all pretty tired when we go to mile 15 and stopped to rest. Another hiker coming up the trail told us that there was a big rattlesnake ahead that struck at his hiking poles six times! Well we picked up our pace and our attentiveness as we walked that next mile! I started forming a blister on my heel that was an unwelcome addition at the end of the hike. Caroline already had two from earlier. By the time we got back to the car we were walking wounded. We now have a week to recuperate from our practice hike, but we at least know we can do the distance if needed.

Do we really need all this?

A week to go and we have taken over the basement! Tonight everything has to go in the packs for our final practice hike Saturday. As you can see from the LARGE amount of STUFF, we are going to have to pare it down as much as possible.

Perspective

"Most importantly, don't forget why you're out there. There's a reason for you doing it, so don't lose sight of that." -Minkey from the Camino forum

We are almost a week from leaving and I feel like I am trying to anticipate every disaster that could befall us on this trip. Blisters, cold weather, full refugios... I keep worrying we may get caught unprepared.

Minkey's comment sort of woke me up again. The purpose of the Camino is not to prepare for every eventuality. You can't do that in life and you can't do that here. You have to learn and be open to what God brings you.
The Camino is a test for you, your family, and those you meet along the way. For the individual, it is most evident because you have to walk each day, manage your own physical needs, and be able to motivate yourself to continue tomorrow. Hopefully also you will find ways to make the lives of others you meet better along the way. This may happen by becoming a friend, helping fix a foot, cooking a meal, sharing some soap, or just lending an ear. Sharing this type of love is part of being a Christian.
Secondly, your family also has a test during the Camino. those you leave behind have to keep the family life going without having everyone there. This means more chores and less time for themselves, but it also means more worry. Is everything OK? How are they doing in Spain? Your family at work also has to cover for your time away. This means more work for them and lack of knowing what your plans or expectations may have been.
Lastly, those you meet along the way are tested by you and the cultural, emotional, and spiritual baggage you bring on the Camino. Not everyone you break bread with is going to share your love of lacrosse, or desire to wake up early. I am told I snore, so that surely will be a test for others;)

But the purpose for our Camino is for Caroline and me to share this common experience before she fully matures into an adult, and give us both the chance to strengthen our relationship. I want to make sure I don't lose sight of that.

"Good Luck is the Result of Good Planning"

This was the fortune that I got in my cookie last night when we ate Chinese for dinner. How apropos given everything we have going on right now getting ready for the Camino. As you can see from Caroline's great post, I have become overly consumed with trying to plan.

At first I was trying not to be too focused on the preparation. I am the typical Boy Scout that wants to have all the plans made with contingencies before he leaves. But on this adventure, it has to be different. Never in my life have I only had transportation to a place and transportation back, but no other reservations. I truly have tried to leave that to God to make sure we have room and board along the way.

Yet in the beginning, every time I would explain the Camino to someone, they would look at me incredulously and say "you are walking 20 miles, every day, with a pack! Are you crazy!"
After a while I started thinking we were. We have never walked that kind of a distance for this long before. Yes, we both have been exercising almost daily, but not at the same intensity and duration we will have in Spain. What were we thinking?

So my point then became figuring out how to minimize the weight in our packs so that we would carry the least amount possible. We will see how well we do on that. The final packing has yet to be done and I think we may have some hard decisions to make.

I have also been involved with Forums that focus on the Camino and give a meeting place for neophytes and experienced sages. The one I frequent most is Ivar's Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. So many of my minor little questions have been answered here by those that have already lived the trip. I don't know if people often realize how much they help those who need it by merely participating in these types of sites. They really are a great help. There are others on the Links portion of the blog in case you are interested.

A thread began on that forum a month ago stating that they has seen a significant increase in the number of Pilgrims and that many are going without beds or are having to walk 5-10 km more to find a place to stay. This scared me to death. Can you imagine having walked 20 miles to find nowhere to stay and then have to continue on several miles more! You could be totally broken. This has been my biggest fear the entire time since.

But we are mostly done with the preparation and now it is just accepting what this adventure will bring. Caroline has finals this week, so I want for her to be focused on school and this will take a back seat now.

I just finished the last book I plan to read about the Camino before we leave. It was Joyce Rupp's Walk in a Relaxed Manner. This a great book to finish on and one I may bring to leave in an albergue and let other pilgrims enjoy. It uses the Camino as a way to learn life lessons and really helps you to become focused on the most important reasons you are doing this type of pilgrimage. I strongly recommend it.

All I can think about is You

So have you ever heard of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? Otherwise known as OCD. Well, it must run in the family. When we find something we like, we just can't take our minds off of it. This disorder seems to be especially prevalent in my father. He just can't take his mind off of this trip. Dad has been going around weighing everything and getting us to try out our new stuff and use it on a daily basis. Now I'm not complaining about the weighing, but I am complaining about the usage of materials only meant to be used for backpacking and not daily use. Here are some of the things he has made me do, these are direct quotes:

• "Caroline, here you have to try out this bar of soap for the next couple of days. I bought it for the Camino. We're gonna use it to wash our bodies, wash our clothes, wash our hair, and brush our teeth" Wow, I did not know they made such a “magical” bar of soap!!!
• "Caroline, take this deodorant and put a mark on it with a sharpie each time you use it, so we can see how long it is going to last you. I’ve got twelve now how many do you have?”
• "Oh good, it's raining. Now is a perfect time to put on our packs and ponchos and hike around the neighborhood" OK, Dad, that is a great idea. Let’s hope everyone we know is outside, so they can watch us in our best hiking outfits.
• "Here try out this new sleeping bag. It weighs 1 pound 4 ounces and is almost paper thin. I want you to sleep on the floor tonight, so you can see how it feels." Sure, I'll sleep on the floor right next to my nice comfortable bed. I only have school and a lacrosse game tomorrow.
  

Well, guys, I need your prayers.
Caroline

Why the Camino?

The biggest questions that I get asked when I tell people that we are going on a Pilgrimage in Northern Spain are "How did you hear about it? and Why the Camino?".

The first time I even had a sense that there was such a long distance pilgrimage came after I saw a program on public television that chronicles the development of churches through Europe. It explained that Santiago became a focal point for Pilgrims and that some of the best Gothic architecture came along those paths that led the pilgrims to Santiago. These paths stretched through Europe and in the 9th century onwards, were highly trafficked by Catholics.

We have many relatives in Spain and on a previous trip we discussed the Camino and it sounded very interesting.

Having always wanted to do the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, the Camino sounded like a similar experience that combines our Catholic heritage, long distance walking, a true experience of Europe, and an opportunity to grow in our faith. It is also a chance for Caroline and me to spend time together before she moves into that part of her life where college and friends will take precedence over family. I call this her "Rite of Passage" to adulthood to steal a phrase. We went together on a mission trip to Honduras last summer and this may be the last time she and I can spend time together and share an experience that should be a highlight of our lives.

There are many Caminos to Santiago, but we have chosen to take the one that is most popular, the Camino Frances. This normally is begun in France at St. Jean Pied du Port, or over the mountains in Roncevalles, Spain. To start here is usually a 6 week trip and I could not afford to take that much time from work.

Our plan is to begin in Leon, Spain and walk over 250 miles to the sea at Finisterre. We will have three weeks to do this, including travel. It is quite an endeavor that seems more and more intimidating as time draws closer for us to leave. We will need to walk 15-20 miles each day to be able to complete the trip and have rest days in Santiago and Fistera.

Rainwear vs. the Altus Poncho

We wanted to share a little about the Altus Atmospheric Poncho and why we selected these for our Camino. These ponchos are made in Spain and perfectly fit for use with an internal pack. The design is like a rain cagoule but with the added benefit of having space built into the back to allow the coverage of an internal frame pack.

They come in two sizes and the large weighs 13 oz. Though the material is coated nylon and not a breathable fabric, there is sufficient venting to minimize moisture build up.

You can compare this to a full rain suit typically used for backpacking. My Marmot Precip rain coat and pants, plus a pack cover weigh in at 28 oz. and still allow the pack to get wet in the back and strap area. The Altus provides full coverage of the pack and reduces the risks in high winds that are the problems usually found with traditional ponchos. As you can see from the picture though, the jacket is not as viable as a wind jacket to use when not carrying a pack.

We will carry a light wind jacket (InSport running jacket or OR Ether Jacket) that weigh about 6 oz. and provide another light layer as well as wind and mild rain protection. this will give a good combination for the varying conditions and allow for several alternatives in layering in Galicia where the rain and variable temperatures will be most severe.

I love the Altus poncho and am very surprised that they are not more popular in the US as an alternative for the experienced backpacker.

Hopefully we can share our experiences with it as we travel further.

Chris and Matt, I hope this helps you understand our decision.

Strength for the Journey is the Name of the Game

Wow, seventeen more days to go. I'm not quite sure what to say except for WOW. My dad and I are now in the packing, researching, and training stage of our journey (my dad doing the packing and researching and both of us the training). We are hoping that his daily workouts at the gym, and my lacrosse season has gotten us into good enough shape to take on this endeavor of hiking over 200 miles in just three weeks. Between the Camino, exams, and end of the year activities the excitement never seems to stop. I hope on this blog my dad and I will be able to share our experiences with all our friends and family. Thanks for supporting us even if you do think we are crazy.
God Bless,
Caroline

PRAYER OF THE PILGRIM (Los Arcos)

"Lord, you who called your servant Abraham out of the town of Ur in Chaldea
and who watched over him during all his wanderings; you who guided the Jewish
people through the desert; we pray for you to watch your servants, who
for the love of your name, make a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Be for us,
a companion on our journey
the guide on our intersections
the strengthening during fatigue
the fortress in danger
the resource on our itinerary
the shadow in our heat
the light in our darkness
the consolation during dejection
and the power of our intention

so that we under your guidance, safely and unhurt, may reach the end of our journey,
and strengthened with gratitude and power, secure and filled with happiness,
may join our home, for Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

Apostle James, pray for us
Holy Virgin, pray for us"

Packing List

I have revised this list to show the last minute changes we made and give some specifics to those who may find it useful in the future. I hope it is valuable. I put Caroline's in italics.

Here is our packing list as planning today. Any input or comments would be appreciated.

Camino Packing Checklist

Clothing

• Sunhat (GI Booney, Mizuno NYC Marathon cap)
• Hiking boots (Lowa, Vasque)
• 3 pairs socks (to walk in, washed daily) (Thorlo midweight hiking, two pair each, and Thorlo or Smartwool heavyweight, one pair each)
• 3 pairs liner socks (Wigwam liners or REI polypro)
• 1 pair sandals (Crocs, Keen)
• 2 pair Zip off legs quick drying walking trousers (to walk in, washed daily) REI Sahara, North Face)
• 2 short sleeve T-shirts (Duofold, REI SaharaTech T, Underarmour)
• 1 long sleeve T-shirt (Asics Core)
• 1 long sleeve shirt (REI Sahara)
• 1 nylon singlet top (Umbro sleeveless soccer jersey)
• 1 skirt
• 3 sports bras
• 1 long sleeve fleece (Patagonia R2, Old Navy) bought another fleece jacket in Spain)
• 1 running shorts (to sleep in and use) (REI OXT, Moving Comfort)
• 3 pair underwear (REI, ExOfficio, Patagonia)
• rain jacket (Altus raincoat)
• gaitors (REI)
• wind jacket (InSport eVent, OR Ether)
• 2 bandanas

Toiletries

• Sunscreen (3oz Aveena 70 SPF); Shared
• Toilet paper (replaced on fourth day with small pack of tissues); Shared
• Microfibre towel (REI towels)
• Nylon pouch containing:
  Travel tube (1oz) toothpaste & brush; Shared paste; bought more along the way
  Bar of Soap (Doubles as body soap, shampoo, and clothes washing detergent); Shared
• Soap Container; Shared
  Shampoo
• Plastic hairbrush/comb
  Travel size deodorant & anti-perspirant (1 each)
  Contacts/liquid
  Razor (1 each)

Sleeping Gear

• earplugs (2 pair each)
• eyeguards (1 pair each)
• sleeping bag (Lafuma Extreme 600, Guide Gear)

First Aid/Repair Kit; Shared

• sewing kit (including needle & thread)
• Extra lithium batteries (2 AA, 3AAA, 2 6V)
• Rope
• Plastic bags (toilet paper, clothes)
• Duct tape
• Swiss Army knife
• Ibuprofen tablets (10 200mg; replaced with 600mg in Spain)
• Nail clippers
• Epi-pen (with prescription Box)
• Compeed (two packs; replaced in Spain)
• Immodium AD (two packs)
• bought Ibuprofen cream along the way

Misc.

• Backpack (REI UL45L, Gregory GPack)
• Hiking staffs (Leki); Shared
• Power Bars (2 each)
• 12 diaper pins; Shared
• 6 metal ID clips (for washing); Shared
• Sink Drain Cover; Shared
• Headlamp (Zipka or Black Diamond Ion) 2.28oz & 1.1oz
• Rosary; Shared
• Card with Spanish Mass parts; Shared
• Glasses (case)
• Sunglasses (case)
• Watch
• Phone; Shared
• Phone charger with adapter plug; Shared
• Guidebooks (Brierley and CSJ both cut down for only Leon to Santiago)
• Small book on Camino from CSJ
• Journal Moleskine
• Pen; Shared
• Water bottles
• Fanny pack
• Camera (Canon A710 IS)
• Money belt (Eagle Creek)
• Passports
• Nylon Wallet
• Coin Purse bought along the way
• ATM/credit cards
• Money
• Pilgrim Passports