Journal Entries

I’m lying here in a bed at our pension, staring at the ceiling in anticipation for the beginning of our walk on the Camino Primitivo in the morning. Sleep will most likely evade me!

My mom and I have spent the last two days acclimating to the time change here in Spain and exploring the city of Oviedo which sits above Madrid near the coast in an area known as Asturia.

I’ve added a Spanish SIM card to my phone, stocked up on some food from the grocery store I know I can eat and picked up a cheap umbrella because I wasn’t brave enough to take my chances with my Six Moon and TSA.

I follow a Paleo lifestyle, avoid nightshades for arthritis relief and have IBS and good intolerances. I’m a mess. I love food but it doesn’t always love me! I am going to enjoy the food in Spain as much as I can but do my best to not spend the whole time in the bathroom. That means carrying more food than your average pilgrim might be cause restaurants and bars abound the length of the route.

My pack is heavier than I would like but lighter than most, I suppose. Somewhere around 11-12lbs before food and water. This last month I found myself weighing grams and doing my best to “leave my fears behind” but in the end decided I’ve done the ultralight thing before and don’t want to bring that competitiveness with me to Spain.

We had an amazing time touring the city and getting our first stamp at the Cathedral de San Salvador that marks the beginning of our journey. If you don’t know about Caminos de Santiago, you carry a credential with you and receive stamps along the way as proof you walked so you can receive a certificate in the end.

Last night after enjoying a cider that this region is famous for, we attended a pilgrim’s mass that blesses those who walk the path of a Camino. It was a wonderful way to christen our journey and a reminder that those who walk are meant to do so with a spiritual goal in mind.

I know for me, I not only hope to walk in faith but be open to gifts of direction for my life. Similar to my hike in the Pacific Crest Trail, I want to learn more about myself, what I am capable of and meet people from around the world.

Tomorrow we will get up and make our way through and out of town following bronze shell markers with a goal of about 12 miles for our first day. The weather is forecasted for mostly cloudy and a high of about 70 degrees. Just right, I say.

We had one little hiccup here at the hostel, the attendant who cleaned our room threw our main (Smart) water bottles away while we were out. Ugh. Luckily, we each have a collapsible Nalgene and smaller bottles from beverages we have had in town. May seem like a petty thing, but I like the Smart bottles sturdiness and ease of getting out of the pockets of my pack while hiking. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

Well, time to turn the light off at an attempt at sleep. Buen camino.

There are more pictures in the photo section of this journal. 🙂

Well, Mom and are sitting here in the airport with less than an hour until we depart.

I had planned to take time this morning to write up a lengthy post about getting ready these last few weeks and days for the trip but you know what they say about having plans.

Last minute throwing belongings into my pack and abandoning items on my to-do list mean that I will get on the plane looking forward to an amazing adventure and leave behind all that I can not control.

Ever since my trip to Costa Rica in 2009 when the day before my flight I got a call that my 12 year old son was in a New Mexico state patrol station waiting for the great grandparents to come from Texas in time before they closed and had to turn him over to child protective services because his dad had been picked up on a DUI from the airport, I have a general dread as vacation departures approach.

This time’s stress once again involved my now 22 year old son but thankfully not law enforcement. Actually, I guess it did but that was the least of it.

So, I’ll do my best to weave into my daily posts and pictures details about all the things folks enjoy like gear weights and such as I share our journey. Along with the drama of the last few weeks. Stay tuned!

In their prime season, Siberian Iris's added glorious deep purple to many flower beds.

A hot Sunday afternoon 'hike' through the 'Jardin botanique' Montreal, QC with @Celine. A spontaneous plan - to spend a couple hours meandering through several of the cultural and thematic gardens - showcased so much botanical diversity and beauty I'm sure I'll be making return visits.

How many varieties of peonies are there?! I don't know - but in my view this particular one is designed especially unusual and classically simple. For me, this botanical hike was filled with awe and appreciation - again - for the wonders and gifts of nature and our Creator.

@celine in the Chinese pavilion.

Going for a quick walk with @toesalad on the Missisquoi Nord trail in Eastman, QC after dropping the kids off at camp near Coaticook.

Exploring a short trail as we head back home after dropping some kids off at summer camp. Not as campers, but as councillors...

@reneetougas and @celine finding refuge from the black flies and a view of the landscape from a high (breezy) tower near La Tuque, QC.

And that would be black fly season... if you closed your eyes you would swear it was raining out. But no, it was just the black flies hitting the tent.