On the road again!

When you get a chance to read this, I'll be somewhere far away from home! Where am I going, how will I get there, and where are the beginning and the end? 

Yes -- I'm off on another adventure, and I hope to complete it this time. I'm off to walk the Camino de Santiago Compostella in northern Spain. Yes -- it's going to be hot - I'm prepared! I purchased this bracelet in Pomplona last year, and I've worn it ever since as a reminder that the journey awaits me. 

My Camino bracelet

I didn't make a big deal of leaving (no one knew when I was going!) as I had much to do and little time to make it happen. Loads of deadlines and trying to work far ahead are just - well full of deadlines!

Later in life (but still with loads of time), I decided that life was too short to sit at home and not venture out. Exactly 10 years ago yesterday, two people I cycled across Canada with were killed in Northern Ontario on our cross-country trip. It was traumatic, but it shows that you can go at any time, but they went doing what they loved. 

Am I apprehensive, considering I had to cut the trip short last year? Sure I am - I'd be crazy if I wasn't. I'm apprehensive about many things, but if I don't face those fears head-on, guess what? I'm not having fun! 

I've been testing shoes, socks, shoe sizes, and how to tie laces until it all becomes too exhausting to think about. Should I use hiker's wool to prevent friction? Should I rub my feet in Vaseline every morning - again to alleviate friction? What will the heat do? 

My knees? Well, what can I say? I'm having a good spell these days - they are stiff as ever, but they will only get stiffer if I wait. So I'm going, and they will just have to walk with me or - well - we'll see. 

I can only hope that I've taken enough precautions and that I'm MUCH smarter about stopping and doing a bit of preventative care before things get out of hand. 

There will be many adventures and stories along the way and some agonizing ones. I'm sure some of them will be entertaining enough to share with you. I will chronicle the journey as best I can on my teeny keyboard for my phone. Any pictures will be posted ONLY on Facebook, as I won't have the ability to load them to the blog. Right now, I'm emptying my phone of the 7000 pictures accumulated there, so I'll be free to take photos of everything I want. 

I plan on hiking/walking 25 - 30 KM each day, depending on many things, and I'll see what those things are and how I feel each day. I'm going to take it one day at a time. 

I'm going alone and walking alone, but I'll never be lonely. There will be many people along the way that I can chat with if I want. But I like myself and am not afraid to be alone with just me and those little voices in my head. The ones that will encourage me and equally discourage me. Let's all cheer those voices that will encourage me to drown out the others. 

I'll think about everything and everyone at some point. I'll contemplate life and solve the entire world's problems. But at the same thing, I'll think about NOTHINIt will the day. 

It's going to be so freeing to have nothing to plan except where I'll lay my head that night. Although ordering food and drink in Spanish can be a challenge, I'll make do! 

I know I'll have up moments and down moments when I might want to throw in the towel. I will be hot, hungry, and cranky at times, which is part of the journey. This is a pilgrimage; it's not a five-star vacation.  

The blog might be interrupted and will definitely be posted at a different time as I'll blog later in the afternoon, and Spain is 6 hours ahead. I might miss a blog post if I don't have access to Wi-Fi, but I'll always check in on Facebook. 

When will I be back? Who knows! I'll be back when I get back. 

Oh wait - what am I taking? I've pared it down, and my backpack weighs 11 pounds, excluding what I'm wearing. Add a pound or so for water when I start to hike, and I should be good. Every time I have walked past that backpack in the last couple of weeks, I pick it up and think, "It's not heavy." I need to remember that after 30 KM in the heat. It's NOT heavy! This is ALL I own for the next month!

My backpack

Enjoy the summer -- take some time for yourself (but keep those October deadlines in mind!) and ensure you live your life how you want. We should not have regrets about our life on our deathbed. That sounded awfully morbid!

Stay tuned, and let's see what life has in store for me!

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!