Tag: Camino

Embracing the Spiritual on the Camino

January 29th, 2024

The Camino is many things; it is a long hike, it is a journey to healing, it is an endurance contest, it is a religious quest, it is a party, it is a transformational journey, it is an adventure, it is a tragedy, it is a victory, it is an awakening, it is an inspiration, it is a struggle, it is a joyful journey, it is a loving experience, it is forgiveness and compassion, but most of all it is one of the most profound spiritual journeys I have ever experienced. It is a spiritual journey because it causes you to reach within your own thoughts and feelings for the courage and fortitude to embark on and complete an 800 kilometer walk across Spain. To acknowledge the spiritual nature of this journey, one does not have to believe in God or be religious in anyway. It only requires that we become aware of the depth of our own consciousness and be in touch with our feelings. Spirit emerges within us in the realm of feelings. Feelings of joy, feelings of love, feelings of inspiration, feelings of despair, feelings of hope, feelings of connection and feelings of loneliness.

The modern world gives us little time to reflect and marinate in our deeper reality within our heart and mind. It comes at us, and we are compelled to respond aggressively or retreat meekly. My spiritual life is much more present when I am moving physically. When I have a singular focus, my thoughts settle down, and my mind becomes open. Walking the Camino puts us in a place that requires us to be alert and centered, and when we are journeying in the presence of others to a common place, we open ourselves to those around us and become our real selves. On my 2^nd Camino Frances in the late summer and early fall of 2022, I walked alone as much as I walked with others, and yet I never felt alone, even when I could not see another pilgrim. The idea was that all of us on the Way have the goal of getting to the same place. It was not a competition, it was a collaboration of people with all kinds of different life experiences, skills, and stories. When walking the Camino, people share their life at depth with people they have just met. And when people are genuine and open, we connect. I honestly fell in love at least 100 times on the Camino, and I am not talking about romantic love, I am talking about connecting as people, as family.

Last fall I walked the first 9 days of the Camino Del Norte. It was hard, and it challenged me significantly. I was surprised at how few Pilgrims there were, and I was so tired at the end of each day I didn’t have the energy to explore. On the 5^th day walking from Markina-Xemein, I met two young pilgrims, Kyle from North Carolina and Hollie from England. Meeting those two was a great blessing, because it lifted my spirits and gave me new energy. We walked together to Gernika, and I found out that my Albergue was another 6 K past Gernika in the mountains. I was sad that I had to leave them, and I did not see them again, but I have fond memories of that particular day. Hollie was only walking to Bilboa and then would go to Porto to meet her boyfriend. Kyle was just 18, but very mature for his age. It reminded me of the wonderful days on the Camino Frances the year before, and I was grateful for those hours of companionship and sharing.

There is a saying on the Camino, it is “The Camino Provides”. Not “God Provides” but “The Camino Provides”. When there is something needed, it shows up just when the need is greatest. The energy to make those last couple of Kilometers at the end of a long day, a place to sleep when everything seems full, a restaurant or bar when you are hungry and tired, a doctor to help with your blisters, or someone who can take you to a doctor and be your interpreter. I don’t care how many times someone tells me the Camino was easy, because I know that virtually everyone is challenged and must reach within themselves for strength. Often at the end we forget about some of those most difficult days because of the feeling of accomplishment. In my second Camino I came to a place that I just wanted to finish, that I was done with the Camino thing, and then an Irishman shows up, and I walk with him and he tells me how impressed he is that I can keep up with him when I am in my 70’s. He buys me lunch in Portomarin, and then heads off to Lugo because he wants to see the Roman Walls. He leaves me energized and renewed. A year later I was back on the Camino having profound and meaningful experiences.

If the Camino de Santiago is anything, it is a spiritual journey of courage, of forgiveness, of healing, and of compassion. It changes you from within your heart and soul. It gives those who partake in this pilgrimage a renewed hope about life and about people. It lifts the spirit and opens the door to deeper self-discovery, and that is what a spiritual journey is all about.

Buen Camino

Stephen Towles

Home
The Beautiful Meseta

January 15th, 2024

There is not a single part of the Camino Frances that deserves to be skipped, and yet when someone asks in the Camino Forums what part should I skip, the most common answer is “Skip the Meseta, you won’t miss much”. The Meseta is the land from Burgos to Leon which is about 162 K (105 miles). It represents about 20% of the Camino and I believe often gets a bad rap. If you follow the Brierley guidebook and walk it in 8 days, if turns out to be 20 K per day on average. Not only that, but it is also relatively flat, which is a nice change of pace from the walk to Burgos. The Meseta is the stretch where the Pilgrim can get their act together to get ready for the last 13 days of the Camino. It consists of a lot of arid land and agricultural land as well. It definitely has its’ own unique beauty, but more importantly it is home to many Spaniards and others as well.

              The first stop out of Burgos is Hornillos del Camino, which is a small agricultural town. It is a long narrow town with several Albergues and places to eat. At the West end of town there is a Bar that is owned by a young man from Africa, who immigrated to Spain. He is quite a promoter and as you entered the town, he had lots of flyers advertising a karaoke night. One of my young female companions who was like a daughter to me, talked me into going. I was not into crowds and there definitely was a crowd, so I left quite early and went back to my Albergue for some peace and solitude. When I got back to the Albergue, I was lying on my lower bunk bed just relaxing and reading. A woman came who had arrived late afternoon, and we started having a conversation. I learned she was from Holland, and she was a quite fit attractive 55-year-old who was doing 30 K days. Sometime during our conversation, she asked me if I had anyone back home. I answered in the affirmative mentioning my kids and grandkids. She looked at me directly and said, “I mean do you have ANY ONE back home?” It caught me off guard for a moment and I responded with a “yes, I do have a sweetheart back home”. I realized in that moment that she was interested in me for some reason. I asked her how old she thought I was, and she said she thought I was in my mid 50s just like her. I told her that I was 73, and she would not believe me. I had to show her my driver’s license. We laughed and I was quite flattered at her interest in me. Honestly it made my day. The next morning, she left just before I did, and I did not see her again. I will long remember the moment I realized her interest.

              The next morning, I found out from my Camino daughter, that the owner of the karaoke bar asked her to marry him and even had a ring. He was so smitten with her but of course my Camino daughter was not looking for something like that. He did stay in touch with her and met us in Bercianos where we played some board games and learned about his unique journey to Hornillos. He seemed like a decent fellow with bad timing. I tell these stories because they happened on the first day on the Meseta. The small unique towns and villages were friendly and appreciative of the Pilgrims. It was one of the most interesting parts of the Camino and the people were especially welcoming. We experienced the singing Sisters in Carrion de Los Condes, and every day we would walk toward the distant horizon with the sun rising at our backs. I cannot remember ever being bored with the changing scenery along the way. I noticed that the cover photo on the late John Brierley’s guidebook is from the Meseta, and so he too thought it was an important part of the Camino. By the time we entered the Meseta my Camino family was coalescing and we were splitting up and some were taking alternate routes, but always coming back together the same day or the next. Some of my group happened to run into John Brierley in Reliegos and found had experienced a respite from his battle with cancer. He was back on the Camino he loved and doing updates in his guidebook. They had a wonderful conversation with him and were blessed by the experience.

              I know there are a lot of people who do not have the time to take 30-35 days to do the entire Camino Frances. I will say there is something about that time frame that allows for a deeper and more complete experience, especially with the personal connections that we make on this journey. I would encourage those who do not have the time to consider doing the section between Burgos and Leon. It is 12 days to Burgos, 8 days to Leon, and 13 days to Santiago. Three nice sections to do a complete Camino.

Buen Camino,

Stephen Towles

Caminocoach.net
The Journey to Camino Conditioning

January 8th, 2024

One of the biggest concerns of the first time Pilgrim who is going to walk the Camino, is the fear that their conditioning will not have prepared them for the experience. It is not a question on Facebook posts as much as many other things, likely because most people don’t want to admit that they are not ready physically for the experience. It is understandable that few people have the time to really get themselves in Camino shape before they go. Therefore, they must catch up or endure the first couple of weeks of 24-kilometer days (15 miles) before they start to feel like they are getting in shape. And by the time they finish and are actually in shape, it is over. There are also a lot of folks that decide to go at the last minute, figuring they will get in shape on the journey, and that might work OK for 20-30 year olds, but it does not work well for the rest of us, especially people my age.

When I made the decision to go on my first Camino it was 19 months before I was scheduled to leave. I was a fairly regular walker, which was an hour or less of walking and not every day. I was age 68 and scheduled myself to leave for The Camino on April 21, 2019. I knew that I needed to be in better shape than I was and that meant losing some weight and getting comfortable walking long distances with a 15 -20 lb backpack. Even at my age I was so Naïve as to what it was going to take to accomplish my goal. Because of time considerations I was planning on doing 32 K per day (20 miles) on average. I figured that since all I had to do was walk I could pace myself, do longer days, and finish the Camino in less than 30 days. I figured that if I could walk 16 k I could do 32 k, and so every once in a while I would do a 16 k walk just to see where I was at in my conditioning. The bottom line is that my training walks were inconsistent, my 16 k walks were infrequent, and I didn’t walk far enough to test my shoes to see if they would give me blisters. There were so many little things I didn’t realize were important and I thought I could deal with them on the journey. As the saying goes, “Stupid is as Stupid does”. Therefore, I arrived in St Jean de Pied de Port having lost no weight, having shoes a ½ size too small because they were my normal size, and not in the shape that I needed to be to have the kind of journey that I was expecting.

My first morning heading up to Orrison for breakfast was driven by adrenaline and excitement. That went well for those 8 kilometers. I did fairly well on a physical level that day, but the downhill into Roncesvalles did a number on my feet, especially my little toes. I was so exhausted when I arrived that I slept for 2 hours. I also slept well that night and felt OK the next morning. I walked most of the next day with a young lady from Hungary and pushed on to Larrosoana which turned it into a 27 k day, which was still short of my goal of 32 k a day. That left me 13 k behind schedule for the first 2 days. I started to feel the effects of walking so far each day and my feet were not doing well. On the 4^th day trying to catch up I did 36 k and my feet and body were breaking down fast and I was still behind my schedule. I ended up leaving the Camino on the 14^th day at Carrion de Los Condes with skin pealing off the souls of my feet and I had seriously infected blisters. I clearly was not ready for this journey in so many ways and it wasn’t much fun.

In the fall of 2021, I came back to finish my Camino. I had walked significantly more in my training, still had not lost weight, but had much better shoes. I also had worked with a Spanish friend that helped me on my first Camino and she helped me with my schedule and booked my accommodations. We shortened my expectations to a 25 K per day average, and I finished in 19 days from Fromista. It was still challenging, and I realized that my conditioning was still not what it needed to be. When I got home after my success, I decided I wanted to do the whole thing the following September in 2022. This time I lost 30 lbs before I left and put a lot of simulated Camino days in my training schedule. I walked daily 10 – 12 K and weekly did a 20 K with a full pack with significant elevation in the walk. I discovered the shoes that would work for me best, which are Oboz Hiking Shoes, and lowered the weight of my pack some, and gave myself a little extra time. My Spanish friend helped me again with the schedule and booking some accommodations for the first few days. I ended up doing that Camino in 33 days that included one rest day in Leon. I had two consecutive days in the second half of that Journey that were 35 k, I did so in order to catch my group that had gotten ahead of me because of my day off in Leon. It was the most fun, inspirational, meaningful, joyful, 33 days of my adult life. I have become friends with people of all ages from all over the world. I could keep up with anyone I walked with and arrive at my destination at the end of the day with energy to spare. The weight loss made a huge difference, and not getting a single blister and experiencing any body pain was entirely due to my taking my training seriously the previous 12 months.

No one who has not walked 25 k a day for 30+ days knows just how challenging it can be. I know it is unrealistic to walk Camino days at home with all that shows up in life. I also know that regarding weight issues that you cannot out work your diet. Some people actually gain weight on their Camino because they eat everything in sight due to their daily exercise level. I didn’t lose weight, but I didn’t gain any either. I ate a lot and didn’t scrimp on my portions, but I tried to be sensible in my food choices. During that 10 months between Camino’s, I used an APP called Noom to monitor my caloric intake and lost about ¾ pound a week and have managed to keep it off for the most part. I have continued my training schedule, only it is not training, it has become normal daily activity. I remain physically ready to do another Camino, in fact I attempted the Camino Del Norte this past September but found I was hasty and not really ready, so I came home after 9 days. The first 5 days of that route are harder than any day on the Camino Frances and It got too expensive for me because of accommodation challenges on that route. I wrote an article in this Blog series about it.

I believe to be ready for a Camino, I must walk about 90 kilometers a week for a couple of months before the Camino. That would include two simulated Camino Days back-to-back to assess my condition. I will say that if you prepare, you will have a wonderful, fabulous, inspiring, and transformational Camino experience.

Buen Camino,

Stephen Towles

stephentowles@me.com

You can read more about Stephen’s Camino Adventures in his book Heaven is Walking the Camino de Santiago available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Heaven+is+Walking+the+Camino+de+Santiago&crid=1SMK81DODG0WV&sprefix=heaven+is+walking+the+camino+de+santiago%2Caps%2C151&ref=nb_sb_noss
Sunrise on the Camino

December 22nd, 2023

It was Martin Luther King Jr. who said: “If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but by all means keep moving!” I have come to believe that this statement is perfect for describing my experience on all of my Camino’s. It is in the constant movement forward that everything, every experience, every incredible moment occurs. And yet it is not speed that we seek, it is the slow steady pace of one step after another one million times over the 32 days that makes the journey what it is and what it is not. Our modern life is one of movement from one place to another and one thing to another. And the movement is fast and in the speed of our movement we miss a huge part of life. You see, you can only walk so fast, and you must pay attention to where you are going and your surroundings and are subject to unexpected moments that I call Camino Moments.

One of my favorite moments of most every day on the Camino was when the sun rose in the eastern sky. You see the Camino Frances is a journey from East to West, and every day the sun would rise from behind. You could begin to feel it happening and it was almost always a spectacular moment at the beginning of each day. I am one of those Pilgrims who would most always start in the darkness of the early morning. I slept in my clothes and would generally wake up around 6 am and be out the door by 6:30 am. Sunrise in September would happen about an hour into my walk, and most days I was alone at that time of day. Generally, by the time the sun would peak over the horizon, it would be light enough for me to have turned off my head lamp (or torch as the English would call it), and then I could begin to experience the gradual and subtle change in the light as I moved forward on my journey. It was one of my favorite parts of the day and there was not a single part of the Camino that lacked a spectacular sunrise.

I don’t notice sunrises when I am home because I am not generally outside at that time of day. Sunrises from March to October come much earlier than they do in Spain because of how we are positioned in our time zone. On the Camino, I was bathed in the experience most every day on my journeys. I met many of my Camino friends at Sunrise because everyone would stop and watch and ooh and aah at the spectacle. The thing is a Camino sunrise is no more or less beautiful than a sunrise in any other place. But it is more special because you are existing in the elements and vulnerable to them. One begins to appreciate and be inspired by this sense of vulnerability, and I could understand how those who lived in the open spaces might see the sun as a divine entity. Certainly, there is a worshipful experience that occurs at every sunrise on the Camino. You feel the loving presence of this divine creation of life and the beauty that is all around and within everyone. It is the reason I used one of the sunrise pictures I took as the cover for my book “Heaven is Walking the Spiritual Path”.

One particular sunrise I remember is on the walk from Ages to Burgos. The walk was especially dark in the beginning and the early light began to emerge as I ascended the main hill. The trail was quite rough, and I had to pick my steps carefully. There is a cross at the crest of the hill and just as I passed the cross the sun began to show itself on the horizon and I was able to capture what I consider a special picture that inspires me every time I see it.

When I was walking from La Herrerias at the base of the mountain climb that leads to O’Cebreiero, I also left my Albergue in the dark and walked the steepest part of the climb in the darkness of early morning. As I came to the monument, that signifies we are crossing into Galacia, it was there that the sun began to show up. As I stopped to admire the monument a couple of Pilgrims I had met briefly a couple of days before, Adriana and Cleber from Brazil, showed up and took my picture. It was a beautiful place to watch the sunrise. We ended up walking the rest of the day together and Cleber was busy filming the walk for his Youtube Channel. You can view that day at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hvcDQXHUG0&t=2s. It was a fun day making new friends.

My Caminos live in me and color my life in so many wonderful ways. The memories are vivid, the sunrises are spectacular, and the people are exquisite. If you have not yet done a Camino in Spain you have much to look forward to. If you have done one or more Camino’s you know what I am sharing is an affirmation of this special moment in your life.

Buen Camino

Stephen Towles
I Found the Holy Grail

December 16th, 2023

In my 2021 Camino, which started in Fromista, my business was to prove to myself that I could make it. After the way I left my Camino in 2019, having made it Carrion de Los Condes with infected feet and an early exit, I was in need of some completion. There was not a lot of companionship on this journey because of COVID and the low number of pilgrims that were predominately Spanish who very often could not speak English. It was more of an introverted Camino in the sense that I spent a lot of time with myself and my own thoughts and feelings. As I was approaching O’Cebreiro, which is one of the highest spots on the Camino Frances, I was told to stop at the church in that town. It was because the church claimed to have the Holy Grail. As we know, the Holy Grail is the chalice Jesus used at the last Supper.

To me the Holy Grail is less of an object and more of an experience. It really represents an experience of the spiritual realm and all it holds for us in our life journey. Regardless of my view, I was feeling in that moment like I was finished with the Camino, and I just needed to finish it and be done with it, yet I still had a week to go. I was feeling a bit sarcastic and still I decided to stop at the church. The Chalice of course is beautiful and ornate, but very unlike what Jesus would have used. But it did make me think a bit about his journey, his mission, his intentions to transform his people and culture. It was a quiet moment of reflection for me. On my way out the door, I noticed a Pilgrims Prayer by Franciscanos de Santiago that was posted, and I stopped to read it, it is as follows:

Although I may have traveled all the roads,

crossed mountains and valleys from East to West.

If I have not discovered the freedom to be myself,

I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have shared all my possessions

with people of other languages and cultures,

made friends with Pilgrims of a thousand paths,

or shared Albergues with saints and princes,

If I am not capable of forgiving my neighbor tomorrow,

I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have carried my pack from beginning to end,

and waited for every Pilgrim in need of encouragement,

or given my bed to one who arrived later than I,

or given my bottle of water in exchange for nothing.

If upon returning to my home and work,

I am not able to create brotherhood or to make happiness,

I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have had food and water each day,

and enjoyed a roof and shower every night.

Or may have had my injuries well attended,

if I have not discovered in all that that the love of God is Real.

I have arrived nowhere.

Although I have seen all the monuments,

and contemplated the best sunsets;

Although I may have learned greetings in every language,

or tasted the clean water from every fountain;

if I have not discovered who is the author of so much free

beauty and so much peace.

I have arrived nowhere.

If from today I do not continue walking on my path,

Searching and living according to what I have learned;

if from today I do not see in every person friend or foe,

a companion on the Camino;

if from today I cannot recognize God, the God of love

as the one God of my life.

I have arrived nowhere.

In reading this prayer, I just metaphorically drank from the Holy Grail, and it tasted wonderful. It was as though a weight had been lifted from me in that moment. The realization of why I came on the journey and what it was about. The healing powers of the Holy Grail come in many ways, and these words that filled my mind and heart changed everything for me. Not only did I no longer feel alone, I felt lighter, healthier, happier, and filled with clarity about my journey. From that point forward there were no thoughts of “I am done with this”, just thoughts of feeling the energy of spirit move in and through me. That evening I met a wonderful woman from Sweden at a community dinner and we had a nice conversation. We did not walk together, but we did have dinner in Santiago and shared some stories. I began to more deeply appreciate the friends I had made on the Journey. With the exception of one day when I walked with an Irishman from Sarria to Portomarin, I mostly continued to walk alone, but I no longer felt alone and when I arrived in Santiago I was emotional and grateful and ready to do it again from start to finish.

Buen Camino
My Camino Angel

November 8th, 2023

Neus and Stephen

In 2019 I was called to walk the Camino Frances in honor of my 70^th birthday. I wanted to do something meaningful and challenging to inspire me as I was entering my 7^th decade of life. Those who have walked the Camino know it is a wonderful adventure when one is in a life transition. I was a novice at this sort of thing and did not understand the importance of taking care of one’s feet when one is walking 20 – 30 kilometers a day with a 20 lb. pack. I found myself during the early stages of my Camino dealing with constant blisters that kept getting worse and worse as I continued, with every step becoming more and more painful. I kept thinking that they would get better, so I just kept going. I did take a couple of days off in Burgos hoping they would get better, and I did try and go to the Medico, but the language barrier was too great.

              I left Burgos on a Sunday morning and limped to Hornellos del Camino and the next day to Castrojeriz. The following day I met Neus de Saavadra walking up the long hill out of Castrojeriz. I passed her on the hill because I could walk fast uphill, but she passed me later when we were going downhill. We ended up staying in the same Albergue in Fromista but it wasn’t until I stopped at a garden bar on the way to Carrion de los Condes that we actually had a significant conversation. She asked me about my feet, and I shared with her what I was dealing with and that each step was painful. When we arrived in Carrion, she offered to take me to a Clinic for pilgrims and serve as my translator. She was kind and compassionate and encouraging. So we went, and while the Medico’s and staff were working on my feet, I kept hearing the work “Loco”. Afterward I asked her if they were talking about me. We had a good laugh. Both of my feet were infected, and the skin was coming off the bottom. They cleaned up my feet and told me that I could not walk any distance for at least a week to ten days. Sadly, I decided to return home.

              In my conversations with Neus I learned that she was from Catalonia near Barcelona and was walking the Camino as a celebration of her cancer being in remission. In fact, prior to meeting her she had just returned from Barcelona because she had to leave the Camino for 2 weeks to get her final Kemo treatment, and she had just returned. It was then that I started referring to her as “My Camino Angel” because of her kindness and her willingness to help me out. The universe organized it in such a way for her to be there to help me. I returned home and Neus went on to finish the Camino, but we stayed in touch and exchanged emails and followed each other on Facebook. During COVID we zoomed a couple of times because I was seeking to come back to finish my Camino. When I finally confirmed that I would be able to finish in September of 2021, Neus jumped in and helped me book my accommodations. Since Albergue’s were limited to being ½ full, it was recommended to book ahead. I arrived in Madrid on September 8 and took a train to Palencia and a cab to Fromista, which was my starting point. When I was in transit she called to check on my progress and I was about 15 minutes from Fromista. I arrived and checked in my Albergue and got to my bunk bed and as I was taking off my pack a felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Neus standing behind me. There was my Camino Angel in the flesh, what a pleasant surprise. She had decided to do a Camino from Burgos to Leon and then from Leon to Ovideo and then on the Primativo to Santiago. She was going to walk with me to Leon, which I was very happy about.

              It turns out she was not through with Cancer and had been doing more treatments. She told me about it as we walked to Carrion de los Condes the next day. I also noticed she was limping a bit and she shared that she had a bad nail on her big toe that was giving her a hard time. Ironically when we got to Carrion she decided to go to the Medico and get it wrapped so she could continue. It turned out they had to remove her toenail and she could not continue. I was able to run errands for her to the Farmacia just like she had for me 2 years before. She did end up meeting me in Leon, she took a bus to meet and spend time with a dear friend of hers. I went on and finished my Camino and again we stayed in touch. I felt so good that I wanted to do the entire Camino again and scheduled it for Sept/Oct of 2022. I did not see her when I did that Camino, but she helped me with reservations along the way. This past year her Cancer returned with a vengeance, and she passed away on September 20^th when I was attempting the Camino del Norte. Her partner/sweetheart called me several days after she died.

              Neus was an authentic, kind, compassionate being. She was my Camino Angel and a dear Spanish friend. I think of her often when I am on my daily hikes. One of the great blessings of the Camino’s I have walked are the authentic connections with other beings who are in transition, making changes, in-between something, or just seeking clarity and understanding in their life. I value them because they are genuine. You can read more about this journey by getting my book “Heaven is Walking the Camino de Santiago” on Amazon or my book “Heaven is Walking the Spiritual Path”. Both are available in either paperback or Kindle versions.

Buen Camino,

Stephen Towles