Camino Preparation

We are getting ready for the next Camino! This Camino is going to be different as I am going to walk by myself for 10 days while Steve volunteers at the albergue in Porto. We will then be meeting our group of 9 others pilgrims to walk the Camino Portuguese. I walked the Camino four times but always with Steve. I am going to walk from Burgos to Leon on the Camino Frances. This is 178 kilometers or about 107 miles. This part of the Camino is called the Meseta due to flat nature. Here is where it is located:

Camino Frances showing section from Burgos to Leon

The preparation is a bit different as I can’t rely on Steve to carry some items I may need. It is somewhat scary but at the same time it is quite exciting. While an important part of preparation is gathering the gear needed for the journey, it is also important to prepare mentally. I normally do this before every Camino. I read some Camino books. I read The Great Westward Walk by the great Pilgrim called “Bolitx”. I also read To the Field of Stars by Father Kevin Codd. Before every Camino I read The Alchemist by Paulo Cuelho. While this is not directly Camino-related it speaks to why it is important to have adventure in life and to follow one’s dreams. Of course, we always watch The Way again as this was how the Camino actually began for me (in 2012 although I did not get the courage to walk until 2017).

Favorite Camino books and movie

We leave in three weeks and the preparation will continue. I keep analyzing my pack…Do I have everything I need? How can I get it to weigh less? Who will I meet and what will be their story? I also keep analyzing my purpose for this Camino and what I am being called to figure out or experience. Here is one of my favorite Camino quotes:

“Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. May be it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you so that you can be the person you were meant to be in the first place.”

More to follow…