I’ve spent a lot of time traveling around the world. I think I’ve made it to over 60 countries so far give or take, it’s just my thing. I love to travel and explore new places. I love to hear different languages and get immersed in different cultures with different people. I love the preparation, and the research that goes into every trip. It’s exciting for me to dust off my suitcase or backpack and think back to the last time I used it. So, I would consider myself a seasoned traveler for sure.
I’m well-versed in packing well with the appropriate shoes, clothing, guidebooks, apps, flight schedules, first aid supplies, foreign currency, hotels, and sites to see. I always have things planned out well in advance. I’m a deep thinker so I have the gift of mulling things over for ages, looking for any part of the planning process that might need improvement. I’m definitely a measure twice, cut once kind of person.
But there’s nothing that can really prepare you for an experience of this magnitude.
I thought I had a really good understanding of what was ahead of me before I left. All my Ts were crossed, and all my Is were dotted. But that was me looking at this journey from the comfort of my comfort zone. It’s a whole other ball of wax when you’re out of that zone and into the throws of the actual experience.
I remember being in my living room and going through each stage of this Camino countless times so I would know what to expect, and I remember thinking, no problem. I’ve got this. I’m an avid hiker in the mountains of Colorado for goodness sakes! In fact every morning I go on 2-3 hour strenuous “gratitude hikes” with my dog to thank the Universe and people in my life for all that I have, and everything I’ve become. It’s really important for me to start my day in that state of gratitude. I’m pretty fit and I would prefer to be outside to anywhere else.
It’s the rainiest season Spain has seen in a long time. And of course, Camino Del Norte is on the coast so there’s that. What I wasn’t really prepared for was the constant rain, and the mud - good Lord the mud! I was not prepared for the pain of walking 6 to 8 hours a day on hard surfaces like cobblestones, bike paths, pavement, and roadways. I was not prepared for my feet to experience the sheer agony of the kilometers one after another after another. And, this might be too much information for some so I apologize, but there’s something really wrong with having blister, after blister, on top of blisters. And then having those blisters pop and ooze their goo to soak your socks and shoes even further. You wouldn’t think that you’d be able to feel it in the rain and mud, but you can.
Now might be a good time for me to bring up the fact that I’m carrying my own pack as well. It was my choice, and I would make the same decision. It’s light by most standards, maybe 12/13 pounds but carrying it up and down every single mountain, every minute that I walk regardless of the weather, is tough. And, it was even tougher that first week with the constant, brutal ascents and descents for the first 70 miles or so.
The Camino is a great teacher, that’s a fact. And as I’ve said before, it’s not about the miles. It’s the lessons in those miles. I definitely consider myself ‘schooled up’ at this point, lol!
What Hell Week taught me was that for my personal growth and expansion I have to risk getting out of my comfort zone, and risk being uncomfortable. I would prefer not to have it be in the form of blisters, hotspots and other foot pain, but that was my reality which continues to this day. It’s hard to completely heal when there are so many miles in front of you every day.
I know that there's a lesson in that experience to help elevate who I am as a person, and as a soul. That week taught me something deep and profound... I might not be aware of it right now, or maybe I’ll never be aware of it. But that’s not the point.
The point is for me to live life my way while I am on this planet. And, sometimes I have to get out of my comfort zone in order to do it. If I don’t get out of my own way, nothing changes. If I get side-lined by fear, insecurity, or doubt nothing changes. Nothing changes if I’m complacent. No new experiences can show up if I stay in place. I don’t grow and evolve if I don’t take risks and chances and open myself up to other possibilities. And quite frankly, not all possibilities and experiences I’m gonna like. Hell Week sucked, I’m just gonna put it out there - it sucked. But I survived and I’m stronger for it. The lessons in those miles have changed me forever I can just feel it internally, and I don’t need to know how.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be in touch.
Now I must WALK.
Candace ❤️
