From the Camino, concerning what should have happened but didn’t: I came across a young man in Lugo, Galicia, limping with crutches outside the cathedral in flip-flops. He had been part of a group of other young men just beginning their pilgrimage in Oviedo. I had already been walking for weeks by that time, but they still quickly passed me by. They were young and fit, and I was their senior by between 30 and 40 years. I had already had it beaten into me, weeks ago, that I needed to walk my own walk, unfettered by my natural bent for competition. It was a grace to let go of it. If they passed me, they passed me and it would have to be fine.
As I was an early riser, and the young men were not so inclined, they would come up quickly from behind me after I had been walking for about 3 hours or so. We cheerily greeted one another and off they’d go. After about three days I didn’t see them again, until I came upon the one fellow in Lugo – Lugo is an amazing city in Galicia on the Via Primitivo. It has a city core that is completely surrounded by amazing Roman walls that are largely intact, with a very walk-able one and a third mile path. It has an amazing cathedral, well worth visiting, which is where I found my young man, alone.
He recognized me, and we took up a conversation. I learned that he had pushed himself too hard, even after he got many blisters on his feet, which I could see, as he was wearing flip-flops. His feet were amply speckled with white plasters, and I could see from his movements, and his use of a pair of crutches, that he was in considerable pain. As it turned out, he had sought medical advice and was told that he needed to end his pilgrimage. He admitted to me that he hadn’t prepared at all for the trip. He was good-natured about the whole thing, but I felt bad for him. I’m sure that his friends were going to have good times ahead – lessened only, I’m sure, by his absence – but good no less. Such a pity that he wouldn’t be with them.
Exod 12:37-42 “37 The Israelites set out from Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting the children. 38 A crowd of mixed ancestry also went up with them, with livestock in great abundance, both flocks and herds. 39 The dough they had brought out of Egypt they baked into unleavened loaves. It was not leavened, because they had been driven out of Egypt and could not wait. They did not even prepare food for the journey. 40 The time the Israelites had stayed in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 At the end of four hundred and thirty years, on this very date, all the armies of the Lord left the land of Egypt. 42 This was a night of vigil for the Lord, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt; so on this night all Israelites must keep a vigil for the Lord throughout their generations.”
For reflection: I know I’ve already dwelt on this subject, but it’s so critical that I’m going to hit it again. How much preparation is enough? It’s hard to say. The Israelites set out with hardly a warning, but they were impelled by necessity and held up by God’s grace. Their bread might not have been leavened, but they had their freedom from oppression, and for the moment, it was enough. They would, soon enough, be crying out for water and food, and complaining that Moses had brought them out to die in the dessert.
It happens that people, on a whim, end up on the Camino, just like the Israelites heading out to Succoth, without a chance to work up to the long walking distances. I know that some will do fine… but I think they are lucky exceptions. Most will not flourish. Those who do little preparation often end up along the side of the Camino with their shoes off, with hurting feet all covered with plasters, or find themselves alone in a cathedral plaza because their friends have gone on without them.
Since the mind and heart cannot embrace what the body cannot endure, a part of spiritual preparation is readying the body, setting out on a realistic training program that gradually increases, taking ever more frequent extended walks as the start date approaches. Look up “training regimes for the Camino” to find a wide variety of possible approaches others have found helpful. Do some training where its hilly, even mountainous, especially if you are going on one of the more mountainous routes, such as the Northern.
As your date approaches you will want to add your backpack to your walks, complete with everything you are thinking to take with you. It may convince you, before you go, to vastly reduce how much you are taking. Wear the underwear, clothes and shoes you intend to take on your longest training walks. This will help you discern and eliminate whatever causes chafing or discomfort.
On these training walks, consider not walking with earphones on. It might be helpful to know if you can make the most of a good walk without music or podcasts, without any distractions from yourself. Remember that your home town’s streets and trails are also holy, filled with the holy presence of God.