Well, we're off again for another long walk in Spain. We leave in about two weeks for Madrid from Boston, flying on Iberia Airlines overnight, spending a few days there to decompress after the time change and then finding our way by train west to Ourence, a city in Gallicia in northwest Spain.
The weather here in Maine has been drizzly, cold and just plain lousy for a couple of weeks and while I know that's good for the growing things, it's made our training hard to keep up. So while we're not nearly as "trained' as we have been in the past, we're hoping that all our walking and gym work over the past few years will give us some residual edge and that we're fit enough to handle this pilgrimage.
Joan has gotten her pack weight down to about 12 pounds, cutting stuff out ruthlessly. They say you pack stuff to protect against your worst fears and for Joan that's a lot of "what if" medical gear in case something breaks down on the road, most likely in me, seeing as how I'll be 82 years old this time out. For me, the "can leave home stuff" is fix-it gear for trekking poles, hiking boots and some cold weather clothes. I'll get my Osprey 33 pack down to about 13 pounds, plus water & daily lunches.
Just found out we're meeting up with Elaine, a dear friend from England, in Ourence and she will be walking the Camino Santabres with us into Santiago. That will be great. We last saw her in Georgia last month at the American Pilgrims on the Camino ("APOC") Gathering. That was a fun weekend, spent with about 175 other members on APOC, learning about the pilgrimage experience and renewing & making good friendships. We've found a new family ever since we starting our long-distance walking adventures.
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