Two Days Until I Leave for the El Camino de Santiago

Wow...I am getting down to the wire. I leave for Madrid on Thursday, arrive on Friday and then take a train to Leon in the afternoon. I then have the evening and most of the next day to myself before meeting up with the crew from Toronto with whom I am walking the El Camino de Santiago.

I will be assisting Sue Kenney, an experienced Camino pilgrim - see http://www.suekenney.ca/ for more information about her and her books and movie - to lead a small group of 4 pilgrims from Vega de Valcarce, west of Leon, to Santiago de Compostela. We are walking about 100 miles over ten days, planning to arrive in Santiago on June 1st.

I am so excited, and admittedly, a little nervous as well. I walked about 6 miles along the Mesa Trail along the edge of the foothills just west of Boulder down to Eldorado Springs on Sunday. I felt great, and even went to Pilates class that afternoon. If nothing else, I will have my Colorado altitude training on my side! Plus I have been walking with about 20 pounds on my back for the last 3 weeks - 20 pounds of popping corn and dried beans!

Tomorrow I pack my pack with clothes and other traveling items. Then I get to weigh it. They say I should take about 10% of my weight, which thankfully is way less than 20 pounds, but I am already nervous about how much I am bringing. I have actually been cutting travel books in half so that I bring only the part of the books that I really need. Feels so funny to cut a book up...isn't there a rule about never doing anything like that to a book?!

I will be writing more when I am in Spain...stay in touch to continue hearing about my adventures. Walking the Camino is just the beginning - the preparation - for the pilgrimage that follows!